This past week Ben Hoffman joined us for his second annual camp at The Cycling House.   Ben Hoffman (The Hoff) is one of America’s top long course professional triathletes.  He closed out the 2012 season with 2 Ironman wins (St. George & Wisconsin) and multiple podium finishes on the 70.3 circuit.  Results aside; Ben is a class act and a really good guy.  I was fortunate enough to meet Ben on The University of Montana triathlon team back in 2004.  We both started our triathlon careers around then and have spent many hours of training together over the years.  Ben always had some natural talent but his dedication to the sport, work ethic, drive and competitiveness is what really helped him claw his way to the top of the sport.  Last year I knew Ben would offer some valuable knowledge at The Cycling House so we were excited to have him back in 2013!  After a year away from the house Ben still had it and was playing pranks, telling jokes and offering valuable advice to everyone at camp.

We had a full camp for the first camp of the 2013 season with a mix of cyclists and triathletes.  Owen and Ben were able to get Specialized on board for the camp and they spent a representative and fleet of Specialized Shiv triathlon bikes.  Clients had the opportunity to try out some great bikes from Specialized as often as they liked.  The focus of camp was definitely cycling and we logged some great base miles.  Along with the cycling we had plenty of opportunities for swimming, running and core classes.  Over the course of the week we logged over 250 miles of cycling!  The temperatures were a little cooler then we liked on some of the days but everyday was sunny.  Our ride schedule included; Oro Valley spin, San Manuel, Gates Pass, Mt. Lemmon and Gates Pass.

One of the highlights of the camp was a picnic lunch at Agua Caliente a perennial warm spring park near the base of Mt. Lemmon.  Riders rolled up to hot coffee, hot chocolate, butternut squash soup, chicken salad, and pear gouda grill cheeses among many other snacks.  The TCH crew decided to incorporate a Mt Lemmon picnic into the schedule for 2013 and Chef Drew made it happen.  After an amazing lunch some of the crew headed out on a primal trail run around the 100+ acre Agua Caliente park.  We all returned laughing and excited after an amazing day on the bike.   The following day had another picnic lunch at Madera Canyon and put the finishing touches on a great camp!

The cycling aside one of the best parts about a camp at The Cycling House is the amount of knowledge you have access too.  One evening campers had the opportunity to pick the brain of not only Ben Hoffman about racing and training but also fellow professional triathlete Linsey Corbin (IM Arizona, Coeur D’Alene, Austria champ).  They offered their personal experiences and advice about fueling, pacing, mental strategies and many other topics.  Drop ins like this at The Cycling House are common and clients are able to ride and chat with some of the best athletes in their respective sports. The staff at The Cycling House is pretty solid too!  Owen is the descending guru, Brendan knows a ton about triathlon and nutrition, Heidi can rip trail with the best of them and Drew can do just about anything.  Needless to say but the 2nd annual Ben Hoffman camp was a huge success!

Thanks to those of you that joined us!  If you are looking for a camp in 2013 check out The Cycling House website. Until next time………