- Home
- Bright Boot Camp
- Nov 07 Bright Boot Camp Report from Cycling-Inform
Nov 07 Bright Boot Camp Report from Cycling-Inform
- By David Heatley
- Published 06-Dec-07
- Bright Boot Camp
- Unrated
David Heatley
David Heatley is the director
of Cycling-Inform and co-creator of the RaceRight Cycling Camp. He has
medalled at national and regional events in
Cycling-Inform's Report from the November 2007 Boot Camp
42 riders rocked up to the November Bright Boot Camp. Of those, 11 were from Southern Vets. Riders came from as far away as the Gold Coast and Adelaide. The popularity of the camp is growing every year as too is the quality of rider that we get. For the November camp each day had its own unique challenge with the weather playing a major influence over the first two days. I was inspired by the riders that turned up on the Sunday morning to face what was a big wet day in the saddle. I woke thinking that there would only be a hand full or riders Turn up and was delighted to be proven wrong with around twenty committing to the Ride.
My vision of the camp is of a tough elite cycling challenging event for the selected few. It was never intended to be easy and for some it may take a few attempts before completing all four rides.
The feedback that we have already received has been fantastic.
Here is the Event Report.
Day 1 - Mt Buffalo
What started off to be quite a nice day in Porepunkah quickly turned into torrential rain as we neared the summit of Mt Buffalo. The riders assembled at camp base and rolled out in 1 group until the control gate at the base of the climb. Then each rider at there own pace proceeded to climb the 1000m accent to Mt Buffalo Chalet. Once at the top most riders took the opportunity to put on warmer clothing for the careful decent. Even so, there were a few riders that got quite cold on the way down and started feeling the effects of the weather. All made it safely to the bottom and back to the warmth of their accommodation.
KOM
Group 1 - Andy Van Slobbe HM to George Ward that was in front out on his own for all but the last of the climb. Andy was getting lonely so stepped on the pedals to catch George for company.
Group 2 - Daniel Massey
Group 3 - Lisa Rosan
Jace Drain was first on at the evening Seminars and delivered a scientific lecture on nutrition prompting many questions from the audience. Outside it was raining which continued into the night.
Day 2 - Tawonga gap Loop
We woke at around 3am to the sound of thunder and bright flashes of lightening, then intense rain. We delayed the start of day 2 until 9am to give the weather a chance to warm up and the rain to clear. It didn't. A smaller group of around twenty riders braved the worst weather during a Melbourne Cup weekend on record for many years. Others decided a quiet day exploring the surrounding towns by car seemed like a better option. The courageous riders took off in the rain in a tidy bunch towards Ovens, just after the corner there was a natural break which split the groups up a bit, however by the end of the day the groups generally re-formed. The weather again was a feature of the day however there were times the rain cleared and it was a little dryer but still cold. Those that decided to ride, came back rather wet but enjoyed the very challenging ride.
KOM
Group 1 - Andy Van Slobbe
Group 2 - Killer (aka Lloyd Killmore)
Group 3 - un-claimed
Brendon Rowbotham then gave us some insight to what is involved in preparing for the Melbourne to Warrnambool and a whole lot of great time on planning and organising our lives and family and around a busy race schedule. Adam then came on and drilled down into detail from Jace's talk and provide some really good "how to's" for nutrition.
Day 3 - Mt Hotham
We woke to a day of sunshine and blue skies! With a top of 5 degrees predicted for the summit of Hotham we had nearly all of the riders decided to ride. Some decided that the after the previous days effort Harrietville was far enough. The rest tackled Mt Hotham. As we climbed up the valley we could see snow on the Mountain. Word was spread through the groups that if we encountered ice we were to turn back. As the three groups steadily climbed I got a call from Olof to say that his lead group have hit some bad weather just before the top where it got quite exposed. He was in the process of turning his group around for the decent. The other groups followed, climbing to the limit of the weather then descending. On the way home from Harrietville there was a strong tail wind and all the riders returned in bunches after rolling turns home a quick pace. I taught the riders in group 3 how to roll turns which is a skill they will take away from the camp and help them in there bunch riding.
KOM
Group 1 - George Ward
Group 2 - Paul Tweddell
Group 3 - Carey Goodall & Tony Bennett (draw)
I gave a lecture on all the key elements required to be a successful cyclist. Covering many important issues I discussed essential strategies that I use for training, racing and planning for events.
