2018 Bear Pro Team Camp

   Saying that I both had a great time and learned a lot at the Bear Pro Team Camp is an understatement. I was so amped to kick off the year and officially get back together with the team. It was so exciting to be packing the bike again and getting things together for another travel day, something I’ve missed over the long winter months. Partnered up with the boys, Jason Jablonski, Shaums March, and Stephen Ettinger, our team camp commenced on Friday afternoon. ​

​   The first day was kept mild and filled with just getting things together for the long weekend along with some meet and greet. However, Saturday was busting at the seams with events. We started off the rainy, 40° day with skills work under an enclosed pump track. Shaums put us all on flats and BMX bikes to shake things up and teach us about balance, cornering, and grounding yourself of the bike. We spent a couple hours getting worked over on the pump track–even though the BMX bikes felt weird then, switching back to our XC bikes was a whole new beast. We followed the skills up with lunch and an afternoon ride to apply what we had learned. That evening, we went to the Terrain Gym and learned a bit about some applicable strength workouts. To follow up that night, we had Kristin Keim come and discuss some important points regarding the mental aspect of racing and training. This was HUGE for us, especially as we begin to buckle down for a new season. With dinner out in town, Saturday was a full dose of learning and I know each of us benefitted from it. ​

​   Sunday we rose to meet Shaums and work on skills involving drops, jumps, and steep terrain. A good dusting of snow and frigid temps didn’t keep us held back. We started with cornering in the street, then moved to the trails to work on our drops/jumps–progressively working up to bigger ones. We got a quick lunch after this session and then headed out with Stephen to rip some phenomenal Bellingham single track. Working on applying those steep skills, this day was a huge help to all of us involving comfort on the cross country bike. My “dinner partner” and I (Eli) made burritos for the crew and we finished off Sunday with some nutritional, training, and Q & A talk with both Jason and Stephen. 
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  Our final morning came quicker than imaginable, and we packed everything up Monday morning to be ready to go after an AM trail ride. Shaums treated us to some pristine (and frozen) single track to close out the trip. After heading out of Bellingham, we had a good bit of time at the SeaTac airport to reflect on what was a phenomenal weekend. Along with an amazing group of resources, it had the full spectrum of skill work, mental work, and strength work. Not to mention the fact that it was a total stoke builder for everyone on the team. We are completely blown away by the support from sponsors, USA Cycling, and those involved in this coming season and this team camp just amplified our excitement. Time to get the 2018 season rolling! 

PLEASE check out this slideshow below to see even more stellar photos!

PHOTOS: Ian Stowe // many thanks