Another important difference this year had to do a certain milestone I reached in March. I turned 40 (ouch). That big number gave me a little more bargaining power at home and helped me lobby for a week-long experience.After researching my options (and coming to terms with a limited budget) I chose Cycling Camp San Diego. The price was much more reasonable than Carmichael's camps, and others of that ilk, but it still looked to be professionally operated (and it was). I made contact with the camp's director, Rob Panzera, and he responded promptly and courteously to all of my many questions. He assured me that I would get a lot out of attending.
I have to admit that when I first me the dozen or so other campers during our pre-camp meeting at the Alpine Ayers Alpine Inn (Alpine, CA, 25 miles east of San Diego) I was a little surprised that they were mostly older and primarily interested in training for individual events (triathlons, long tours, etc.). It was Sunday night before the first day of camp and we sat around the hotel's lounge a little nervously talking about our riding experience and sandbagging about how we'd do at camp. There were just a couple of other serious racers during my week, and Rob told me the composition of each group is different, with some of his camps have drawn a higher proportion of racers. As a result, I was initially dubious that I'd be pushed hard enough. Boy was I wrong. By the end of the week I had developed a great deal of respect for every one of my fellow campers, and I had ample opportunity to push myself to the limit each day.
Day One: 50 miles, 4,000 feet climbing
The first day (of five) was the shortest day of riding and were instructed to stick together. This was a warm-up day, where Rob and his staff would evaluate our form and make impressions about our skill and fitness levels. That evening, just before dinner, we gathered for Rob's discussion concerning VO2 max interval training, which we'd be doing the next day (each evening before dinner Rob would hold an educational meeting to share training tips and discuss the plan for the next day). Rob is himself is a former Cat 2 racer and certified coach, so he's quite knowledgeable about bike-specific training, nutrition and other topics of interest to competitive cyclists. I began to get a little nervous about what the next day would hold.
Day Two: 60 miles, 5,000 feet climbing
On day two we met outside of Rob's room and met that day's assistant ride leaders. Rob seems to know nearly everyone in the San Diego cycling community and he assembled a different group of support staff each day. That way, riders of every level would have someone to guide them. This was very important for a camp like CCSD, since there was quite a wide range of fitness and bike handling skills. That morning I was surprised to meet someone whose name and reputation I'd already known. Bill Holland is something of a legend among custom bike frame builders. My neighbor and friend Paul rides a custom Holland titanium-carbon frame and loves it.
As the ride started I introduced myself to Bill (pictured in the orange jersey) and he remembered Paul well. We had a nice time talking as we rode to the starting point of our intervals. Rob had marked the road with symbols to indicate the starting and stopping point for each set of intervals, which would be based on our heart rates zones (we were expected to already know them before arriving at camp). Fortunately I'd had a HR and power threshold test earlier that winter at a cycling studio in Minneapolis and had pretty accurate numbers to work with.As the group started the intervals, individual riders began to separate, since some could ride at a quicker pace while maintaining their HR in the desired zone. During each of the six intervals we were expected to ride at a higher percentage of our maximum heart rate, with equal periods of recovery between them. I quickly found myself with Rob, Bill and another strong rider (Greg, one of the other two racers). We moved through 3 of the 6 sets, which eventually approached 95% of our maximum heart rates, and just Bill and I were together at the front of the group. Now, Bill Holland is in his early 50s and is in impeccable shape from riding in the mountains nearly every day. The guy is a machine. On the last interval (all were on climbs, none on descents) the road steepened considerably. I stuck to Bill's wheel until the last couple hundred yards when I discovered a new maximum heart rate (I know, I was supposed to keep it at 95% but I was having too much fun).
After finishing this 6th and final interval, Bill and I looked around and found that no one else was in sight so we rode together to the first SAG stop. SAG for the camp was outstanding, led by a guy named Jeff who wrenches for a San Diego-area shop and formerly worked for Mavic. He drove a van packed with complimentary bars, gels, sports drinks, fruit and a very well-stocked tool kit. In any event, this was my first of many hours riding off the front of the group with Bill. I have no doubt Rob could have ridden with us but he had the responsibility of shuttling between groups to check in on other campers. Even though Bill and I rode hard, we took the opportunity to discuss bike making, travel and life generally. It was a real privilege not only to meet him but to ride with him and engage in several hours of interesting discussion.
After re-grouping at the rest stop, we did some skills training, including bumping and crossing/rubbing wheels (on grass) and descending. After these on-the-road clinics, Bill and I were joined by another ride leader as well as Greg and his Portland-area racing partner Eric (in the photo Greg is on the left and Eric right). We hammered together for about 40 miles to close out an exhausting but productive day on the bike. I took the opportunity to spend a lot of time pulling up front because my goal for the week was to see how many days in a row I could push myself to the brink of exhaustion and still recover to ride the next day. I recall Greg yelling up to me during a few long pulls "You guys are amazing!" -- certainly a compliment from a fellow (and more experienced) racer. I had decided not to save myself for rides later in the week because I didn't want to get to the end of camp with anything left in the tank. What was there to lose? So what if I cracked on the 3rd or 4th day? At least then I'd know that I'd reached my limit.In a subsequent post I'll summarize the remaining three days from my camp experience along with my day of riding with my brother and his cycling partners near San Jose. When it was over, I'd had my first 400-mile week (with 35,000-plus feet of climbing) and I was ready for my first season of bike racing.
No comments:
Post a Comment