Blog

What a fantastic weekend!!

Thank you to all the parents and coaches who were able to make it and for all of your support and kindness.

We certainly made the most of the weekend and I feel super fortunate to have such an amazing support crew.

We are now two races in and I am really happy with everyone’s form at the moment. From the conversations I have had with every rider it seems as though we are happy with the current condition and we are also ready for some more.

So for the next few weeks we will be changing up the training to involve more high intensity work and less endurance. Our endurance base is super strong right now, so now we are going to seek out some extra speed with some solid work outs.

I also want to reiterate that this training model only works if you have super attendance. My hope is that riders are able to find three workouts a week that work for them and their families. Most of the other teams in the league make their practices mandatory and if you do not attend your not able to race. While I want to give my families a bit more flexibility I am also jealous of other coaches at times. So please do your very best to find a schedule that works for you and stick to it.

TRAINING PLAN

Tuesday– MTB

Wednesday– 2:30 Gravel Bikes please

4:30 Road Ride

Thursday– MTB

Saturday– Road Rides

Old Man 6:15

Big Kid 6:30

Grupo B and C rides start at 6:30 am.

Race #2 is before us and I hope that bring everyone a lot of excitement.

This is always a funky spot on the calendar as the excitement of the first race is gone and school is no longer new and exciting. We have entered that first lull in the year when things are just real and we have to be persistent to get our work done.

We have to be persistent with our school work and stay on top of things, you all might even be moving into mid term season, so this is an important time of year to ensure that you don’t fall behind.

This will be our theme for the next two weeks– Persistence. We want to really stay on top of what makes us feel good. We want to stay on top of all the little things that we know add up.

Lets remember to stay hydrated all week as we are going back to elevation to race. Proper hydration for race day starts well before race day.

Lets stay on top of our school work so we are not stressed during the week and not too worried about missing school on Friday.

Lets remember to get plenty of good sleep this week, to eat well and just treat ourselves as best as possible.

LIGHTS–All lets keep up the good work and follow through on having our lights on our bikes at all times and remembering to always have them on blink.

Team Snap– I sent an email earlier today in regards to this new communication platform and I hope that everyone is able to start the process of signing up.

VOLUNTERRING AT THE RACES 

As well the league is only able to provide the races through the help of volunteers. I want to strongly encourage us as a team to find a way for us to support the league through this method. All information for volunteering for the races can be found here:

https://arizonacycling.org/volunteer/

Training Plan

Tuesday– MTB

Wednesday– 2:30 and 4:30 road rides

Thursday– NO PRACTICE. This way you can get caught up on all your school work and be prepared to miss Friday.

Friday — Meet at the clubhouse at 9am and leaving at 10am once we have everything all packed up.

Please use the same packing list for this race and all of the ACA races.

Saturday– We race and then we will be returning late approx. at 8:30pm.

Here we go. Our Fall Semester mountain bike season is in full swing and it is GAME ON.

I want to thank all of the parents who were able to make it to the race and then for being so helpful and supportive. It truly takes the whole village and I thank all of of you who were able to make it.

I also want to ensure that everyone knows how important it is for the race series that they too have volunteers. These races are only possible because of the amazing folks who volunteer to ensure that the riders have a safe experience, so please parents if you are at the races and are able to help volunteer a shift that would be fantastic.

Most important for me is to say thank you to the whole El Grupo Team Family. Thank you to all the racers, parents, coaches, siblings and grandparents who make this such a special experience. My favorite part of the whole weekend was watching all of the riders cheer for each other. I totally appreciated the comradery and friendship that everyone displayed as they cheered and encouraged each other. At the end of this whole Team experience what we will be left with is our wonderful memories and our friendships, so it was beautiful for me to watch everyone support each other.

The support and respect for each other was not just on the playing field. It extended all the way back to camp and I want to thank everyone for being so helpful when it came time to pack up. These team experiences might seem trivial, loading up three vans and trailers with bikes, food, and camping gear, but when 30 riders all work together to accomplish goals it truly creates a unit and a bond that is special.

This is just the start though. That was just the first race. We have 3 or 4 to go. This is a long season and we have to prepare for it mentally and emotionally. At some point it will get tough and you will need to have the support of your community to power through. Lets all be ready to support each other in this.

I also want to challenge everyone to commit to this season and to really follow through with the training plan and to believe in their goals.

TRAINING PLAN

We have different groups of riders with different goals so I will talk through the plans before practice.

TUESDAY– MTB

WEDNESDAY– 2:30 Road Ride with Ron if you typically do this

4:30 road ride

Thursday– MTB

Saturday– TIME CHANGE 6:30 am start for the B team Crew and the Fast Shoot Out Riders.

6:15 am start for the Old Man Riders.

There is also a race opportunity on this day. Information below and please let me know if you would like to attend and if you need a ride.

https://www.bikesignup.com/Race/AZ/Dragoon/TXCanyonMTB

Kaileen and Eve, alumni and now NAU students, stopped by to say hi and to cheer on their past teammates.

We were able to go 1,2,3,4 in the JV1 boys category.

Amazing young ladies

Watch out for these young men in the near future.

The first race is upon us.   We had a great talk yesterday and I am excited for the riders to get express themselves.   We should have a blast.   LUNCH ON SATURDAY — PLEASE EVERYONE PACK A LUNCH FOR THE VAN RIDE.   That way we can eat on the drive and so… Read more »

This next week is going to be a skills week. This is a great time after three weeks of building form to come back to the basics and the fundamentals. Just like in all other sports there are basic building blocks that we can come back to. For the last three weeks the kids have… Read more »

  I want to thank and congratulate this crew of amazing people for riding to Windy Point yesterday. It was the first time for every youth on the ride. Riding up the mountain takes a ton of courage and I want to say BRAVO to all of them for taking on that challenge. Julian and… Read more »

All I am very aware that the weather seems threatening and potentially very wet.   However I always hold out hope that we can ride.   In the past I would make the call at 5am.   But I recognize this makes it difficult on families.   So I am going to hold on to… Read more »

This was the third edition of this race and it has quickly become one of the premier gravel races in the United States.   They have created an amazing event and have put a lot of energy into the inclusivity of the race and getting more juniors involved.   We were invited to participate in… Read more »

We are moving into week 2 of our build towards the ACA races and consistency is still the most important attribute at this time. So as any coach would I want to see everyone as much as possible. It’s through consistency that we are going to make the gains in this endurance block. Consistency should… Read more »

Welcome back everyone. I am certainly excited for the new school year and the season to come.   I want to thank everyone for making the summer so special, from Bike Camp to Nationals to Durango. We had riders all over the United States and I am super thankful for everyone’s support and help.  … Read more »