2002: Inside the Life at NORBA's 2002 Midwest Regional Development Camp

U S A C Y C L I N G6

U SA Cycling’s regional developmentc a m p s o f f e r l i c e n s e d c o a c h e sexcellent opportunities to hone

their craft. Since they are able to workwith cyclists continuously for an entirew e e k , c o a c h e s a r e a b l e t o r e i n f o r c eprevious lessons and observe riders dailyi m p r o v e m e n t . W i t h i n t h i s c o n t r o l l e denvironment, coaches are able to utilizeestablished training techniques and arenot forced to rush instruction – typicallythe case in the normal club environment.

N O R B A ’ s 2 0 0 2 M i d w e s t R e g i o n a lDevelopment Camp offeredsuch training opportunitiesunder the leadership of campmanager and elite coach DaleB r i g h a m a s w e l l a s l e a dcoach Ann Trombley, a 2000O l y m p i a n , a n d a s s i s t a n tc o a c h L e o n a r d o C a m p o s -Moya. Throughout the week,A n n f o c u s e d o n t h e f o l l o w i n g s k i l l s ,which she believed would most benefitthe camp participants:

• Race positioning. Teaching ridersthe importance of positioning themselvesproperly at the start line and during therace. I t is also worthwhile to discuss

what line to take and where to be if thecourse turns to the r ight or left soonafter the gun.

• Pract ice Starts. I t is valuable tohave mock race starts for this will allowracers to get used to having to clip intotheir pedals, while being jostled by otherracers, and concurrently attempting tomake their way to the front.

• P e d a l S t r o k e D r i l l s . P r a c t i c i n gsingle leg drills and strength endurancedrills - both of which help to smooth outpedal stroke - and to encourage the use

of the muscles aiding the upstroke.• B a s i c R i d i n g S k i l l s . P r a c t i c e

c o r n e r i n g s k i l l s , n e g o t i a t i n g s t e e pclimbs, dismounting and mounting yourbike. It is sometimes faster to run withyour bike, so cyclo-cross training should

be considered.• Stretching and Calisthenics. Core

strengthening and stretching are of theutmost importance. By doing upper bodyexercises such as crunches and push-upsracers can prevent various injuries andcan maintain aerodynamic bike positionsfor longer periods of time.

• Proper Hydrat ion and Nutr i t ion.Teaching cyclists the importance of usingsports drinks that replenish the mineralsand salts that are lost during exerciseand educating them on what to eat in

p r e p a r a t i o n f o r r a c e s .Although all the racers wereexperienced, the coachings t a f f w a s s u r p r i s e d h o wm a n y d i d n o t u s e s p o r t sdrinks such as Gatorade ™.B y t h e e n d o f t h e c a m p ,a f t e r b e i n g f o r c e d t op e r f o r m i n t h e s u l t r y

Missouri weather, everyone was drinkingsome sort of athletic drink, which had ad i r e c t e f f e c t o n p e r f o r m a n c eimprovement.

• Sports Psychology. Riders of al lages should practice visualizing theircycling efforts. In viewing the racecourse

Inside the Life at NORBA’s 2002 Midwest Regional Development CampInside the Life at NORBA’s 2002 Midwest Regional Development Camp

By Ann Trombley and Leonardo Campos-Moya

Photos by Dale Bringham

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A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 2 7

within their own minds, cyclists will beable to better cope with the r igors ofracing.

The Development camp also offered alearning opportunity for the camp staff.The process of putting together the campand executing the training forced thec o a c h i n g s t a f f t o r e c a l l t h e c r i t i c a ll e s s o n s e s s e n t i a l i n a n y t r a i n i n genvironment:

• Training must have a purpose. Aslong as it is sound and has an objective,training can be easily accomplished on alimited budget. It is important, however,that coaches use the “tel l , show, do,e v a l u a t e ” t r a i n i n g p r o c e s s t o t e a c hriders. With this process, coaches firsti d e n t i f y t h e s p e c i f i c g o a l s o f t h eexercise, demonstrate what will be done,and then have the r iders perform thetask whi le evaluat ing their abi l i ty top e r f o r m t h e s k i l l . E v e n t h e m o s texperienced racers may take some timeto master ski l ls , so coaches must beprepared to assist riders’ practicing ofthe tasks unt i l i t i s per formed on anacceptable level.

• Training must be well planned. Thesuccess o f the camp was la rge ly theresult of camp manager Dale Brighamwho had made his expectat ions clearw e l l b e f o r e t h e c a m p b e g a n . I n t h emonths leading up to the camp, Dalewould d iscuss wi th the coaches howtraining would be conducted, so that wecould accomplish all of his well-placed

o b j e c t i v e s . O n c e t h e p r o g r a m w a senacted, coaches would meet at everymeal to discuss upcoming exercises andto review what had occurred.

• Training must be safe. Mountainbike racing is a potentially dangerousendeavor, so coaches must work hard tomaintain safety in training. As a safetyprecaut ion, group r ides were vehic le

supported in order to provide medical,l o g i s t i c a l , a n d m e c h a n i c a l s u p p o r t .Because the campers had to ride throughtraffic to reach the training areas, planswere also made regarding how we wouldnotify medical facilities in the event thatan accident occurred.

• Training must be fun. Although thes c o p e o f t h e c a m p w a s t o a c t a s a nevaluation of the athletes’ skills, it wasalso designed to be a developmentalexperience. The camp cadre kept thetraining interesting, which helped theracers stay focused and motivated. Ourgoal was to let riders see that the sportw a s e n j o y a b l e – h o p e f u l l y , m a k i n gmountain biking a life-long endeavor.

Above all, the main thing that coacheslearned was that riders should not beunderestimated. According to Trombley,“The athletes are very interested in anyand all training and racing informationyou can give them. They were all veryenergetic and intelligent kids who had alove for bike r iding. This was a greato p p o r t u n i t y t o g e t a g r o u p o f y o u n gmountain bikers together to learn andride with each other.”

Additionally, as Trombley pointsout, it is important to teach riders that“racing and training are definitely not fore v e r y o n e , a s i t t a k e s a l o t o f t i m e ,energy, skill, and concentration. But, ifyou continue to make realistic goals, andw o r k t o w a r d s t h o s e g o a l s , y o u c a naccomplish most anything you set out todo!”

Ann Trombley, a USA Cycling-licensedEl i te Coach, is a NORBA ProfessionalMountain Bike Racer who representedthe United States in the 2000 OlympicGames in Sydney, Australia. She is also afull-time physical therapist.

L e o n a r d o C a m p o s - M o y a i s a U S ACyc l ing- l i censed C lub Coach and thefounder and current team director of VeloClub Olé/Team Bell in Health in GreenBay,Wisconsin, as well as the Universityof Wisconsin-Green Bay Cycling Team.

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n r e g a r d i n gNORBA’s Midwest Regional DevelopmentCamp, contact the Camp Manager, DaleBrigham, at brighamdmo@hotmail.com.

Holly Liske, 16, of Medford, Wisconsinnavigates the trail at the 2002 NORBAMidwest Regional Development Camp inColumbia, Missouri.

“THIS WAS A GREAT

OPPORTUNITY TO GET A

GROUP OF YOUNG

MOUNTAIN BIKERS

TOGETHER TO LEARN AND

RIDE WITH EACH OTHER.”– ANN TROMBLEY

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