Tour of California: Commander's Debrief
...in which I break down the shortfalls in 2015 and identify solutions and improvements for 2016
Lodging:
Yes, we fell short on the quality of the lodging a couple times. I contracted with a travel agency to line up all of the hotels and, in retrospect I should have had Joanne manage this for me. She would have done a better job of checking our reviews and amenities, and ensuring each hotel was very close to good restaurants.
2016 Changes: let Joanne manage it for me 
.
Transportation:
The days of renting a Ford E350 van as our primary people mover are done. The one we got was pretty blown out. Time to step it up!
Ford Transit below.
Going with this vs a Sprinter because I can get this in 15 passenger with a hitch rack for a bike rack
SAG Van: Xavier is IN for 2016 with his full stock, pimped out Sprinter that can carry 10 passenger and 14 bikes!
"Hospitality Van:" this will be a big change for next year. I'm going to do some admin / command and control things differently that will free up Joanne completely from sag duty. Instead, I'll be able to shoot her up the road with a van to setup a nice stop for us at a sprint or KOM location: cold drinks, food, hot coffee, chairs, awning, a bike rack, music, maybe the Tour streaming a TV...and of course, Riley!
This week I met with a van conversion guy to discuss plans to buy and configure my own 144" Sprinter for this camp 
, with will also be used for an identical camp in Colorado for the USPro Challenge...and moto/cycling/mtn bike adventures, camping, etc 
Chain of Command / Command and Control
I set myself up for a exhausting week by being pretty much the sole point of contact / decision-maker for the camp. I should have set my watch to time the interval between questions. So. Many. Questions! 
. So for next year:
- A-Group Ride / Van Captain: will be first person in the chain of command for the A-riders and will own all things related to that group and a designated van. Jonnie D is on board for '16
- B-Group Ride / Van Captain, same but for the B-group. My ideal candidate is a former Marine Sergeant / Cat2 cyclist / masseuse
This should allow me to step back from the tactical game so I can focus on the strategic level stuff.
Communications:
Will set up the 3 vans and 3 ride leaders with 5w radios, with ear pieces, so we can better communicate in real time without relying on cell signal. Will also rent/buy a satphone.
Group Skills Class:
Before Stage 3 (I think) I did a quick roadside class on braking, cornering and descending. Next year I'll find an opportunity to do a similar class very early in the camp on group riding skills, tips, expectations, etc. In the wind on crappy roads in Stage 1 was a helluva classroom, and we made it work and got better across the week, but I can improve this.
Food:
Again, do a better job of picking better hotels that have convenient access to many food choices. Also, taking Joanne out of ^this^ process above frees her up to make special things happen for us during each days riding.
SWAG and EN Kit:
I provided some nice ToC shirts for the campers this year. I'll go much bigger next year by hitting up our sponsors for camper swag and giving each of the campers at least one EN jersey, so we can look like a full-on team!
Seeing More of the Race:
- VIP passes for the TT Stage: this year was weird, with snow in Big Bear forcing the last minute movement of the TT to Santa Clarita...basically in a big ass parking lot at Magic Mountain. Spectator mojo was very low. Next year I'll hook up VIP passes for the campers so we can enjoy the day as spectators after what is usually very chill and relaxed 25-30mi ride.
- Adding Stage 7 to the Camp: this year the race finished at the Rose Bowl and I was able to get out there to see the HUGE crowds and a great finish. Including Sunday in the camp gives us a much more relaxed Saturday, I can hook up VIP passes for the final stage, get folks to the airport by about 3-4p Sunday.
Application Process:
This was the best ToC we've had, due to the quality of the riders and their willingness and ability to work together. We've never had more organized and cohesive A and B group and this contributed tremendously to the entire experience of the camp, for everyone. Hopefully this post, and the RR's I and other's have ridden have impressed on all of you:
- What a legit training experience, and physically demanding event this is. I put up 470 miles, over 28hrs, >37k gain, and > 1800 TSS, I think.
- Just how many moving parts there are in this camp and how important it is that everything, every day, runs very, very smoothly...or as smoothly as we can make it happen .
As such, I just have to have a minimum fitness requirement for this camp, that I assess via some flavor of application process. Of course, I haven't figured out what that is yet , but I will. Using our in house scale of abilities, I'd say this is an Intermediate to Advanced level camp. This is not really a Beginner to on the Intermediate bubble camp. Or, rather, I'd say the primary factors for success in this camp are:
- A commitment to just getting it done, every day
- A willingness and eagerness to work with your teammates to make it happen. Lone wolves that want to do their own thing aren't the best fit for this camp...unless you're totally fine with me telling you the way it's going to be . All it takes is for one person to be way off the back, or take a solo flyer off the front to put a van into Where's Waldo mode to find/support one camper at the expense of the 17 others.
In short, this is an epic training and fitness experience that you will never forget. And as such you really do need to approach it with a similar level of preparation and detail that you would bring to any other significant A-race on your calendar.
Rolling Out 2016 Registration
As you can see, 2016 will offer many significant, tangible improvements over 2015. I need to figure out how all of that shakes out, price-wise, for the camp. I've also seen significant interest in the camp among the local tri and cycling communities, a direct product of dropping the campers into my local bike shop at 10a on Friday where they spent $$$$ and the owner finally got just how epic this camp is. Word has gotten out. So the order of rollout will be:
- Offered to my '15 campers, at a significant discount off the street '16 camp. After a 3yr hiatus these folks have helped me kickstart the camp again so I see them as stakeholders.
