The Canadian paralympic downhill ski team is presently in Whistler for a dryland training camp, from last Wednesday to this Sunday. As cycling is one of their main training activities, Carly Grigg, 2010 Whistler bound, and visually impaired, had asked if I could pilot her tandem bicycle, as her regular pilot was unable to attend.
With my travelling and accommodation expenses covered, I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about the elite levels of paralympic skiing, as well as to get some of my own training in addition to the tandem riding, and to enjoy the Whistler experience. So here I am.
The skiiers had all taken two weeks off after the completion of their season, and this training camp is designed to build some aerobic fitness and basic muscle strength. The athletes have arrived from various locations across the country, with a large contingent from Quebec, and so I am adjusting to being surrounded by plenty of Quebecois French. I am rooming with Arnoud, from Montreal, who is the ski guide for Vivian, visually impaired and from Edmonton, though also originally from Quebec.
Three coaches, one physiotherapist/trainer, one nutritionist and an intern are assisting the athletes, about a dozen in number, all of whom are being monitored very closely for weight changes, blood lactate levels, and heart-rates.
On the first day I attended the group weight-training session to get a sense of the group’s routine for the week, and in the afternoon was their first training ride.
Carly and I had ridden together only once before and did not have an opportunity to test ride the bike before arriving, so some adjustments were required to the bicycle set up. The first few pedal strokes were awkward and the first 180 turn saw us go up onto a curb onto a dirt boulevard where Carly scraped her leg against some bushes. My fault! Fortunately the riding has gotten better since then.
In any event their first ride was a 1.5 hour easy ride on the flats near Pemberton, about 35km north of Whistler. The Pemberton valley area is stunning, with horses and cows scattered among the valley flats and a backdrop of majestic mountains.
That day, Wednesday, I managed to get another hour in on my own bike after we returned. Later was dinner, and the group seems to prefer communal dinners rather than going out – understandable on tight budgets and after fatiguing training.
Yesterday, Thursday, rather than attend their morning weight training session, I chose my own ride from the hotel/condo unit called Legends, where we are staying, into Pemberton, past a village called Mount Currie for a few more km before turning around for the ascent back to Whistler and about 100km in total.
In the afternoon the group did 7X45 second sprint intervals on the bike (some on wheel chairs), while a couple of them completed the workout as running intervals. This was also a good workout for me after my 100k in the morning.
Today, the group did no weight training, and the ride was about 1:45, also in the Pemberton valley. After returning I rode another 2 hours, toward Squamish and back. The road is not the safest at the moment, as there is a lot of roadwork in preparation for 2010. However, it has given me an opportunity to see the road in transition, as there are parts that are newly paved, and others that are lined with road construction equipment and workers. There is a sense of urgency about the work – much drilling and crushing of gravel and big trucks, and bodies in hard-hats.
The weather has been quite cool here in Whistler, with max temperatures hitting 9 degrees, but only for a few short hours in the middle of the day, before and after which the temperature has been colder. Pemberton is a bit warmer. A 2hr ride in cold weather tends to feel much longer, and my own 2hr ride this afternoon could not have been finished soon enough.
I think tomorrow will be more intervals on the tandem, and hopefully I can get another hundred km in or so in addition.
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