Bike Camp Report
Bike Camp started bright and early Saturday morning. Because Anza Borrego is the dessert, it gets hot very quickly, so if you want to have any fun riding you need to get started in the morning. Our team started riding at 8:30, but by this time temperatures were already approaching 90 degrees. Our team split up into 3 different groups (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), and I led the intermediate group ride. The ride was almost 40 miles long and concluded with a climb up “Yaqui Pass,” a mile long hill climb followed by a four mile descent. After this ride, a couple of my teammates decided they wanted to add on some extra mileage, so we rode out an extra 5 miles to view many of the giant desert sculptures the area had to offer. At the end of all this cycling we were understandably hungry, so as a team we took a stop at one of the few restaurants the town had to offer, and crammed as many tacos and burritos into our stomachs as we could.
Lunch was followed by a “bike skills clinic” where we got to practice all sorts of useful skills such as changing flat tires, weaving in and out of cones, and taking corners as tightly as possible. Once the clinic had concluded, we returned to camp. Some members chose to go on runs or light hikes during the rest of the afternoon, but I personally decided a shower and a hammock nap sounded more appealing. That night we returned to town for more tacos, and the night concluded with a s’mores session around the campfire.
Sunday morning we rode again, again starting at 8:30. Despite our tired legs, our coach led us all on a “hill repeats,” five minute intervals of climbing hills as hard as we could. Once the five minutes were up, turn around, fly down the hill, and do it again. These hurt A L O T, especially considering the fatigue from the day before. Once the workout was over, we had another team clinic, this time focusing on “transitions.” In a triathlon, all three of the sports are back to back, so being able to transition between sports will save you crucial seconds during a race. During the clinic, we practiced getting on and off our bikes as quickly as possible, and also practiced neatly arranging our bikes/helmets/shoes so that we can be efficient in transition. After this clinic, we once again returned to camp, except this time it was to pack up or tents and bikes. While it was an amazing couple of days, I really felt like camp was just beginning by the time it ended, and wish I could have stayed longer. Bike Camp 2019 was an amazing experience for me where I got to bond with old friends, meet new team members, ride way too many miles, and eat my bodyweight in tacos and protein bars. Now I can sit back, let my legs recover, and get hyped for bike camp 2020