I am hoping this will work tihs time since I've typed it up 3 times and lost it in cyber space. Here goes another try. DB
Day 1
We started our trip to camp with prayer and a short devotional that was lead by Mr. Lark. About half way into the trip Mr. Haley treated us to some inspirational songs that he picked out before we embarked on the drive. After enjoying the great sounds of his stereo system we decided to have food at Fazoli’s. Our lunch break went on for about an hour, then back to the van to finish out our trip. Before our arrival, Mr. Haley and Mr. Lark gave an important speech on how vital it was for us to be hydrated at camp. After registering and getting our rooms, we attended the first ride which was just an easy recovery ride. I took a nap and then ate dinner. Then we all looked at Vince’s legs and went to bed.
Day 2
Vincent woke me up, which was great because my alarm clock did not go off. Started the day with Coach Mark giving out numbers, name tags, bottles and rules. He handed out some water bottles, thus ensuring that we would always be hydrated. With all the new items came new rules-we must always have a full bottle with us at all times, name tags on when in the dorms. The numbers we had to wear on our jersey whenever we were on our bikes. The rules were deeply inscribed on our minds because if found not following them we were subject to 20 push-ups to remind us. We had a 2 ½ hour ride with only two hills to climb. I’ve been meeting a lot of kids, many of which I had previously met at races. There was one guy from Florida, he was dubbed “Joe Dirt” and “Tarzan” because he looked like both characters. We played a game of foot-down, Drew and Luke won two of the games, Brian and I were just staying in to get other people out. Our evening meeting was about the importance of having a strong core. After the meeting Coach Mark gave out the USA cycling jerseys. Before going to bed, we all looked at Vince’s legs.
Day 3
I started off the day by being squirted in the face with a water bottle by Vince and Drew. At breakfast it seemed as though everyone was a bit nervous about the up coming 5 minute TT. Everyone was in their new USA jerseys and it looked like one big team. It was fitting because in my eyes we had become one big team. We did a warm up before the TT, they weighed us (I was 112 lbs., the lightest at the camp but this was low for me) and then sat around and waited for our turn to start. After the TT (I came in mid-pack) we played some more foot-down. Before going to bed, we all looked at Vince’s legs.
Day 4
I got up, ate breakfast and then got ready to go on a 3 hour ride. On the ride we previewed the 20 minute TT course. It was so hot on the ride that I went through 5 water bottles and ate two Power Bars. Lunch time! After another long ride we split up into two groups which was determined by our cycling category (cat 4-5 and cat 3) to work on skills such as; pace lines, echeloning, Afterwards, we split up into random groups to review the skills previously mentioned. Brian and I were in Dave’s group, we finished up with a sprint which was won by Brian. This was good since we were in a group with strong riders. It was a full day, finished by dinner. Then we all looked at Vince’s legs.
Day 5
Dillon, my roommate, woke me up this morning. After getting ready and eating breakfast I prepared for the last ride and last TT. We rode for about 1 ½ hours before our TT started. Our legs were warmed up and ready to go, only we had to wait around for our start time and get weighed again (I was 115 this time, closer to normal). This TT was much longer and harder than the first, so I needed to pace myself. Again, it was very hot. We ate lunch, followed by awards being given out, I was awarded the “best overall rider” because of my attitude on the bike and towards the leadership staff. Later we worked on more skills such as; bumping, drafting, and water bottle hand ups. The talk that night was on racing in foreign countries. We were able to go to bed at 11 instead of the usual 10 pm. Then we all looked at Vince’s legs.
Day 6
Travel Day! There was an optional ride, which I opted not to take since I was feeling sick. I rode home in the Lark van with Brian and Luke. We gave an over view to Mr. & Mrs. Lark and then fell asleep for the ride home. We did not look at Vince’s legs since he rode home in a different car.