Each summer, a select number of riders racing ages 15-22 get to attend the Montana Cross Camp summer camp in Helena led by head coach Geoff Proctor. The camp provides a chance to learn new skills and make new friends while essentially doing three workouts a day and learning during the evening classroom sessions.
For those of us with real "jobs," the thought of going to cyclocross summer camp like sounds a-a-a-mazing, even if we do not necessarily have the talent to allow us to set our eyes on racing in Europe, as Proctor's Montana Cross Camp prepares young athletes to do.
Fortunately, as we start to look to the coming cyclocross season, there are drills and skills from Proctor's camp we can incorporate into our own training.
Proctor brings a background in skiing to his training regimen, and as I saw when I attended the Women's camp two weeks ago, the workouts and drills the young athletes do are varied and challenging. Running, agility, on the bike, off the bike, yoga, Proctor gives athletes a lot to think about and work on when they head back to their respective homes across the country.
There was never a dull moment at camp with a variety of drills on and off the bike. 2019 Women's MontanaCrossCamp, Friday. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
For today's Training Tuesday, I declare #crossiscoming to be officially here as I share some ideas for mixing up your cyclocross training with some ideas from Montana Cross Camp. All the usual caveats apply—not a coach, not a complete list, etc.
Scroll through using the next button to read about each workout idea.
Sleep
The last bit of training advice from camp sounds the easiest but, let’s be honest, is probably pretty difficult for most of us—get more sleep.
Coach Allison Arensman led an excellent classroom presentation on Wednesday night that focused on the importance of sleep for recovery and athletic performance. Coaches Katie Compton and Rebecca Fahringer joined the discussion, providing suggestions of methods that have worked for them during their frequently trans-Atlantic trips between the U.S. and Europe. [You can also read Coach Mayhew’s advice on sleep]
Arensman’s verdict was we are all probably not getting enough sleep, so trying to add an hour and get up to at least 8 or 9 hours is a goal we should shoot for. All three coaches shared examples of bad races they have had most likely caused by not getting enough sleep.
No images of campers sleeping, but the coaches stressed the importance of proper rest and recovery for athletic success. 2019 Women’s MontanaCrossCamp, Thursday. © Z. Schuster / Cyclocross Magazine
For those headed to Europe, Compton suggested going to bed an hour earlier each day in the week leading up to a trip to Europe. Most of us are likely to head across the pond for a vacation or to take in a block of European racing as a spectator when our performance is not essential, so closer to home, she recommended investing in an eye mask and swimmer’s ear plugs to aid in falling and staying asleep.
If you are looking for some help, fitness tracking apps such as Whoop are available that track your sleep and recovery. Proctor uses the system and shared some of his data showing the lack of sleep he was getting during Montana Cross Camp. Do as I say, not as I do, I guess?
For more interviews and coverage, see our 2019 Montana Cross Camp archive. For more photos from camp, visit cyclocross.zenfolio.com.
