Bike Camp ---- YES!
by Worley Fain
|
Big Davis | |
Connie C. | |
Frisco, CO |
This year I attended the Carpenter/Phinney Bike Camp in Frisco, Colorado. Dates for the camp were August 1-6, 1999. The camp is offered by the husband and wife team of Davis Phinney, America’s most decorated cyclist, and Connie Carpenter, Olympic gold medal winner.
Connie and Davis advertise their camps as providing:
Great road rides! Tons of information!
A Relaxed atmosphere! Motivation!
Fun! Challenge!
Entertainment! Freedom from intimidation!
A first-class vacation!
YES!
They deliver on their promise. Connie and Davis are actively involved in their camps. They make presentations, give personal feedback, and ride on all the rides. They are dedicated to insuring that each rider has a positive experience at camp.
The staff for the camp was outstanding. There were presentations by:
Ed Burke, Ph.D. - the leading authority on cycling physiology
Skip Hamilton - legendary ultra-distance athlete and bike handling specialist
Fred Matheny - cycling and fitness expert
Bill Lahman - avid cyclist, mechanical and technical specialist
Pete Penseyres - former Race Across America winner
Andy Pruitt - director of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine
Amy Roberts, Ph.D. - exercise physiologist
Pat Liggett - physical therapist and avid cyclist
The first day I arrived at camp, I started imagining that everyone else there would cycle like Lance Armstrong, and I wouldn’t know which way to turn the pedals. Of the 27 participants in the camp, there were several young race horses, but everyone was grouped with others of similar ability. Actually, I held up surprisingly well for a senior citizen Clydesdale. I found that riding the hills of Tennessee was very good training for the terrain of Frisco, Colorado. The demands of Fremont Pass were similar to those of the Foothills Parkway.
On awards night I was the proud winner of a Specialized computer. Each of the other 26 participants also received an award. Every person at camp was affirmed for his or her efforts. The focus was on enjoying cycling and using cycling as a means to improve your life, so everyone was a winner.
Cost of the camp was $1,375., which included five nights of single occupancy in a deluxe bed and breakfast style inn, five breakfasts, four catered lunches, two dinners, daily rides, instruction, workshops, talks, small group rides, and sag support for all rides. The accommodations were outstanding and the food was excellent. Considering what I ate, I figure that Connie and Davis subsidized me around $20. a day to be there.
There are two camps each year in Frisco, Colorado. Frisco is a lovely place, surrounded with breathtaking mountain scenery. Connie and Davis also offer an annual sports medicine camp in Boulder, Colorado. If you can’t make it to Frisco or Boulder, try the annual camp in Tuscany, Italy in September.
The Carpenter/Phinney Bike Camp was a great experience. Many of the
people attending had been there before, and were back for a second or third time. Feel
free to call me at 984-6565 if you would like to know more about the camp. You can also
check it out on the web at http://www.sni.net/camps.
