The 2010 Boulder Cycle Sport / FasCat Coaching Cyclocross camp was a big success. I for one am already looking forward to the next opportunity to host another clinic.  For 2011, this pre-seaon camp will be back in FULL FORCE bigger & better to turn you into one bad mofo in the cyclocross races.

Greg Keller (@mudandcowbells) did a bang up job reviewing the clinic on his blog here and I will try not to rehash what he so elegantly reviewed.   However, I’d like to highlight the knowledge that our campers walked away with.

First and foremost they received hand ons, one on one instruction from John Verheul of JBV Coaching.   John has been a longtime coaching friend of mine and it was truly a pleasure to have him a part of our camp.   This was actually the first time I’ve been able to see him in action coaching and I was throughly impressed.   From the minute Verheul showed up Friday morning and started the CX bike fits it was clear to me that the campers were going to benefit immensely.    From the cross specific bike fit to the skills instruction, John brought a skill set and a body of knowledge to share with our campers that is frankly only available from a few other CX coaches in the United States.

Secondly, we used the  Dartfish video motion software to analyze the campers’s skills.   The ability to slow down the movements allowed us to catch, identify and show the campers points about their technique that is not possible with regular video replay or to the naked eye.   Here is an example of the analysis we did to break down the cyclocross dismount and comment on

1. having their right hand on the top tube prior to unclipping

2. taking only two steps from the dismount to jump over the first barrier

We broke down each camper’s technique using Dartfish and were able to show them what they couldn’t see.  Most importantly it helped us give them feedback for improving their technique.

Third, Gregg Keller was present and I could stop at that if you know him.  The passion and enthusiasm this guy has for ‘cross is contagious, invigorating, motivating and just a dag-gum pleasure to be around.  Oh yea, Gregg’s been racing cross for 14 years now and shared his Ninja trick with the campers below.   The techniques, the equipment and the weather are all so involved that all the training and power output in the world can come unglued if you don’t prepare meticulously like Gregg has laid out below.

Backing up to Friday,  all the campers underwent physiology testing determining their VO2 max & Lactate Thresholds.   Not only was this data a great pre-season benchmark, but they now know their heart rate & wattage zones to take the sport science out of the lab and onto their handlebar while they are training.

Finally, I shared a warm-up protocol with the campers, that included the all important course inspection first and then a structured trainer warm up to perform in the 45 minutes prior to their race start.

Second to last are props to Donn Kellogg from Team Clement – thanks for the tires & your support!   And we should not forget Mix1 for the recovery drinks.  Thanks!

Last of all, I gotta give big props for all that Brandon Dwight has done for the CX community here in Boulder & beyond.    Such a camp wouldn’t even be remotely possible if it weren’t for the popularity of cyclocross that Brandon has fostered thru Boulder Cycle Sport. Plus “Dubba” gave a killer equipment talk  Saturday morning.    The ‘in’s & outs’ of Cyclocross equipment is a lot to keep up with.  Not only does Brandon & Boulder Cycle Sport sell highly specialized cx equipment but they race it as well.  The two together gives them the ability to recommend what’s the best equipment choice for athletes on a individual basis.

Thanks for reading and have a look at our Photo Album here and to the right.