Today was the first day of the MTB Future Champs Camp. We did a really similar thing last year and it worked out really well so I’m stoked that we are doing it again. The day started out with some skills and then transitioned into going out for a ride after lunch. Its really cool being one of the older riders and being able to mentor and answer questions that the younger riders might have. It wasn’t too long ago that I was in the exact same position and having older rider help me out is something that has really contributed to my success over the years. Tomorrow we have another ride planned and I’m stoked to get to know some of the riders better and share some of my experiences and knowledge.
– Rhys Verner
Today we did our first ride as a group. We started out with some skill assessment and then the coaches organized us into groups. Later the groups went out for a ride with the coaches. It was very nice that the coaches were so interactive and would answer any question I had as soon as they could, I also found the help of the older riders useful. After our ride the coaches helped us go shopping for our food. When we got back to the Athletes village we had a bit of time to get settled and then we went to the high performance gym for a stretch with Majo from Kinesio Majo, I really enjoyed it. The teacher was very funny and very helpful she ran us through all the stretches step by step. At the end of the day people were assigned to different jobs for dinner. Every body chipped in and we made a delicious pasta diner to finish the day.
– Quinn storey
We started off the day with a dynamic stretch lead by Majo from Kinesio Majo. The stretching was a great start to the day. We then went for a awesome ride on some cool new trails near the Athletes village. The trails were smooth, flowy, and fast with the occasional hill. It was much different from what we ride on the island. After that ride we went straight to the eliminator course. It was new to us but we were excited. Then we got into pairs to do time trials. After they calculated all the times we got put into groups of four and raced. After the eliminator we came in and had a snack to re-fuel before another fast pace ride up train wreck. This gave us a opportunity for us to practice our skills that we learned on day one. After the ride we came in and prepared our selves for the mental training presentation from Greg. This taught us the outcome is not everything it is about how you prepared and left everything you have on the course. Straight after we went to another presentation, this one was about sponsorship. They gave us information about having and getting a sponsor. This camp has already taught us so many riding skills and techniques. We are super excited for day three!
– Sarah Van Dam
The dynamic warm up in the morning was a good way to start the day. I probably would not have done it on my own and if I did I didn’t know all of those stretches. Our Pro whistler guide showed us trails called Lucy in the sky and loggers. Then we got back to the Village for an eliminator race that the BC team set up. I made it through the first two heats and got my first taste of what an eliminator race is like. We had a quick snack then rode some more great local trails till lunch. Then we had some interesting speeches on mental training and sponsorships. I enjoyed the mental training telling us about types of objectives. All together it has been a great camp!
– Nelson Kleer
