US riders get ready for cyclo-cross season with immersion in the Big Sky state
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Coach Katie Antonneau puts campers through the paces(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Taking the time to get to know a camp mascot(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
The Montana Cross Camp women prepare for another exercise (Image credit: Tom Robertson)
The men's group at the Montana Cross Camp(Image credit: Ben Smith)
Staff and students gather for a Montana Cross Camp photo(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Montana Cross Camp goes beyond the bike for training(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Singletrack figures into the training as well.(Image credit: Ben Smith)
Riders on a gravel road outside of Helena, Montana(Image credit: Ben Smith)
Riders on a gravel road outside of Helena, Montana(Image credit: Ben Smith)
Barrier practice under the watchful eye of a coach(Image credit: Ben Smith)
More barriers...(Image credit: Ben Smith)
A rider sails over a barrier at Montana Cross Camp(Image credit: Ben Smith)
Barrier practice under the watchful eye of a coach(Image credit: Ben Smith)
More off-the-bike training for the campers(Image credit: Ben Smith)
Campers get ready for a sprint(Image credit: Ben Smith)
More off-the-bike training for the campers(Image credit: Ben Smith)
Cross country riding is a big part of the camp.(Image credit: Ben Smith)
A camper negotiates the trees and Montana Cross Camp(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Campers run the stairs as part of their preparation(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Skills off the bike are emphasised(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
The Montana Cross Camp women prepare for a ride (Image credit: Tom Robertson)
The Montana Cross Camp women out on a group ride (Image credit: Tom Robertson)
The Montana Cross Camp women out on a group ride (Image credit: Tom Robertson)
learnign to sail over barriers is a big part of the camp(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
The Montana Cross Camp women out on a group ride (Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Gravel grinding is part of the Montana Cross Camp.(Image credit: Tom Robertson)
Campers in the men's group run the stairs in Helena(Image credit: Ben Smith)
A sure sign that cyclo-cross season is just around the corner comes with the the closing bell at the Montana Cross Camp run by Geoff Proctor in Helena.
The camps were previously aligned with USA Cycling and were known for the first five years as the 'USAC CX Development Camp,' but Proctor went private last year and the name morphed into the Montana Cross Camp.
Campers gathered in two groups - men and women - over several weeks in and around the Montana capitol, using Carroll Colleg dorms to house athletes in between drills and rides. The men's camp, which recently concluded its seventh consecutive year, brought 21 campers coached by Proctor, Chris McGovern, Tobin Ortenblad and Scott Herzig. The first-year women's camp attracted eight riders and added coaches Kaitie Antonneau and Allison Arensman to the mix.
The camp's objective is to select some of the top CX talent, ages 15-22, to come together in the summer, out-of-competition, to begin to officially prep for upcoming cyclo-cross season.
The development includes working on skills, drills, off-the-bike training and conditioning, gravel endurance rides and four classroom sessions per day. The camp has served as a starting point for many European CX block selections and the world championships. In seven years of the camp, there have been 84 individual riders in attendance (with many repeats), and with a world championship placement rate of 31 per cent.
Click or swipe through the gallery above for a closer look at the camp.
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