The Cycling House hosted the 6th edition of the February Hammer Nutrition camp. The Cycling House has hosted over 15 camps with Hammer Nutrition but it all started in February 2006. Owen Gue and Evan Lawrence had been running TCH for nearly a year and half before hosting their first real camp with over 10 campers. Since 2006 a large group from that original camp has continued to come back for more. At this particular camp we had 2 campers that have attended all 6 of the February Hammer camps. First off TCH would like to say thanks to all of those campers that have attended camps but further more thanks to those that have come back every year. The atmosphere and level of service continues to grow at TCH and this particular camp was no exception. Despite some less than perfect conditions we prevailed and had an amazing camp with 250 miles of cycling in six days of riding.
The camp started out with a beautiful arrival day spin with temperatures in the mid 70’s and not a cloud in the sky. Our first real ride on the schedule was San Manuel but less than perfect weather predictions put a damper on our ride. Despite the outlook we headed out into the desert from Biosphere 2 and headed towards San Manuel. The weather gods appeared to be in our favor for about an hour but then the skies opened and it began to hail. The hail was ok but when it turned to wet snow things got interesting. The spirit of the group was un-phased and we continued onward. As the weather got progressively worse the follow van was full of bikes and wet cyclists. Unfortunately TCH can control everything but the weather and we had to cut the ride short as nearly 3 inches of snow-covered the roads. The conditions were brutal but we made the best of it and hopefully built a little character out there that we can all carry into 2012.
The weather outlook was a little less than perfect on Friday as well so we called and audible and decided to ride Kitt Peak on Friday and Mt Lemmon on Saturday. The dirty double made for 2 big days of climbing but the plan was perfect and hit the best weather that we could, all things considered. Kitt Peak is a great Tucson ride although it sits nearly 40 miles outside of town. We shuttled out to Three Peaks avoiding some bumpy sections on Ajo Highway. The climb wraps around the 7000+foot peak and near the top we were consumed by a cloud. Everyone was in their own zone and the silence on the mountain made for a very cool ride on desolate roads. We finished up the week with Mt Lemmon and a picnic lunch in Agua Caliente park.
Brian Frank, Jim Bruskewitz, and Mike Freeman made up the Hammer Nutrition staff and have since the beginning. The trio was busy setting up folks with Compex electrical muscle stimulation, supplements, and fuels. Mike Freeman is a testament of the Hammer Nutrition product line and at 69 years old he has the spirit of young adult, the heart of a lion, and the endurance of gazelle. Jim B. and Mike Freeman are at the tops of their respective classes in endurance sports and continue to collect national championships! Brian Frank has built and incredible company and Hammer continues to cover all the bases in the endurance world. Campers are fortunate to have the wealth of knowledge on staff throughout the week and they are always ready for any question. Campers left the camp with proper fueling plans and I’m confident that everyone will have their fueling dialed for race season.
The Cycling House has one more Hammer Nutrition camp in March but you can start booking for 2013 on the Hammer Nutrition website. Spots tend to fill quickly so be sure to reserve your spot soon!
Chef Drew and The Cycling House staff were busy in the kitchen and a staff and camper favorite was the spaghetti squash lasagna. Here is a look at the recipe from Chef Drew.
Ingredients:
2 spaghetti squash
1 jar of Marinara or homemade (chunky is better)
1lb of ground beef (seasoned with salt & pepper, oregano, basil)
1-2 packages of Ricotta cheese (12oz)
Mozzarella Cheese (to taste)
Parmesan Cheese (to taste)
Spinach, Zucchini, Eggplant
Process:
Cut your spaghetti squash in 1/2 and cook face down in pan with a 1/2 inch of water covered with aluminum foil and cook at 375. Cook until the top is soft or when you can push the fork into the skin. For a quicker cooking process you can poke holes into the spaghetti squash and cook it in the microwave. After the squash is fully cooked scrape out the seeds then take a fork and pull out the innards of the spaghetti squash and place it in a mixing bowl. You will want to pre cook the meat in a pan with some olive oil adding salt & pepper, oregano, and basil. In a 9×13 pan place a thin layer of the Marinara sauce. Then a layer of spaghetti squash that is flattened out; not bunched. The next layer will be the beef or veggies depending on if you want a vegetarian dish. Follow the meat and or veggies up with the Ricotta cheese. Repeat the process for multiple layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour and drain the liquid with a baster or pouring it out during the baking process. In the last 10 minutes you can add a combination of mozzarella cheese and or Parmesan cheeses. Enjoy!