Day 4 - Falls Creek
The last ride of the camp saw all the riders arrive for the start. Again the weather was on our side with the sun out, blue skies and sun screen being passed about. The day had 3 options for the ride, top of the Tawonga gap, to Mt Beauty and all the way to Fall Creek. People choose depending on the state of their legs and the time they had to leave to travel back home. I took group 3 up to the top of Falls greeting many of the riders descending as we climbed the last few KM of the climb. Falls was cool but sunny. After a small break we descended down and regrouped at Mt Beauty. Russell was there to meet us and I got a lift to the top of Tawonga to catch up with Olof, and for the first time rode with his group back home to Porepunkah. The descent was fast and the trip home was faster. Russell swept the rear with in van making sure that the final few riders were back safely.
Feedback from the Camp!
Tim Farley - Melbourne
Just a quick note to again say thanks for the great weekend of riding! Erin and I had a great time in Bright, despite the wetter than wet first 2 days. In that respect it really was a Boot Camp ;) The final 2 days definitely made up for the initial bad weather, with Hotham definitely being the highlight of camp. Being a heavier rider, hills are not a strong point for me, so getting through the 4 days has left me with a huge sense of achievement. I will be riding in the Tour of Bright in December along with some others riding in Fujitsu colours, so am sure I will have benefited enormously from the training rides and nutrition tips provided by your camp. Thanks again to you both and also to the rest of the support crew, and hopefully we will see you guys out on the road, or perhaps even at the track.
Carey Goodall - Adelaide
Just a short note to sincerely thank you both for organizing what was for me a rewarding and memorable experience. The terrain was inspiring, and was always going to be a challenge for a relative newcomer to cycling like myself. Nevertheless, having survived the harder rides I will now approach the next few months of recreational events with some new found confidence and a desire to keep improving. Given the general standard of riders I saw at the camp I obviously have heaps of room left! The seminars were excellent and enlightening, albeit perhaps a tad too long when you are feeling a bit hungry. I am particularly grateful for your generosity which you showed in sharing your knowledge about various aspects of riding while we were on the road to and from Falls. That was the sort of guidance you can't get by just reading a book or watching a dvd. The support crew were also great when things got cold and wet, so please thank them for their efforts on my behalf. If the camp is on again next year I would seriously consider coming again to see if I can at least progress to the B team! Many thanks once again and well done.
Neil Kinder - Melbourne
Many thanks. The camp was great. Some big improvements to my technique , performance and cycling confidence were made. The highlight was definitely Mt Hotham. Your planning , organisation and execution of the event was outstanding.
Ashley Pettit - Melbourne
Just a quick note to say I had a great time at the camp on the weekend, despite the rain on the first two day. I'm just kicking myself I didn't push myself on the last day, I could have made it back from Mt Beauty and even attempted falls, but I psyched myself out of it. But I had a top weekend, it really gave me an indication of where I'm at and what training I need to more of . . . climbs and more climbs. But this year for me is really about weight loss. Looking forward to January now to see what improvements I can make. Hopefully I can improve my time up Buffalo.
My vision of the camp is of a tough elite cycling challenging event for the selected few. It was never intended to be easy and for some it may take a few attempts before completing all four rides.
The feedback that we have already received has been fantastic.
Here is the Event Report.
Day 1 - Mt Buffalo
What started off to be quite a nice day in Porepunkah quickly turned into torrential rain as we neared the summit of Mt Buffalo. The riders assembled at camp base and rolled out in 1 group until the control gate at the base of the climb. Then each rider at there own pace proceeded to climb the 1000m accent to Mt Buffalo Chalet. Once at the top most riders took the opportunity to put on warmer clothing for the careful decent. Even so, there were a few riders that got quite cold on the way down and started feeling the effects of the weather. All made it safely to the bottom and back to the warmth of their accommodation.
KOM
Group 1 - Andy Van Slobbe HM to George Ward that was in front out on his own for all but the last of the climb. Andy was getting lonely so stepped on the pedals to catch George for company.
Group 2 - Daniel Massey
Group 3 - Lisa Rosan
Jace Drain was first on at the evening Seminars and delivered a scientific lecture on nutrition prompting many questions from the audience. Outside it was raining which continued into the night.
Day 2 - Tawonga gap Loop
We woke at around 3am to the sound of thunder and bright flashes of lightening, then intense rain. We delayed the start of day 2 until 9am to give the weather a chance to warm up and the rain to clear. It didn't. A smaller group of around twenty riders braved the worst weather during a Melbourne Cup weekend on record for many years. Others decided a quiet day exploring the surrounding towns by car seemed like a better option. The courageous riders took off in the rain in a tidy bunch towards Ovens, just after the corner there was a natural break which split the groups up a bit, however by the end of the day the groups generally re-formed. The weather again was a feature of the day however there were times the rain cleared and it was a little dryer but still cold. Those that decided to ride, came back rather wet but enjoyed the very challenging ride.
