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"The Two Wheeled Approach to Self Esteem"
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National Team - High School Mountain
Bike Camp
November 2000, Victoria B.C.
Over the November 24th-26th weekend over forty five high school riders from around the province traveled to Victoria to participate in the fourth annual " National Team High School Mountain Bike Camp." This year the camp was hosted by the Pacific Sport National Cycling Centre, Sprockids Program Development Society, and Brentwood College, and provided up and coming riders the opportunity to learn from some of the best riders in Canada. Over the course of the weekend these young athletes had the opportunity to learn from the likes of; Alison Sydor, Lesley Tomlinson, Trish Sinclair, Elladee Brown, Clare Hall-Patch, Christine Platt, Andreas Hestler, Roland Green, Geoff Kabush, Ryder Hesjedal, Rudi Schnyder and National Team Coach Yuri Kashirin.
Saturday Night Athletes' Round Table Forum
L to R: Alison Sydor, Roland Green, Lesley Tomlinson, Geoff Kabush, Andreas Hestler, Ryder Hesjedal and Clare Hall-Patch
The weekend began on Friday night with the riders meeting at Horseshoe Bay and boarding the ferry to Vancouver Island. Once landing in Nanaimo we traveled south to Mill Bay and on to Brentwood College. The college would serve as our home base for the weekend. Friday night consisted of a social get together complete with pizza, and a rousing game of basketball. Despite a reasonable down time, the conversations between the riders continued well into the night.
The next morning it was an early awake up call, something that never sits well with teenagers. From here we loaded up the bikes and bodies and headed north for a morning of " Riding With The Pros."
Even the "Pros" Get Wet!
LtoR: Alison Sydor, Trish Sinclair, Elladee Brown, Christine Platt and Lesley Tomlinson
Despite starting out in the rain, by the time we reached the top of the mountain the sun had broken through the clouds and we were treated to a glorious decent. From here it was back to the college for lunch, a shower and an afternoon of exciting activities. Once the bodies were taken care of, each rider looked after the needs of their own bike in readiness for Sunday's ride. During the course of the afternoon the riders rotated between fitness testing on Computrainers, did bike maintenance, and had a friendly (but rather high spirited) soccer game. There is something very special about scoring the winning goal one's cycling hero!
Clare Hall-Patch Monitors Young Riders on the Computrainers
From here the riders traveled over to the lecture theater to listen to the pros talk about nutrition, sponsorship, training, and other related topics. The coaches had to opportunity to spend time with Canada's National Team Cycling Coach Yuri Kashirin. Yuri is a wealth of information, and he was very willing to answer our questions. Suddenly, we realized that we were late for dinner and that is one activity that you do not want to deny 45 hungry, tired teenagers. After dinner it was back to the theater to partake in a round table discussion with Canada's top riders. The panel consisted of; Alison Sydor, Lesley Tomlinson, Clare Hall Patch, Roland Green, Geoff Kabush, Andreas Hestler, and Ryder Hesjedal. After the discussion each participant was presented with a photo and certificate of participation each autographed by the Pros. The evening concluded with a movie that served to drain the last ounce of energy from the riders.
Alison Sydor and the Group Getting Ready to Ride
Sunday morning came far too early and before most riders truly woke up we were back on the bus and heading towards Victoria and the Hartland riding area. The weather was abysmal, with wind and torrential rains. After an extremely muddy and wet ride, the riders had lunch and then it was off to the Commonwealth Pool to wash off the layers of mud and return the body to its normal temperature. From there it was back on the bus and heading to the ferry terminal and the trip back to Vancouver and home. The weekend was over, but the lessons and experiences that happened over the course of the three days were now just starting to register with the participants. It had been another very successful camp. Even before it was just a memory, plans were already being made for next year's camp.