OCA cyclists attend OHPSI Excellence Camp in California
The Ontario Cycling Association (OCA) released the list of carded athletes during the 2014 season. Some of these riders are currently attending the annual OCA OHPSI Excellence Camp, supported by the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, held from Feb. 10-23 in Buellton, California.
The three-tier carding program focuses on the riders who are apart of the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model’s Train to Compete and Learn to Win stages. The first tier road athletes include Canada Summer Games double gold medallist Annie Foreman-Mackey, Ben Perry and Brandon Etzl. The BMX riders include Amelia Walsh and Corey Walsh. The mountain bikers are Cayley Brooks, Mitch Bailey, Soren Meeuwisse, Evan McNeely, Haley Smith, Laura Bietola, Marc-Antoine Nadon, Mikaela Kofman and junior worlds silver medallist Peter Disera.
The full list of carded athletes can be found on the OCA’s website.
The riders currently attending the camp include Foreman-Mackey, Bietola, Brooks, Smith, McNeely, Etzl, Nadon, Disera, Bailey, Bayley Simpson, Adam Jamieson, Connor Byway, Simon Fothergill, Luke Vanlauwe and Derek Gee.
Daily reports are written by the riders and posted on the OCA website. Disera wrote the reports for the first two days and said,
“On the 10th of February 2014, Team Ontario was sent on an epic ride. This ride would be a deal breaker for some, a record setter for others but a test of endurance and mental strain for all. The day was warm. Moderate mist was met in some of the rolling hills but no rain droplets were formed. The sun came out and the shorts were rolled up. The wind was howling – this posed as a source of pain to some.
“The day was the day to climb Fig Mountain. We were briefed that it would be a 15-km climb with some solid grade. We were to take our time and stay in our zones. The ride to the base was relatively uneventful and windy. Some solid head winds posed a challenge getting to the base. Gradually climbing we did not know where the climb would start. All of a sudden – boom – it was up; 15 km of climbing to come.”
