1st Developmental Elite Training Camp; A Huge Success!

Fellow Swamis, Team Partners and Friends,

This past weekend, the Developmental Elite Team (DET) hosted its first training camp of the season. The camp lasted two days and traversed some of San Diego's most beautiful (and challenging!) northeastern landscape. Over the weekend the DET riders had a chance to ride and bond with each other, while getting in solid training time as well. The full Elite Roster was in attendance, including: Chris Daggs(co-capt), Marc Yap(co-capt), Skyler Bishop, Dana Alia, Zack Simkover, and Jose Quintero. During the weekend the squad was also joined by several of San Diego's strongest elite riders, who helped maintain an orderly and professional atmosphere while riding.

Saturday's ride left from Panera Bread with the regular Swamis ride and headed north to Oceanside and then east out the Oceanside Bike Path. From here the ride climbed up into the hills of San Luis Rey, down the beautiful descent of Circle R, into the back end of Escondido, and then up and over San Elijo Hills. Rain threatened all day, but luck was with us, and we stayed dry and in good spirits. Following the ride, the DET met up for a team business meeting where we hashed out our basic racing schedule, talked about team equipment, and discussed creative ways for giving back to our partners. Next season's race schedule will be both challenging and rewarding with events including Redlands, Manhattan Beach, and Elite National Championships, and racing pilgrimmage to Belgium. A very productive first day of camp was capped off with team dinner, great jokes and plenty of excitement for next season.

Sunday proved to be an even more challenging day of riding, departing from northeast Carlsbad and heading out to the fabled hills of De Luz Canyon (the hills between San Diego and Riverside counties). De Luz Canyon does not have a single inch of flat roads, every mile is either up or down, with many switchback climbs and technical descents. The vistas of Temcula and Murrieta were breathtaking and especially rewarding after the many difficult miles logged that day.

After two days of camp, the team chemistry is fantastic and all signs point to an extremely productive and fun 2008 racing season. Stay tuned for more team updates as the year progresses!

Zack Simkover
Media and Team Relations
Swami's Developmental Elite Cycing Team
Swami's Cycling Club
Encinitas, CA