March 29, 2013 (South Carolina) – I’ve had a saying and goal since I started leading training camps with Ontario Cycling: BEST CAMP EVER! The Rocky bottom camp has been running successfully under the leadership of Ontario coaches for 8 years, our goal for 2013 was to improve on previous year’s camps and set new performance goals for the future.
Some of the ingredients that make this camp so successful are; A fair and inclusive athlete application process (we had over 80 athlete applications); a fantastic coaching staff; world-class ride routes, and daily ride options to suit everyone’s fitness levels and training objectives. The camp’s fun, goal oriented daily schedule includes not only riding but good cooking, lots of social time and interesting team building activities.
Team Ontario endurance athletes helped me mix these ingredients together and to work towards our collective goal of making this the best camp ever!
“It was not the scenic vistas or the legendary group rides that highlight my week at camp with Ontario Cycling in Rocky Bottom, South Carolina. It was the Canadian cyclist jargon that I love most. Well that, and the food. Between the “Franglish” (French/English) communication attempts and eager descriptions of “dusting climbs”, I end up with an entirely new vocab. The atmosphere of encouragement, enthusiasm and general eagerness to be on the bike rain or shine, makes this camp my first choice for spring break.
– Catherine Harnden – U23
Travel days and warm up rides
Everyone was keen to get going from Burlington Ontario at 5 am on March 8th. We made great time mainly because of our most efficient bike-packing job to date and well-planned quick stops for food, water, fuel, and stretching.
The first few days of the camp consisted of rolling terrain ride loops, refreshing our basic group ride skills, catching up with friends, and depleting local grocery stores of all their food.
Group meals, big rides and lots of fun
With over 50 people out on the road each day, the coaching staff had to be ready for anything. Dealing effectively with hungry athletes on their return were the first priorities, but that doesn’t mean there was no time for extracurricular activities: in the spirit of our camp goal we did indeed find time for lots of extras!
Elyse Niewold recalls a Memory from our one and only rain day.
“There was one day where it was super rainy and cold. None of us really dressed appropriately, and some of us had to be picked up because they were too cold. Getting a hot water shower after a ride is nearly impossible unless you are the first person in the shower. So we had a cold ride with a cold shower to look forward to. By the time I finished the ride, my feet were NUMB and just beyond cold. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the girls who had been picked up had gotten hot water from the kitchen and had made one super hot bath. There were 3 girls in it with swimsuits and they told me to just jump in – kit and all. Best Feeling Ever!”
– Elyse Niewold – U23
Fast climbs, exploratory rides and a night out
Once everyone settled into the camp we were ready to challenge ourselves with our annual Caesar’s Head Hill climb Challenge! Nearly every return camper improved their time up the climb. The top 10 times were all under 31 minutes, so the overall camp speed increased this year! This can be attributed to the good quality training the athletes have been doing with their local clubs and team, the goals the athletes are setting for themselves coming into the camp and the supportive culture of the Ontario cycling community.
Madeleine McConnell’s comments from day 7:
“Yesterday was a hot beautiful day, much welcome after a long, cold Canadian winter. Everyone’s legs were pretty shattered from sprinting that morning, so a bunch of us put on bathing suits and ran down to the creek for an “ice bath.” It was SO cold; everyone was screaming, laughing, splashing one another, taking pictures and just having a blast in general. Swimming in the creek at sunset was a great way to end another great day!”
– Madeleine McConnell
South Carolina has some of the most amazing riding routes: beautiful quiet winding roads with picturesque views. In an effort to help keep the roads beautiful and to make sure that Ontario cyclists bring more than revenue to the community, the team decided to head out on the road for some litter pick-up. More than 30 athletes showed up to the early morning clean-up project which ended up being a lot of fun– I hope this will become a regular part of the camp. We really appreciate the local hospitality and a want to do our part to contribute to the local community.
Final camp rides and conclusion
The last days of the camp were used to refine our pack riding and racing skills, cement our new relationships and makes plans for the future. Done, done and done!
I’m confident to call the 2013 Rocky bottom camp the best camp ever, that said I’m sure 2014 will be a good challenger for the title.
Big thank you to e-load for keeping all of the athletes well nourished out on the road! Thank you to Motorex for helping keep our bikes clean and lubed.
The OCA would like to thank Rocky Bottom Camp for the Blind in Rocky Bottom for 8 great years of support. Also a huge thanks to the athlete, coaches, staff and clubs that support this amazing trip every year.
For more photos please see below. See everyone March 7-17, 2014 for the 9th Annual OCA SC Spring Camp in Rocky Bottom, SC…Until next year !
Thanks e load !!