With the 2020 bike racing season fast-approaching and the BC interior region still blanketed with snow, Cycling BC mountain bike coach, Evan Guthrie, organized a winter training camp for athletes in preparation for the year ahead. Athletes from Cycling BC’s high performance program were given the opportunity to do some cross-training activities mixed in with some bike-specific workouts.
Day one of the two-day training camp started with a yoga class taught by yoga teacher Brittany Webster. The athletes worked on their flexibility and tried out some poses that were most conducive for cycling. With their bodies warmed up and feeling loose, coach Evan and the athletes headed to the local cross-country ski club – Telemark Nordic Club – for a skate ski lesson. Brittany, who led the athletes through their yoga session, also ran the skate ski lesson as she is not only a yoga teacher but also a two-time Canadian Olympian in cross-country skiing. After the lesson, coach Evan took the athletes out on the trails to put their new skills to the test.
On the second day, the athletes met in West Kelowna at the Johnson Bentley Recreation Centre for a spin class led by coach Evan. The riders set up their trainers and began a two-hour spin session with intervals. Following the workout, riders went through a foam-rolling recovery session before heading home. After a weekend of hard work, learning new training techniques, and a lot of fun, these athletes are on their way to having a great riding season.
This was the first training camp of the year for athletes in the interior. Riders interested in attending a training camp weekend in March 2020 are asked to contact coach Evan at evanwguthrie@gmail.com.
Evan Guthrie is a cross-country and enduro mountain bike racer from Peachland, BC. Evan’s connection to Cycling BC goes back to the 2006 MTB National Championships, which marked Evan’s first Provincial Team Project. Evan knows first-hand what it takes to succeed on the international stage having moved through the ranks and winning a Junior World Cup and a World Championship team relay medal in 2009. Evan is NCCP certified and coaches athletes at the national and international level.
“My passion lies in cycling and creating opportunities for youth, to give them similar or better opportunities than I had growing up”.