The WOP cross country stadium now... © Drew Goldsack
September 15, 2010 (Whistler, BC) – When I returned to Whistler, BC a few weeks ago I encountered a much different environment than I had left behind. The Olympic crowds, snow, banners, fences and media have all disappeared, leaving a familiar but very different and almost eerie Whistler that I had come to know.
... and the WOP cross country stadium then... © Drew Goldsack
I made the journey with the rest of the AWCA (Alberta World Cup Academy) for an intense 10 day dry-land training camp. I had never trained at Whistler in the summer, but it proved to be an outstanding environment for a camp. We saw great weather and excellent roller skiing up at the Callaghan Valley Nordic Centre/WOP on the paved trails as well as on the now virtually deserted access road. In addition to a lot of roller skiing, the camp included a good mix of road biking, running and strength workouts. Our spare time saw some highly contested baseball games and some serious time logged beating the heat in our hotel pool.
The addition of Peter ‘King of Dusseldorf’ Larsson to our already strong coaching lineup for the Whistler camp was a huge benefit. Larsson worked with the team sharing some of his valuable sprint expertise, covering everything from starts to technique to tactics. Peter’s laid back and positive attitude was a great addition and I think everyone looks forward to his return in November for our first on snow camp of the season.
Start of the A Final in a sprint TT (L-R) Jess Cockney, Drew Goldsack, Bob Thompson, Graham Nishikawa. © Kevin Sandau
The week was capped off with a grueling ride from Whistler to Lillooet including a daunting 15km switchback climb out of Pemberton. The promise of the world’s best Bannick in Lillooet is all that kept a lot of us going as we pushed our tired legs over the rough pavement and seemingly endless climbs along Duffey Lake road.
The team is now back home in Canmore, AB, and well into our next block of training which has a big focus on intensity. With summer winding down and snow already collecting on the mountain peaks around Canmore it won’t be long before winter is in the air and the hunt for early snow begins.
Jess Cockney and Joey Burton gearing up for our ride to Lillooet. © Drew Goldsack
Happy Training!
Drew Goldsack
In the Tape Deck:
– Artist: Two Door Cinema Club, Track: What you Know
– Artist: Something A La Mode, Track: 5AM(La Tourette remix)
– Artist: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Track: Home (RAC Remix)
– Artist: LCD Soundsystem, Track: Dance Yourself Clean
Overheard:
“I went to line up for the iPhone, Kevin [Sandau] was the only other one there….” – Graham Nishikawa
The Nish (Graham Nishikawa) leaves me in the dust on the finishing stretch... © Kevin Sandau
On the Tube: Watch THIS!
