Team Training Camp #1

No wonder Canada produces so many talented strong female riders at the international level. Canadian women are hardcore. It's three hours into a pretty intense ride, PUKING those wet sticky snow flakes the size of toonies and no one is stopping. Ten more minutes, and there is at least two inches of snow to pedal through. Not only the back, but the front tires are skidding out on a climb. It’s not that these women don’t want to stop; the legs are so tired, we’re hungry and cold. It’s just that we know we can make it through, and have put our bodies through much worse. It’s only when our Team Director, Jeremy Storie, pulls the pin that we start squeezing all nine of us with our bikes into the pick-up truck for the ride home. Hadn’t it been for sketchy drivers to worry about, we probably would have kept on going. These gals are tough!

The weather wasn’t all bad for the first Giant Bicycles/ Team Whistler Women’s Cycling Team training camp of 2008. Sunshine and warm weather greeted us for a long Friday ride that took us through the countryside in Langley. On Friday evening we unveiled our beautiful new Giant bikes for the season and motivated each other with our future plans and past adventures. You know you’re in good company when you can relate (sort of) to stories such as riding 300km on only two water bottles and a bar while not passing a single store for food or water, or banter on about the present icons of women’s racing that a group of guys, even racers, just don’t seem to find too enthralling.

Saturday was our hard ride day. The weather held off for most of the ride and we were able to get into a great rhythm and work in a paceline remarkably well considering this weekend was the first outside ride for some members of the team. After two and a half hours of hammering on the flats, we climbed over Mt. Sumas just as the snow started to fly. Oh Canada. Even the weather in the Lower Mainland, where one can ride all winter, can throw a curve (snow) ball at you.

This year, the team is an amalgamation of the Giant Women’s Team and women from Team Whistler (hence the name). Thanks to Tony Routley and Jeremy, this team brings gals from the Mountains, Island, Interior and Lower Mainland of BC together with a common goal… ride hard and strong and contribute to great women’s racing in BC and Canada! Yeehaw, 2008 here we come!