KOM
Group 1 - Andy Van Slobbe
Group 2 - Killer (aka Lloyd Killmore)
Group 3 - un-claimed
Brendon Rowbotham then gave us some insight to what is involved in preparing for the Melbourne to Warrnambool and a whole lot of great time on planning and organising our lives and family and around a busy race schedule. Adam then came on and drilled down into detail from Jace's talk and provide some really good "how to's" for nutrition.
Day 3 - Mt Hotham
We woke to a day of sunshine and blue skies! With a top of 5 degrees predicted for the summit of Hotham we had nearly all of the riders decided to ride. Some decided that the after the previous days effort Harrietville was far enough. The rest tackled Mt Hotham. As we climbed up the valley we could see snow on the Mountain. Word was spread through the groups that if we encountered ice we were to turn back. As the three groups steadily climbed I got a call from Olof to say that his lead group have hit some bad weather just before the top where it got quite exposed. He was in the process of turning his group around for the decent. The other groups followed, climbing to the limit of the weather then descending. On the way home from Harrietville there was a strong tail wind and all the riders returned in bunches after rolling turns home a quick pace. I taught the riders in group 3 how to roll turns which is a skill they will take away from the camp and help them in there bunch riding.
KOM
Group 1 - George Ward
Group 2 - Paul Tweddell
Group 3 - Carey Goodall & Tony Bennett (draw)
I gave a lecture on all the key elements required to be a successful cyclist. Covering many important issues I discussed essential strategies that I use for training, racing and planning for events.
Day 4 - Falls Creek
The last ride of the camp saw all the riders arrive for the start. Again the weather was on our side with the sun out, blue skies and sun screen being passed about. The day had 3 options for the ride, top of the Tawonga gap, to Mt Beauty and all the way to Fall Creek. People choose depending on the state of their legs and the time they had to leave to travel back home. I took group 3 up to the top of Falls greeting many of the riders descending as we climbed the last few KM of the climb. Falls was cool but sunny. After a small break we descended down and regrouped at Mt Beauty. Russell was there to meet us and I got a lift to the top of Tawonga to catch up with Olof, and for the first time rode with his group back home to Porepunkah. The descent was fast and the trip home was faster. Russell swept the rear with in van making sure that the final few riders were back safely.
Feedback from the Camp!
Tim Farley - Melbourne
Just a quick note to again say thanks for the great weekend of riding! Erin and I had a great time in Bright, despite the wetter than wet first 2 days. In that respect it really was a Boot Camp ;) The final 2 days definitely made up for the initial bad weather, with Hotham definitely being the highlight of camp. Being a heavier rider, hills are not a strong point for me, so getting through the 4 days has left me with a huge sense of achievement. I will be riding in the Tour of Bright in December along with some others riding in Fujitsu colours, so am sure I will have benefited enormously from the training rides and nutrition tips provided by your camp. Thanks again to you both and also to the rest of the support crew, and hopefully we will see you guys out on the road, or perhaps even at the track.
Carey Goodall - Adelaide
Just a short note to sincerely thank you both for organizing what was for me a rewarding and memorable experience. The terrain was inspiring, and was always going to be a challenge for a relative newcomer to cycling like myself. Nevertheless, having survived the harder rides I will now approach the next few months of recreational events with some new found confidence and a desire to keep improving. Given the general standard of riders I saw at the camp I obviously have heaps of room left! The seminars were excellent and enlightening, albeit perhaps a tad too long when you are feeling a bit hungry. I am particularly grateful for your generosity which you showed in sharing your knowledge about various aspects of riding while we were on the road to and from Falls. That was the sort of guidance you can't get by just reading a book or watching a dvd. The support crew were also great when things got cold and wet, so please thank them for their efforts on my behalf. If the camp is on again next year I would seriously consider coming again to see if I can at least progress to the B team! Many thanks once again and well done.
Neil Kinder - Melbourne
Many thanks. The camp was great. Some big improvements to my technique , performance and cycling confidence were made. The highlight was definitely Mt Hotham. Your planning , organisation and execution of the event was outstanding.
Ashley Pettit - Melbourne
Just a quick note to say I had a great time at the camp on the weekend, despite the rain on the first two day. I'm just kicking myself I didn't push myself on the last day, I could have made it back from Mt Beauty and even attempted falls, but I psyched myself out of it. But I had a top weekend, it really gave me an indication of where I'm at and what training I need to more of . . . climbs and more climbs. But this year for me is really about weight loss. Looking forward to January now to see what improvements I can make. Hopefully I can improve my time up Buffalo.
