2009 Southeastern Regional Development Camp: Days 1 and 2

Last Sunday was the first day of the 2009 SE Regional Camp, held June 7th-12th. This was my first year I could do the camp because of my age (you have to be 14 by the 1st day). For those of you who have never been to a USA cycling Development Camp, I highly recommend going. Here is some information about it.

Every year from June to late July there are Regional cycling camps put on by USA cycling. During the camps, you get in some great training (and this year racing, too), learn a ton of stuff, and do field tests. Perhaps the most important thing that you do during the camp is the field tests, because if you do well in the tests you have the chance to go to the National camp in Colorado Springs, and then from there to being a member of the National Team, and from there to Izegem, Belgium.

This year, the riding schedule for the Southeastern camp is as follows: arrive Sunday, June 7th, at Furmann University (in Greenville, South Carolina) and do an easy 2 hr. ride. Monday gets a lot harder, with an 80 mile ride including 5 minute and roughly 15 minute long field tests up Cesar's Head. Tuesday isn't any less difficult, a 3.5 hr. day with the Donaldson Center Tuesday Night Training race halfway through. Wednesday is a rest day; two easy 1.5 hr. rides with drills on cornering and sprinting. Then comes Thursday, which is an epic 80 mile ride, with 4 1.5 mile long Time Trials. Friday, the riders leave camp before noon, but not before an optional 40 minute easy ride.

DAY ONE:

We got to the camp at 11:20, and my parents helped me unpack. After they left I waited for the start of that days ride, feeling a little nervous. I got down to were we met on time, and saw a lot of riders I knew, including guys from Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Georgia; nearly the whole East Coast and then some.

The ride started faster than I expected (I like to go super easy on easy days), and I realized I wasn't feeling strong. Despite that, it was different and really fun training with Juniors that I'm only used to racing with.

We stopped for a water break after a little more than an hour, then rode back to Furmann. Later that day we had lectures, then did field games, which are where you go out on a field, and practicing bumping shoulders, track standing, braking really fast, and other fun stuff. Then we got to back to our dorms, and had an hour before lights out.

DAY TWO:

I went down to the ride start with plenty of time to spare, thinking about the upcoming field tests. I wasn't that optimistic, mainly because I didn't feel good Sunday and it seemed like there were a bunch of strong guys there.

I didn't feel great riding out to Cesar's Head, but would get some confidence soon enough. We took a right turn to the start of the climb, and people automatically started sprinting up it (the field tests started later on the climb, after a short slightly downhill section, the beginning of which we were racing to). I started the climb at the back half of the field, but when it started I found myself moving up. All of the sudden I was bridging up to the front group of less than 8 riders. I crested the hill with them, while Jacob Arnold was about 8 seconds in front of us. Although some guys weren't going all out to save some energy for the field tests, I was a little more confident about how I would do after that.

I started the first 5 minute field test 20 minutes later. It was hard to get going at first, but I was holding 12+ m.p.h on all but the steepest grades. I rounded the last bend, and sprinted for the line, expecting a top 10.

After that I rode back down the mountain and got back in line for the 2nd, longer field test. I started it a lot easier than the first one, and soon found a rhythm up the climb. I tried to go a little harder after about 8 minutes, but couldn't hold it and backed off a little. I rounded some very steep hairpin turns, went through the last corner and sprinted for the line.

After that all the riders attempted to go another kilometer up the hill to a regrouping site. We waited there for 20 minutes, then rode the remaining roughly 4 miles of the climb at a tempo pace.

During the climb the field split into two groups, with about 18 riders and myself in it. Once we got to the top we ate lunch at the park there, then went down the descent in groups of 4.

At the bottom we met up again and rode back to campus. The results were posted around 9 0' clock, and before I could see them someone said I had gotten 2nd in the long field test. I looked at the results and saw that I got 5th in the short test and 2nd in the long one (out of everybody, 15-18), which shattered my expectations. In the 15-16's, I got 4th for short one and 1st in the 3 mile one, meaning I was 3rd on GC! (2nd 15-16's).

So, after the first day of field test, I was only 3 seonds behind Matt Spinks, a category 2, on 15-16 GC. Although I was extremely happy with the results, I was hoping no 15-16 yr. olds would be able to pass me on GC in the coming days, especially on Thursday's endless flat repeats. I also had to prove myself in Tuesday's A Race, competing against Pros, 1's, 2's, 3's and other 4's, but I'll write about that later.