2011 Ironman Lake Placid – Endurance Nation – Epic Bike Training Camp
This is posted by EN athlete Dave Campbell...Coach P posting for poll options!
Last summer while visiting Charlottesville Va, I had the opportunity to ride on the Skyline Drive out of Waynesboro, Va. As I’m signed up for IMLP in 2011, this ride struck me as a fabulous training ground for the LP bike. I’m looking to organize an EN Camp ther next spring. This would be a 2 or 4 day option. Here’s the general plan. We meet up in Waynesboro, Va. This is the Northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Southern end of Skyline Drive. These are non-commercial roads that run through the National Parks, a very popular cycling area. Think low traffic, gorgeous views, lots of good climbing practice, ride with your EN teammates. Google these and you’ll find tons of info on them. Several commercial tour groups and high end coaching groups run camps and tours on these roads. We have 2 main options.
Route 1 leaves Waynesboro and the ride goes North on Skyline Drive to Front Royal, Va. This is 105 miles one way with about 8500’ of elevation gain. Here’s a link. We overnight in a local hotel(Hampton Inn) Next day, return to Waynesboro.
Route 2 leaves Waynesboro and heads South on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Peaks of Otter Lodge. This is 86 miles and again around 8500’ of elevation gain. We overnight at the Lodge and return the next day to Waynesboro. Here’s a link.
If you do all 4 days, you will ride 382 miles and cover 34,000 ft of elevation gain. The grades are not all that bad though. You can see the details of the climbs on the links if you click the “Watch course fly by video” and click on climbs tab. Compared to the mapmyride course of Lake Placid, these are tougher routes than LP will be.
So, there would be a couple options, a 4 day camp that includes both routes, or a 2 day camp covering only 1 route. As for cost, you would be responsible for your own travel to and from the starting point, (Waynesboro), your motel reservations and cost, your meals, nutrition, etc. Basically I’m suggesting a do it yourself deal as far as money goes. I’m providing the logistics and organization. Once I get a feel for the attendance, I will call the hotels and negotiate the best rates. We would most likely leave cars parked at the Best Western in Waynesboro for the duration of the camp. I will try to arrange for a SAG vehicle and driver to move luggage along the route for us and cover any issues that arise during the day(Special needs for nutrition, breakdowns, etc). If someone has a volunteer for a SAG vehicle and driver, just let me know. We’ll pitch in to cover SAG expenses. What I need now is some feedback on interest so the planning can progress.
The main questions I need help with right now are:
2 day or 4 day camp? We can run both actually, letting the 2 day campers join the 4 day campers.
When to Start?
- Start ride on Thursday(meet Wed evening), end on Sunday 4 day
- Start ride on Saturday(meet Friday evening), end on Tuesday 4 day
- Start on Saturday, end on Sunday 2 day
Preferred weekend (vote in the poll below!!!):
- 5/15
- 5/22
- 5/29
The poll will be closed on 11/1 so the plan can be finalized and published.
Questions, just ask away!
Comments
I'm interested as this is in my neck of the woods (maybe 2.5 hours away). Also, I'm doing IMLP...
I will need to look at when there might be an EN camp in Lake Placid so I don't crush myself to close together.
Thursday thru Sunday seems like a good idea if its a 4 day.
Overall, love the idea of using skyline drive as a training location. It is a great spot. I've only driven in a car so being on a bike would be cool.
FYI...
the first two options, 5/15 and 5/22, will conflict with ToCA and IMTX (if anyone is doing either of those).
5/29 is Memorial Day weekend.
Memorial day weekend would never work for me and I think there will be a lot more traffic out there on that weekend as well.
I guess I vote for 21-22
@chris read a bit of American Zofingen . Sounds really cool , and it is close enough to me. Might opt for doing that rather than 1/2 im to practice for lp.
I'm definitely interested.
My wife is from Charlottesville and here Mom still lives there so there is a possibility I could combine this with a family trip and possibly help contribute to SAG support.
Let me talk to her about it but there will be great weather in May - Looks like a good time to me
Mark
Just bumping this back to the top of the list. With a lot of newcomers in the last week or so, some doing LP in 2011, and the voting deadline fast approaching, just want to make sure nobody misses out on this.
Please elaborate on this Blue Ridge parkway and 10 days of cycling?!?
Have you settled on a weekend yet? Still able to include another rider?
wondering if there is anyone thinking about the 2 day option that would share a ride from the NYC area?
@coach P -> any update on LP Camp dates yet?
Bumping this thing back to the top of the list. The dates are set for this as May 19th through May 22th. This will be Thursday through Sunday. Anyone wanting to only do 2 days can choose either Thur/Fri, or Sat/Sun. Coach P, you initially expressed interest in attending, hope thats still the case. Is there a suggested way to take this project to a seperate folder, stciky it, or something so that as the planning progresses from here, those involved can keep up with what is happening without it being burried in the General Training Discussions. Suppose I could set up a google group/Facebook Group, etc, but would be nice to keep it in the house for anyone who wanted to see what was going on. Again, this is a 4 day epic bike training camp on the Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive, centered around Waynesboro, Virginia. This is not the Lake Placid free camp to be held in Lake Placid.
FYI, that's Memorial Day Weekend, if that makes a difference for anyone. Lots of people will have the Monday the 30th off of work. That also means that places to stay, as the first 'official' weekend of summer, might be difficult to find - get looking NOW!
Thanks for catching this mistake. I edited the above post with the correct dates. Sorry, between rushing at lunch to do this and O2 deprived this test week, I mis-typed. Don't want any conflicts with Memorial day.
Peaks of Otter will book up fast. It is a great place to stay but I would pull the trigger very soon to get the rooms.
Front Royal (north end of the Shenandoah Park) has plenty of lodging, but mostly sketchy. I'd try for the Hampton Inn on the north side of town off route 66. A few minutes ride from the park entrance.
Waynesboro has plenty of rooms off of route 64, a few minutes from the parkway.
Interested in seeing proposed mileage/day.
I don't know about Coach P though, because I believe that's the same weekend as the EN IMLP camp.