Sask Cycling Penticton Training Camp

This year the spring training camp to Penticton couldn’t come quick enough for some riders, but it did.  Easter being a few weeks earlier than past years, the trip came up pretty fast. 

We had 10 riders leave from Saskatoon at 6:30am on Good Friday and then meet up with the other 5 that left from Regina.  We made a quick stop to pick up Shawn Bunnin in Calgary and to enjoy a sloppy Peters Drive In burger and then hit the road to OK Falls.  Saturday was the first day of riding and there were a lot of eager cyclists that couldn’t wait to hop on there bikes, some for the first time of the season (outdoors). 

As always the rides were epic, tones of great climbs which means tones of great descents.  I forgot how tough the climbing was and had a rough first couple days, but everyone was riding really strong and rode well.  The days went by pretty quick and due to some unseasonably cool weather we had a couple riders fall ill.  Like the strong Sask cyclists they are, they bounced back quickly and soon hoped back on the saddle. 

This year we had a special guest join us for a ride.  Wednesday, Jim Bates, a good friend from the Kelowna Fresh Air Experience brought his buddy Axel Merckx down for a ride and lunch.  It was kept a secret until the day before. Axel and Jim showed up and we all put on our rain jackets and went for a spin to Penticton and back.  After the ride everyone cleaned up and gathered in one of the condos for a visit with Axel and to have some lunch.  This was a truly awesome experience and one that will be in out memories for ever.  Stories were told and autographs were signed, thank you Axel and Jim for coming down to hang with us prairie kids.  After our guests left everyone was pretty stoked and talked about the visit. 

We still had 2 days of good riding left and the weather wasn’t looking much better, it gets pretty cold when you climb up into the mountains and snow is falling.  We actually had 4 days were there was some kind of white stuff falling from the sky on and off.  We wrapped up the final ride on Friday and ended the day with a good old milk challenge.  With everyone pretty tired and sore after a good solid week of riding we pointed the vans east and headed home on Saturday morning. 

It was another fantastic trip, the group was awesome and I had a great time as always. 

Thank you to everyone that came and I look forward to seeing you all at the races. 

Keep on riding hard. 

Mike Horn