The Cycling BC mountain bike team had an incredible weekend of training in Victoria. Athletes caught the Saturday morning ferry to meet up with local guides Quinn Moberg and Rhys Verner to show us around the course. We rode a couple laps as a group and then did some specific training on certain sections.
After a quick nutrition break at the Bear’s Den, the local coffee shop, the athletes recharged and got in a couple of hot laps, trying to put their lines to the test. The evening wrapped up with a team dinner and an early night to bed.
It was great to have my old teammates, Rhys and Quinn, there to show me and the rest of the team the lines to ensure we have the course dialed for March 5.
– Sean Fincham
Sunday morning, the athletes set out along the Galloping Goose trail to Bear Mountain. They set up a “mock race” and were joined by another local guide and Bear Mountain fixture, Max McCulloch. The team raced for two laps of the course. Afterwards there was a debriefing using video and lap splits with the top three riders earning treats from the café. We finished the day with more laps joined by U23 racers Quinn and Rhys.
I’ve learned a lot of new tactics that can help me at the Bear Mountain Canada cup and racing in general. I definitely got pushed to my limit this weekend and learned some valuable lessons. Sunday was one of the biggest rides I’ve ever done; having to ride to the ferry from Bear Mountain was a struggle. Thank you to the team for helping me get through it. Thank you to Mike and Cycling BC for the experience.
– Julia Long
The final day of the training camp was on Monday. The morning was spent riding some of Squamish’s classic trails, with fast legs as the theme. The afternoon saw riders spend some time with Paul Sherman, an Osteopath/Physiotherapist located in Squamish, BC. He led us on a challenging myofascial stretching routine.
All in all the camp was really fun, informative and an overall great experience. I was happy to record some PR’s and KOM on my Strava.
– Nick Kleban
Come out March 5 to Bear Mountain and watch the provincial team take on the rest of Canada!
