This year I had the pleasure of hosting the Marc Pro-Strava winter training camp on my home roads around Santa Cruz, California. I was looking forward to the opportunity to show off the place which I have become very fond of, both for it's amazing diversity of places to ride a bike but also the atmosphere and culture. Our team landed at the Seascape Resort in Aptos which offered amazing views and easy access to all the training rides.
On friday we set out for a short 2 hour opener which consisted of a quick loop around Pajaro Valley. After the usual pizza feast and sponsor talk we talked racing plans and welcomed new teammates.
Saturday consisted of a string of all of my favorite climbs in the Santa Cruz mountains starting with Bonny Doon. This ride included an amazing descent down Felton Empire road, a stop at the White Raven in Felton, and my favorite climb East Zayante Rd.
It was surreal riding all my usual training roads with my full team. I'm normally out here by myself, or with one friend or another but attacking all the grades with MPS was awesome. After a day of fun on the bike we headed to a local organic mexican restaurant in my neck of the woods. Good times and food comas ensued.
On the third day, I planned an enormous route. I wanted everyone to experience as much as possible and leave a good healthy tiredness in the legs. We started up Eureka Canyon, a Santa Cruz classic.
This ride was incredible. With a little bit of something for everyone, and a lot of hill climbing. I was stoked to show everyone Big Basin (Hwy 236) which is probably one of the most fun descents in the area. We were very lucky with the weather being dry as many of these roads can be pretty messy during the winter but were perfectly clear for us. After some more talk of tactics and messing about we parted ways in Aptos.
Overall I was very happy with how the camp went, and that everyone had fun on the training rides with minimal complaining. One thing is for sure, we have plenty of strength in our squad and the Nor-Cal and National peloton should watch out. Thanks for reading.
On friday we set out for a short 2 hour opener which consisted of a quick loop around Pajaro Valley. After the usual pizza feast and sponsor talk we talked racing plans and welcomed new teammates.
Saturday consisted of a string of all of my favorite climbs in the Santa Cruz mountains starting with Bonny Doon. This ride included an amazing descent down Felton Empire road, a stop at the White Raven in Felton, and my favorite climb East Zayante Rd.
It was surreal riding all my usual training roads with my full team. I'm normally out here by myself, or with one friend or another but attacking all the grades with MPS was awesome. After a day of fun on the bike we headed to a local organic mexican restaurant in my neck of the woods. Good times and food comas ensued.
On the third day, I planned an enormous route. I wanted everyone to experience as much as possible and leave a good healthy tiredness in the legs. We started up Eureka Canyon, a Santa Cruz classic.
This ride was incredible. With a little bit of something for everyone, and a lot of hill climbing. I was stoked to show everyone Big Basin (Hwy 236) which is probably one of the most fun descents in the area. We were very lucky with the weather being dry as many of these roads can be pretty messy during the winter but were perfectly clear for us. After some more talk of tactics and messing about we parted ways in Aptos.
Overall I was very happy with how the camp went, and that everyone had fun on the training rides with minimal complaining. One thing is for sure, we have plenty of strength in our squad and the Nor-Cal and National peloton should watch out. Thanks for reading.
Author and team member ART RAND can be found on Twitter @ ArtRand, breaking records on STRAVA and racing via USA Cycling license #170859.
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