Bright Boot Camp Testimonials

Bill
"Just thought I would drop you a note to say thank you for a great camp. It was very well run and organised and even for someone who has been around a while I gained a lot from the seminars".

Brett
Hi David,
Thanks to Jodie and yourself putting together such a great event. I would love to provide some recommendations to improve future camps, however, the four days delivered exactly what i'd hoped for. Both support riders in my group provided vaulable tips for training and racing which I look forward to putting to practice.

Definately keen to come to the camp again and meet some more great people.

Thanks.
Brett

Andrew
Michelle and I thoroughly enjoyed our recent visit over to the Alpine Region, especially coming from flat old Perth.

Firstly I would like to thank both of yourselves for organising such a fantastic training environment.    The location was perfect for accessibility to all the big climbs of the region.

Every day was very well organised with the briefings beforehand and ended perfectly with a faster ride on the relatively flatter loop on day 4, which us big guys appreciate the most, dishing out some pain back to the track work jockeys!!     My only thought, perhaps starting earlier?    Without DLS over here in Perth, we often leave the house at 4.30am so that our rides are done and dusted before the missus wakes up, leaving us the whole day to explore the area after a quick recovery nap.    But hey, I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea when catering for the masses.

I couldn’t fault the system you guys have devised regarding the group seeding with the first climb up Buffalo.    Riding with people of your ability (and slightly better) gave me the competitive kick that I needed to make the sessions that little more competitive than riding solo, but that much more enjoyable with the sense of achievement that comes at the end of pushing a hard session.    I can’t wait for the improvements of power from all that strength endurance training to really kick in, I can feel its slowly coming….

A HUGE thanks to our support riders (David, Andy, Andrew & Harry from memory) for pacing the rides just perfectly and the lovely lady in the Subaru who directed traffic and sat very, very patiently hour after hour driving at low speeds behind the pack making sure we had our supplies at the top, and beforehand if needed.    That was the biggest mental effort of the weekend in my opinion!!!!

We couldn’t fault the accommodation nor the optional information sessions you conducted either.    Its either for you, or not.

All in all, very well done guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…..i have told all my mates back here and would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their cycling level, solid base miles, or just wanting an epic riding challenge with like-minded people and a certificate (maybe a finishers shirt…..us triathletes love those…..) to say you have been smashed.    My only disappointment was that nobody seemed to be equally as thirsty as me after riding for 5hrs and I that had to drink a carton of beer solo  ;-)

Fingers crossed, and with a bit of luck, we are hoping to make it back again next year depending on our work commitments…..that’s unless the boss insists on going skiing up there instead.    Which case I might pack the MTB.   

Regards,
Andrew & Michelle.

Lachlan
Thanks David. I thought the boot camp was very well organised. The ride info sheets with contact numbers on them were reassuring from a safety point of view and contrasted with experiences I have had elsewhere. The support riders were excellent. I got some good tips from them.

Best wishes,
Lachlan Brown

Kent
Hi David,

Thanks for the email! I really enjoyed the camp and I really got a lot out of it. My descending skills have greatly improved and by the time I got to the top of Tawonga on the last day I could tell that although I was tired I had definitely developed some climbing legs. I will definitely do the camp again.

After the camp I flew to Hawaii and think all the fatigue and travel has caught up with me, as I have been a bit crook for the past few days, so unfortunately I haven't had a chance to test fitness improvement and have been resting instead. Although, there are probably worse places to be resting!

I want to thank Jodie, yourself and the support people for putting together a great camp! As mentioned previously I will definitely be back, and will use the camp for event preparation rather than going on holidays for a couple of weeks after!!

All the best!
Kent.

Rebecca
Hi David,

Thanks for an great Bright Boot Camp experience last weekend!!! It was certainly very memorable – especially the beautiful day we got for Mount Hotham!

I got a lot personally from the camp; I was using it as a tester for the 3 Peaks Challenge next year and it was great to be able to get a feel for the mountains before putting it all together in one day!

It would be great if Cycling Inform ran a boot camp aimed at the 3 Peaks Challenge as I would have loved to have been able to climb the back road of Falls Creek before the big day. I will probably make my way up there on my own one day before March just so I have climbed it as it looks like it’s going to be pretty challenging after 200ks!

The camp has also inspired me to get into some more competitive cycling. I think it made me realise that I am more capable than I thought I was – I am currently only able to get out on my bike for about 150ks a week if I’m lucky, so it has given me the confidence to know that with some extra training I could hopefully do okay!

The camp was SO well organised, the support from bike and ground crew was great and the general operational organisation was far beyond what I was expecting. I will say it would have been even better if I had received more “coaching” from the support riders as that was something I was definitely expecting more of. I am the type of person that loves the feedback and advice and I think I would have got so much more out of it if I had been given it, as I am sure there is a whole heap of things I could do better to improve my cycling!

In saying that, I must mention that Pip was great! Even on the first day up Mount Buffalo as she rode past me, she gave me a few little tips straight away to help me on the climb. As she was then one of my group’s support riders I got to chat to her a bit more and she was always really positive and encouraging.

Overall, I had a great experience on the Boot Camp and would certainly consider coming again in the future.

Thanks again!
Bec

Trina
Hi David,
I did enjoy the boot camp. My expectations were more focused around being coached because Barney was originally going to go for the full four days. I did get personal satisfaction doing the long rides. Simon originally only was going because of me but he loved it so much he wants to do another one.

I recovered not so bad because I just dawdled up the climbs. Simon is still really smashed. He didn't last 1km in Sundays A grade road race.

One minor thing that annoyed both Simon and I was that we each had a rider in our respective groups that would stand up up the hills and lose so much speed such that it caused Simon to clip wheels twice despite giving the rider a lot of room. Maybe it could just be mentioned at the start of the rides because I am sure people are unaware that they do it.

Thanks
Trina