I have always wanted to put on a training camp and after a few years of thinking about it and chatting with both Sam Thompson (NZ MTB Acadamy) and Erin Eggelston (QE Health) and Roshni Mistry (my wonderful wife) we finally got one off the ground.
For my first camp, I invited the riders of the Yeti NZ Devo Team, as we sponsor them and they are the perfect guinea pigs for us to test our theories on. Originally the idea was Sam would run the camp, but in the end he was overseas with kiwi riders most of the year, so Roshni and I just committed to a date, then made it happen.
Our challenge was to inspire the riders to want to learn more and push themselves in more ways then just 'riding there bikes'. We only had time to touch on most subjects, so really it was an intro level 101 racing camp!
I have been doing some High Performance NZ core modules this year (amazing program!!) and I was keen to pass on some of the lessons I have learnt. I really wanted to encourage a growth culture in our team, but also more generally in the whole MTB scene. I'd love to see us all share knowledge and become the best we can be together. I wanted to share my experiences from the circuit and allow other ex-pros to have an opportunity to share theirs too.
Roshni and I have also been discussing Nutrition for athletes a lot. She is a trained dietitian and an amazing nutritionist but also goes well beyond these mediums to deliver holistic health care. She shared her wisdom and talked to the women independently about their specific needs.
Then we had an amazing group of people to help us out deliver content, which included Erin (Mental skills training) and Sam (Energy Systems, Training Prescription), but also Jordan Welsh (S&C), Louis Hamilton (Skills), John Kirkcaldie (Skills & Race experience), Mark Leishman (Coaching & Race experience), Daniel Cobb (Suspension setup). Julian Dean (Ex Tour de France legend).
Huge thanks to QE Health, who provided our base for the class room and gym related activities (we also took a soak in their amazing Rachel mineral pools). And Ride Rotorua where we did our suspension setup, and finally Galaxy Travel where we ate lunch each day (This is also where Roshni and I work from a shared office space inside)
We did have plans to go to Rotorua Rafting for a epic trip down the Kaituna, however the weather didn't play ball and the water was too high. Next time! Thanks Sam Sutton for arranging this anyway.
Thanks to the team riders for being such a fun group to hang out with. From left on opening image - Xanthe Robb, Lachie Ross, Cooper Millwood, Joe Millington, Jake Ramon, Ollie Jenkins, Harry Kneebone, Dylan Walton, Zoe Trolove. (Bradley Harris is also still on team, but couldn't make it)
Thanks to the Millingtons, the Waltons and Ann and Nick Hunn for hosting riders and looking after them.
Finally thanks to Savanna Guet for taking many of the photos and videos in this video.