- Offered to the Team, with ~1mo to act to receive a discount
- Then opened to the public but through local networks where I can hopefully meet/interview people first. Having first class, nice, awesome campers is the #1 criteria for making this camp successful.
Thanks and I'll probably fill this in with more details as I have more time to digest the experience!
Comments
Yep, lots of potential for this camp and then using these systems to offer similar experiences in CO, UT, etc.
Picking this up early next week!
Rob,
Just sign up when I open reg to the Team and you'll be Ok
.
But I need to offer the camp first to the people who were with me this year. In all of the previous runnings of this camp, I'd say about 60-70% of the campers re-up'd from year to year. It sounds like Patrick's BRP camp has experienced similar success, which is a clear signal that RnP know how to put on a great training camp experience for our athletes.
Don't forget that we also have 6x Ironman training camps this year, which are excellent training and learning opportunities for EN members of all abilities!
Dates of the Tour have always been from the second Sunday to the third Sunday in May.
I need to figure out the details and pricing for '16, offer that to my '15 campers first, and then open up the remaining slots to the Team. I don't know when I'll start that process because between IMSG and ToC I was doing a lot of not-coaching-EN athletes work for the last ~3wks and I really need to get that stuff back on track first. Thanks.
Riley's comfort can never be over-prioritized. It's his world, I just live in it. And check out that color! So awesome!
First, anyone in EN that plans for this like an EVENT versus a chance to "train" would be able to do this, but you gotta take it seriously. This is not an event you can show up to with no fitness and hope this is a week to "jump start" your training. To be successful, and by my estimation everyone was, you need to train purposefully for this event. You need to put it on your calendar as an "A" race and prepare for it. I showed up with decent Half Ironman fitness (I did IMCAL in late March) and then layered on a lot of long riding through Aril. As a result, I showed for the ToC ready to RIDE, not TRAIN. I am sure others have a similar experience. Many of the Tour peeps had already done some early season racing.
Second, Touring is NOT Camping. It's fun to call this a camp, but we are factually on the Tour of California - a world tour event. This means all of the rides are point-to-point. The logistics are completely unique versus any other vacation/ training camp I have ever done. You never stay in the same motel room twice. The sleeping environment is always new. The days develop a rhythm, but it's always changing scenery. It adds to the fatigue to pack and unpack your bag every day. The staff does an INCREDIBLE job of minimizing this extra stress, but it's there. This trip really mimics the way the Pros spend their week and I now understand why they travel with an army of mechanics and soigneurs (care givers). The riding and TSS is a lot. The stresses of travel and just living need to be minimized. Kudos to Coach Rich and the staff!
Third, the "doping thing" now makes a lot more sense to me. I have done multiple day riding events (big bike weeks), but never this many days or this many miles at the paces the A group pushed and never in a "touring environment". The grind is the impact of many days and the travel stresses. Your ability to warm up and perform everyday takes a big hit. Of note was the shrinking of the A group. The group picture from day 1 was much larger than the one from the final day. So when Pros talk about testosterone and cortisone and blood transfusions and EPO to better recover, I totally get it. That must be really powerful and clear advantage of over clean riders.
@Dino, thanks of your notes on the differences between a camp and this "tour." The differences are significant and what make this experience so unique. That and the truly unique experience of spectators and doing a training camp within the stadium, so to speak, of a pro tour race.
Well I was negative on the first day. But I hung in there and our little "B" group formed that first day in the winds of Sacramento. We worked together and the stronger riders would pull and then pull off. Not as organized as roadies, but we managed. As the week wore on our "B" group gained some more folks. We rode within ourselves and we would regroup at certain points and even on the big climbs stayed pretty much together. There were excellent group dynamics. We all had times when someone would feel strong and lead the group or even go off the front. Then other times when we would feel the gorilla on the back and find the protection in the peleton. Al (the Sprint Points leader in our group) used a strategy of taking a 10-15 minute time out in the middle of the ride to jump in the van. We joked that he was getting juiced because he came back with a vengeance. I actually was feeling pretty good by the end of the week and the "B" group really started to gel as far as riding hard but always within ourselves. The ride down the Pacific coast was a bucket list event for me. The day was spectacular. Worth the entire trip.
Because I never rode with the A group I never saw the group dynamics. I suspect that there was some serious "mano a mano" stages when they tried to crush each other for bragging rights. But yes this was a serious camp and you need a level of fitness. But from the previous posts I get this sense that you better be in Tour de France shape. Yes if you want to ride with the Big Dogs. But I will be in much better shape for 2016 and I will shepherd anyone in the B group to the end of each stage.
The logistics were excellent and the TOC is a great value compared to some of the other tours that we ran across as we were riding the TOC. In fact, on the first day we came across NBA great Bill Walton being escorted by his own personal van. But the best part of the camp were the CAMPERS themselves. The EN family was really strong and evident with our interactions. I am glad that I will be on the early sign up list.
P.S. Riley and I will get together early for some Camp Yano obedience training.
Reading Jim's comments ... I'm hoping RnP commit to maintaining these Tours/Extended training camps (like BRP). I'm trying to get off the IM merry-go-round (waiting to see when Tim C, Dave T, and Coach P start getting dizzy), and still maintain and have fun with my fitness. From 1995-2005, I did at least one multi-day group tour (almost always with friends/family, not commercial), and really enjoy the total immersion into daily cycling which results. So, in '16, who knows, I may go for the Trifecta - BRP, ToC, and USPCC.