October 21, 2008 – British Columbia’s top young cyclists got together with Cycling BC coaches Richard Wooles and Steve Lund over the October 17-19 weekend to make the first steps towards BC success at the 2009 Canada Summer Games. The weekend included various fitness testing sessions, physical assessments, and seminars with a top nutritionist and sports psychologist, as well as a two-hour yoga session which saw more than one of the cyclists wincing in a spot of discomfort.

Owen Harrison It was a blast for all of us to get back together after a few months apart since the racing season finished, nevertheless a lot of time was spend pouring sweat and living in the pain-cave, but it was all in effort for the beginning stages of selecting the provincial team for the Summer Games. Coming off a stong season for BC, all the riders showed great improvements since the last testing session in February. For all of us it is exciting and satisfying to see the numbers from the tests, it is solid proof of the benefits of smart hours in the saddle and a committment to the cycling lifestyle.

Looking ahead to the Canada Summer Games, all of the athletes are excited and striving to make the team. The Games are sure to be a great experience in a multi-sport competition community, as well as being located in Prince Edward Island – a place few of the riders have been. The cyclists from BC are proving to be a great talent pool, and with the assistance from Cycling BC, Team BC, coaching staff, and the great facilities here in the province, the Summer Games are sure to be a great success for British Columbia. Using events such as the BC Games, Western Canada Games, and now the Canada Games as stepping-stones in competition, all of us hope that some of us will eventually be able to represent Canada at the World Championships and Olympic Games of the future.

Kevin Thorpe This past weekend, about 18 of the best U23 road and mountain bike racers from the all over the province came together at PISE, a brand new training and testing facility located Victoria, to test their strength after a hard season of racing. Staff of the Canadian Sports Center tested our Maximum Aerobic Power, Critical power at time intervals ranging from 6 seconds up to 10 minutes, as well as an individual structural assessment to further understand how to use our muscles to their fullest potential. This was the first Team BC training camp towards selecting the strongest team of young athletes to be on the start line of Canada Summer Games held in Prince Edward Island, from August 15-29, 2009.

Matt Potma Cycling BC’s first camp for the 2009 season has just kicked off. We have been given the privilege to train at Canadian Sport Centre Pacific’s newest facility, PISE. The purpose of this camp is to get a baseline measurement of our strength and fitness. With the help of all the staff here, we are being given the tools and information to help us achieve the most of our potential. So far, everything has gone great!

Boris Martin The testing camp in Victoria brought together roughly 20 of the provinces top U23 athletes from all disciplines of cycling to the newly opened, high-tech, PISE sports facility. After a slow September for many of the athletes in their “off-season” the various tests allowed riders to see their progression throughout the past season and set goals for upcoming training. For some athletes the testing was their first experience and a good “starting point” as a comparison for future tests to come. However, the weekend of testing was not all hard work and no play – a big thanks to one of the local island athletes who welcomed 20 hungry cyclists into her home for an evening of social fun and a wonderful home-cooked meal. Overall the camp was a great success, and all the athletes are very excited to return to this high tech facility for future testing.