02.17.10 -Tucson Winter Training Camp - Blog Entry – Feb 16, 2010

By: Devon Smibert – Road and Track Tandem Pilot

Today was the fifth day of riding for the National Team at the Tucson winter training camp and it was clear that all riders are starting to really settle into the training as the speed and intensity kicked up a notch. Today’s five or more hour ride ended up running into the scheduled afternoon team hike, so most riders ended up team building in the hot tub and ice baths following the big day.

This camp has been the testing ground for a few exciting new initiatives being launched by the Canadian Cycling Association. These initiatives included the introduction of multiple specialists from the Integrated Service Team (IST), joint camp across multiple cycling sports (road and mountain bike in this case), and the integration of Para-cycling tandem pilots with the able-bodied National Team program.

The first few days were very structured with several presentations from the IST where a lot of great training, recovery, and performance related tips were shared with the team. The inclusion of multiple cycling sports at the camp and the very focused first few days of the camp allowed camp participants to absorb an incredible amount of very valuable information that can be directly applied to improving the performance of our National Team athletes. While sitting in on the IST sessions, it was clear to me that the CCA has found some of the best specialists in the fields of rest, recovery, and sport psychology to pass on performance management tips that even seasoned Olympians in the crowd could make use of. I have to say that I was a bit skeptical about the sport psych portion of the camp, however I was blown away by the practical applications and strategies presented by the former rowing Olympic medalist.

As the sport of Para-cycling continues to get more competitive with the passing of every year, the CCA has launched a new component to the Para-cycling program to help with the development of tandem cycling pilots. In the sport of tandem cycling, it is just as important to have a strong and experienced pilot on the front of the tandem as it is to have a great visually impaired athlete on the back. Countries such as Great Britain have actually signed contracts with some of their Olympic medalists from Beijing to ride as pilots for visually impaired athletes in the 2012 Games in London. By including tandem pilots in the able-bodied National Team program, Canada's tandem teams will have another edge on their competitors going into the 2010 season.

The inclusion of MTB, road, and even a couple of Para-cycling athletes in the camp, there has been a great deal of cross-pollination between cycling sports. Athletes and coaches have been freely sharing experiences, providing feedback on technique, and working together to ensure that team members at all levels are learning as much as possible while here. During IST sessions, several athletes shared personal experiences to tie practical examples to the theory being presented and riders are feeding off of each others' strengths to push their limits further. The more experienced veterans of the team (Catharine Pendrel, Geoff Kabush etc) have also stepped up as leaders within the camp to share their experiences and provide encouragement to the many younger and less experienced participants of the camp.

The camp has been a big success so far and there are still four days of riding left!

Look for more camp updates from road, MTB and Para athletes. You can also follow the team on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CanRoadCycling