05/14/2008

Cold and crappy, based on the clothing but everyone is still smiling.

Before I go into details, I want to thank all the girls who came out, layered up, put on their beautiful new pink Norco t-shirts, and rode all weekend in the mud. Luckily, though, despite the cold and mud, the sun gods were smiling upon us and gave us two rain-free days... and we all know that March on Vancouver Island can be nasty.

You girls are awesome and I was such a proud little coach seeing you improve so much over the weekend. Pretty soon you'll be coaching me.

Our first day was mostly dedicated to building basic skills from braking and shifting to balancing and, everyone's favourite, dismounting. I'm sure none of them signed up expecting to spend 30 minutes practicing how to fall! I think they were grateful for the skill though the next day when we hit the trails at Broom Hill. It was amazing to see everybody gain so much confidence by the end of the first day.

Classic Vancouver Island riding - rocks, moss, and shrubbery. Taking a break...

On Day 2, we really put that confidence to the test. Broom Hill is a local riding area in Sooke that offers a range of highly technical trails with big jumps and intermediate singletrack.

We opted for the singletrack, but the group challenged themselves when they collectively agreed that they wanted to ride to the summit. It was a great warm-up to the decent. The girls rocked it despite wet conditions and the long climb.

Cornering like a pro, thanks to some advice from one.

I couldn't have asked for a better group and I don't think I heard one negative thing come out of their mouths all weekend. Thanks for getting me motivated and being such a positive influence on me, girls!

We all had a lot of fun and definitely earned all the food that Thrifty Foods provided us with...and those brownie squares that Kendall baked for us to get us through our Day 2 ride. I think that was the highlight for me. Just kidding... they sure were good, though.

I'll be holding more camps throughout the summer so stay tuned to the Norco site for more details.

Thanks again to the girls, Sooke Cycle, Norco, Thrifty Foods, and Sea-Parc Recreation for making this happen!

-Darcy

Read more about Darcy at: Norco.com.

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