3-day Bike Skills Climbing Camp

 

I consider myself to be a good cyclist. But it wasn't always this way.

There was a time - not too long ago - that I was terrified to ride my bike on any type of road that resembled going downhill. I would squeeze my brakes and feel so unstable and this caused me to absolutely dread going downhill. Although I could have avoided going downhill by selecting races and routes that were flat, the problem was that I love climbing. And when it came to tight turns, switchbacks or roads where I couldn't see what was coming next, I would find myself frozen with fear, often with tears in my eyes. Pretty much, if the road wasn't going up or it was flat, I was freaking out. 

When we moved from Jacksonville, FL. to Greenville, SC. I had no choice but to work on my bike handling skills. I was an experienced triathlete with really poor bike handling skills and this showed on our challenging terrain that is littered with punchy climbs, twists, turns and steep downhills. 

With Karel having a lifetime of cycling/bike mechanic/bike racing experience, he worried about my safety - and joy for bike riding in this beautiful cycling playground - if I didn't improve my bike handling skills. 

Over several years, I gradually saw my skills improving. By watching Karel, I improved tremendously. I'd watch when he changed his gears, how he was shifting his weight to turn and how he was moving his body to descend. Although he would often be out of my sight on the downhills, simply being with him meant I was riding on roads that were slightly out of my comfort zone. There were many times when I would stop and cry because I was so scared but overtime, I found myself improving. 

Learning new skills is incredibly scary but if you keep doing what's familiar, you'll never improve. More so, if you try something for the first time but you haven't learned the right skills to perform that skill safely, you may find yourself feeling "out of control" and thus, going back to old/bad habits..or crashing. 

Thinking back to my personal journey of being a scared and fearful cyclist who could never showcase my fitness because of my lack of skills to becoming strong, confident and comfortable on any type of bike, I want to make sure that other triathletes/cyclists can experience a similar joy and confidence for riding. 

When it comes to teaching bike skills, Karel has the cycling experience and I have the ability to understand what triathletes fear/worry about when it comes to riding in certain situations. This combo has allowed us both to help so many athletes get stronger, faster and more confident on the bike - all by learning proper skills and better terrain management. 

The convenience of the indoor bike trainer has created a false sense of confidence with regard to feeling prepared for race day - especially among triathletes who ride triathlon (or TT) bikes. It's easy to build fitness indoors but it's impossible to improve bike handling and terrain management skills. The moment you begin to climb a steep hill, descend or take a tight corner (or u-turn), your FTP is of little benefit.

As a coach and athlete, I know there are far too many athletes who experience great anxiety, stress, worry and fear when it comes to riding outside. I also see a lot of athletes perform below their athletic potential because they lack basic, fundamental bike handling skills and terrain management awareness. There are many experienced triathletes who have very inexperienced bike handling skills.

Just because you can push a lot of watts on the indoor trainer, this doesn't mean you are exceptional at riding your bike outside. I know triathletes love to obsess over power numbers and miles ridden and spend money on carbon upgrades, dual-sided power meters and race wheels but if you want to ride stronger, faster, smarter and safer, you owe it to yourself to invest in your skills.

We just finished our 3-day bike skills climbing camp and these ladies learned so much. It was incredible to see how quickly they improved their skills and how easily it was to transfer those 'parking lot' skills to real world conditions. 

On day 1 we focused on the following skills: 
-Clipping in (not scooting the bike but actually starting pedaling from a stationary position). 
-Sudden/panic stopping
-Cornering
-Balancing - shifting the weight off the saddle for better stability
-U-Turns 

After the morning session, we had a break and then went out to real world conditions. With so many terrain options for us in our cycling playground, we went to the quiet roads by Paris Mountain and practiced the skills that we taught in the morning. We really focused on riding corners at fast speeds (tight corners and sweeping turns).

For many athletes, you probably know how to clip in and out, make a u-turn and how to stop. But if you don't know how to do these simple skills on hills, when going fast or suddenly, this can become a threat to your safety. Additionally, because all of these skills require that you get out of the saddle and shift your weight, it'll be very difficult to perform other skills like getting out of the saddle or cornering. 

We spent some time on this tight switchback to work on corning at high speeds.

On day 2 we focused on the following skills: 
-Getting out of the saddle/climbing
-Stopping on a steep downhill. 
-Starting on a steep uphill. 
-Learning how to use a CO2 (it's not uncommon for cyclists to have a Co2 and not know how to use it). 

After the morning session, we had a break and then went out to apply these skills to real world conditions. This afternoon session brought a few fears (and tears). This was the session that I struggled with the most - descending on steep downhills. This change in gravity can be very uncomfortable and the normal response is to squeeze the breaks to avoid "crashing" or experiencing "speed wobbles." But to ride downhill safely, a lot of things need to happen from how you position your body, how you position your pedals, when you break (and how much)...and staying relaxed. We started off on rolling hills and then transitioned to a much steeper hill. The hill we selected was a "safe" hill in that there were no turns and once you got to the bottom you carried that momentum back up the next hill. We were so proud of everyone applying new skills and overcoming fears. 

