With BC in Phase 3 of its Restart Plan, viaSport’s Return to Sport Guidelines in place, and Cycling BC’s sport-specific guidelines receiving the green light for a safe return to some cycling activities, our Provincial BMX teams were happy to get back on track! Adapting to a ‘new normal’, the training sessions are separated by region to minimize travel and help ensure the athletes stay close to their home communities. Cycling BC Provincial BMX coach, Mischa Partridge, held sessions in Surrey for athletes in the lower mainland on July 11th and an action-packed weekend for Vancouver Island-based team members with back-to-back days in Victoria and Nanaimo on July 18th and 19th.
With the disruptive impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on, well…everything, these were the first team training sessions of the year for both the BMX Development Team (age 11-13) and BMX High Performance Team (age 14-20) and several riders reported feeling a little rusty. Some have been spending their time riding a different bike over the last few months and others have had little or no access to the start gate. These first team training sessions provided an opportunity for the athletes to get familiar with the start gate and begin to feel good on their bikes again.
With the team divided into regional groups, Coach Mischa Partridge had ample time to work one-on-one with the athletes. “The goal for these first few sessions is to go away feeling good on the bike and for each athlete to identify what they can work on before the next training session in August,” said Partridge. For both teams, there is very little chance of competition this season and while that may present a challenge to the athlete’s motivation it is also an opportunity to focus on skill development and building a strong physical foundation.
As long as regional districts and municipalities allow BMX tracks to stay open, the team will be making good use of this time with more sessions planned in August and September.
View Upcoming High Performance and Development Team Training Camps
