Day 1:
Check-in
was at 1300 hours, in which most of all the 24 riders where on time and ready
to go. We were forced to wait outside for about an hour as the cleaning crew
went though each room… I’m assuming they had an orchestra ‘Camp’ leaving as we
were arriving, since each kid had a violin. We got settled, in our massive
dorms, with their very own kitchens, and private rooms. After about an hour we
got ready to do a short ride going down the “5-Minute TT” it was an 18-mile
ride with a small amount of climbing… Interesting… After the ride we changed,
ate dinner, and listened to the introduction lecture.
Day 2:
Rise at
0630, to a very cold room, with little sheets! Maybe turn the temp. up a bit
for the next night… breakfast was at
0700, with some rock solid waffles, and some juice and sausage. Then came about
an hour break, and departing to “recon” the “5 minute” Time Trial we will be
doing the next day. Everyone that was
able to go fast was very anxious to race… not sure why… but they did a great
job of perfecting their drafting more over examining the actual course. It will
be a challenging course, with little to no breaks, since it is so short. We
then continued to ride about 20 more miles for a nice hour and 10 minutes of
breaking and sprinting… Juniors aren’t the best at riding in a group… some are
sketchy, others just love their break handles. Once back to the university, we
had a quick stretching session, before lunch…. Proved how inflexible cyclists
are… a session of bike handling, and cornering courses followed that evening.
Dinner came, and lectures about “Life” followed.
Day 3:
The 5
minutes Time trial was set to separate the field, and divide us by time and
more importantly Power to weight Ratio. Everyone was nervous, knowing that this
performance may decide whether or not he or she is selected for a “National
Junior Camp” held at the Olympic training center. Breakfast was quiet… kinda
funny to watch kids attempt to get into their “zone.” The ride out to the TT
was quick, and we got 2 chances to ride the course, and prepare for the real
attempt. I was 5th to go, and managed a 5th overall… I
wasn’t too happy with my placing, until they showed the Watts Per Kilogram
page. This page is how they select for the National Camp. Since each of the 12
Regional camps are in different locations, the times can’t be compared… you can
think of the reasons why. As a result, measuring Watts is a constant, and can
be reflected over everybody, regardless of location and course. Watts per
Kilogram is taking your total Watt output, and dividing it by your weight in
Kilograms. The page showing Watts per Kilogram was surprising to me, I was 2nd
overall, and averaged 5.86 WpK for 5 minutes and 33 seconds. After that result,
I was determined to do well on the “20 minute” long TT.
Day 4:
Wednesday
was an early rise; a Portland Morning news crew was coming out to document our
camp, and the “Future” of American Cycling. We woke up at 0400, and slogged out
to the parking lot, to ride a mock criterium. We did some bumping drills, and I
managed to break my right foot cleat off of my shoe, thankfully, packing smart
saved me, and a brand new cleat was easily installed on my shoe. The local
baking shop was kind enough to donate a few muffins to our group, which acted
as a breakfast. Our morning ride was the best yet, “Pace line training” I was
placed with the 6 fastest guys in the camp, because of my TT performance the
previous day. We crushed it, going about 29 MPH the final stretch working
flawlessly as a group in a rotation pace line, the camp director was
impressed. The evening held a session of bumping drills, rubbing tires, and
“Garbage Ball” a game where you must remain on your bike, and play catch, to
place a basketball sized ball into a garbage basket in the middle of the field.
If you touch the ground with your feet, you are out, and need to sit on the
side. The evening lectures consisted of a nutritionist talking about how to
recover, prepare, and eat on rides to effectively regain lost energy. Based off
of our power and HR readings, she put together a rough sketch of daily needs,
specific to myself.
Day 5:
The final
“20-minute” TT was planned, similar to the morning of the “5-minute” TT,
everybody kept to himself or herself at breakfast… once again, attempting to
get into the “zone.” I had a high expectation for this TT, being longer (7.3
miles) but not any climbing, I needed to push real hard to keep the bigger,
“Muscle men” off of my back. We had 1-minute intervals, so at any single time
about 19 riders were on the course. Once again I was 5th to leave,
and not having ridden the course, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Once I was set
free to fly down the road, I took it hard, and eventually found my 1-minute
man, a kid from Seattle whom I have raced, passed him on the first stretch.
Then, unknowing of how I was doing, I kept the pressure on, and eventually
found sight of the 2-minute man, and passed him on the single “Up pitch” of the
road. I crossed the line 1st so far… eventually, 3 “Muscle men” were
able to better my time, putting me in 4th for the day. The importance of this test was to see your
Watts per Kilogram, since it was our last full day of camp, and with nothing to
lose I wasn’t too concerned. After dinner, and a session on bike care and
mechanics, we finally got to see the results. The Director of the camp showed
us the page, and my name was first, highest watts per kilogram for 20 minutes…
5.22 w/k.
A very nice end to a solid week of learning and gaining
experience on a bike.
Conor, thanks for sharing your experiences at this USAC Camp. Congratulations on your results. Mike H
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