On day 3, we put it all together and spent almost 2 hours on Paris Mountain (a ~2.3 mile climb). We went up for ~10 minutes, then descended down. We did this a few times. We then moved a little further up. Although the climb was a great workout and they could practice their climbing skills and changing gears, the ability to descend several times - on the same road - brought a lot of confidence. At the very end of the session, everyone climbed to the top and then descended down the mountain. 

We hope that this camp gets you excited for all the skills that you lack (or need improvement) as learning proper bike handling skills can make for a fun, safe and confident riding experience - no matter your fitness level or racing experience. Never settle - there's always room to get better. 

2022 Trimarni Bike Skills Camp

 

After much request by triathletes, we are now offering a group cycling camp. This camp is limited to eight athletes to ensure plenty of one-on-one attention.

Athlete is preparing for a triathlon. This athlete spends months training in order to feel prepared for this event. This athlete invests into coaching, the latest recovery gear, equipment and nutrition strategies in order to optimize performance.

But come race day, this athlete is unable to perform to his/her potential because this athlete never learned (and mastered) basic bike handling and terrain management skills. Less fit athletes are going faster because of better skills and riding techniques.

Learning, improving or mastering your bike handling and terrain management skills should not be something you only practice on race day. Because many cycling skills are not intuitive and can not be learned on an indoor trainer, improve your safety, confidence and fun-factor when riding your bike by investing in our bike skills climbing camp. 

This camp is designed to help you work on your climbing, descending, terrain management, gearing and bike handling skills. All fitness levels welcomed. However, you will be climbing hills as part of your skill work so we ask that you have good endurance and strength to be able to safely climb various grades/inclines.

While you will be performing your skills in real-world situations (which will bring some fatigue and soreness to your legs), this camp is not designed for accumulating a lot of riding miles. At this camp, you are accumulating new and improved skills. The miles that you will cover at camp will help you improve your bike handling skills so that you can leave camp with improved confidence, skills and safety while riding your bike outside on all types of terrain. We welcome road and/or triathlon bikes at this camp.

Each day of camp will have two distinct sessions. The morning session will be skills, drills, technique and education. The afternoon session will take you to different terrain to put your practice into effect. On the last day of camp, you will have the opportunity to put all of your skills to good use by climbing up and descending down a mountain! Don't be scared/worried - we will help you feel prepared, confident and safe! 

Is this camp right for you? 

• You never learned (or mastered) basic bike handling skills like shifting gears on variable terrain, standing out of the saddle, riding one handed, sudden starting/stopping, u-turns, descending and climbing. 
• You have great fitness on the indoor trainer but when it comes to riding outside, you can't seem to ride to your potential. 
• You don't enjoy riding your bike outside because you feel scared, exhausted or uncomfortable. 
• Riding in a new environment/course/terrain makes you feel tense, scared and anxious. 
• You don't feel comfortable riding your bike around other cyclists. 
• You want to get more out of your cycling abilities but you can't do it on your own (and where you live). 
• You struggle to ride in challenging environmental situations - wind, rain, hills, heat, cold.
• You want a decisive advantage over your competition to ensure that your hard work pays off on race day. 
• You want to learn how to master basic bike handling skills to make riding outside more enjoyable and safer. 

One of the main reasons why we moved to Greenville, SC was because it was incredibly bike-friendly. With countless country roads, we have endless biking routes to choose from - right from our doorstep. Unfortunately, this isn't the case for many triathletes. Because we used to live in Jacksonville, FL (prior to our move), we understand the worry, concern and anxiety that comes from riding outside. Additionally, due to the advancements of indoor trainers, indoor stationary bikes and reality training apps, many triathletes lack the skills, confidence and balance to safely ride outside due to always training in a controlled environment. A trainer is a wonderful tool but it does not allow you to manage rolling terrain, descending, climbing and basic bike handling skills like braking, standing out of the saddle, u-turns, cornering and balance.

When I moved to Greenville in 2014, I was not a fast, confident or strong cyclist. I was scared of riding downhills and I was constantly fearful of routes that I had never been on before. I craved familiar and what was within my comfort zone. But overtime, I had to challenge myself in order to become a better, safer and stronger cyclist. With a great teacher (Karel), my skills improved and I was able to enjoy cycling so much more - and my triathlon bike times significantly improved! 

Just because you can ride a bike doesn't mean that you really know how to ride. If you never learned basic bike handling skills and you predominantly train indoors, this can greatly affect your riding performance (and ability to improve) as well as your outdoor riding enjoyment and safety. 

To improve your skills, you need to practice regularly but more so, you need to learn the right ways to master the skill (which will likely place you in a sate of discomfort or fear as you learn something new). Don't wait until race day or your warm weather training to find yourself in a scenario where your bike handling skills are not up to par with your fitness abilities.

For more information and to register, click HERE.
CAMP DATES: April 1st-3rd, 2022. Limited to only 8 athletes for individualized attention.