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Glancing back at Mallorca

Our first camp in Mallorca, Spain has come and gone and we already decided after the first day of being there that this will be an annual trip for us . Mallorca is incredible! Here are a few of our favorite photo’s from camp.

The city of Palma is a hot spot for vacationers from all over the world. We didn't spend much time in the city but it didn't take long to see why people come here.

This was our first real ride for the week and it set the tone for the rest of camp

Mallorca is a large island off the coast of Spain in the Mediteranean. It’s surprising with its diverse vegetation, terrain and culture. Everyday you have an option to go flat, rolling, hilly or climbing. During each ride the flora can change from an arid desert feel to green-richly soiled farm pastures to a forrest with pine trees and ferns all in a matter of a few miles.

Riding in Europe can be over stimulating because everywhere you look you see sights like this

Nearly every ride we did in Mallorca had at least one cafe stop. It didn't matter what town we were riding through, as long as we rode to the center of town (look for a big cathedral) we found good coffee.

Our Mallorca Cycling House was very nice. With 8 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms it was spacious and comfortable.

Many of the roads were lines with century old rock walls

Nice descent, hard climb. The Sa Callobra ride was a beast.

Climbing for a Meditereanean vista

Ken was the go-to guy in Mallorca. Logistics, ride routes, mechanical support and most importantly having his amazing family around to help out gave a real Spanish family feel at camp.

Our Chef was incredible! Born and raised on the island and owning one of the nicest restaraunts in Mallorca, he was an instant hit at the house.

We enjoyed lunch and dinner (and wine) on the outside patio.

Owen enjoying the European riding...tough day in the office.

Anya leading the group up one of the many climbs that we rode during the last two days of camp.

We promise this is not staged. Picture perfect.

All in all we had a great time in Spain. Thanks to those riders who joined us for our first Mallorca camp! We had an unforgettable time with you. Many more photos and stories to come.

Dates for Mallorca 2012 are coming soon…

 

Coach Al and Pursuit Fitness hold a stellar camp at TCH

Coach Al Lyman came to TCH last year with a fantastic group of athletes and returned this year- greeted by perfect weather, new roads, and a new pool for training. Everyone had a great time and TCH would like to thank Al and everyone who joined last week for a wonderful time training in sunny Tucson. Here are some great shots of camp by Tim Mather.

The group about to ride Oracle to San Manuel

Coach Al crests the top of Mount Lemmon on day three of the camp

Anya kits up for the cool descent off the top of Mount Lemmon

The mise and place for Thai food on Friday night

 

Anthony has his tickets

Rachel and Ty heading up the backside of Gates Pass

Al and Linsey seem to find the 16% grade actually is something to laugh about... weirdos.

Anthony and Ernie pose with our Celebrity Guest, Linsey Corbin at the top of Gates Pass

Ty leads the group out to the San Manuel mine

Arm warmers are extinct; replaced by horrible tans..

The weather has certainly turned in Tucson. The mornings are in the high 50′s and by 11 we’ve reached 70 and high temps are in the mid 80′s. It’s time for long rides, big runs, and lots of great food.

Brendan Halpin leads the Jeff C group on a brick run up the backside of the Mount Lemmon highway (dirt).

Some of the excellent wines that we’ve enjoyed
Jeff has been bringing triathletes to train with us for 4 years- this time they are SERIOUS about the task at hand!
Beer brined pork chops, grilled asparagus with buerre blanc, garlic mashers, and grilled zucchini
Jack, 16, from upstate New York is straight off the ski slopes

Sunrise to Sunset – Picture time

A few good images from The Cycling House….

Early morning - loaded vans

Brendan Halpin - Training Day

Anya loves Hammer Gel

Hammer Camp - Brian Frank leads the pack

Owen and Red Danger getting some help from Brendan and the Minivan

We never forget about the center of the universe

Ty Brookhart - Sushi Chef

Sunset

 

Linsey Corbin Tri Camp is Underway!

Pro Triathletes Linsey Corbin and Brendan Halpin are hosting an epic triathlon camp at The Cycling House in Tucson, AZ. There has been an added element of character building at this camp due to record lows here in Southern Arizona.  That being said, we have an amazing group of campers and their upbeat attitudes are incredible!

The Tri crew heading out for their afternoon run.

Linsey Corbin is fresh off her latest  70.3 win in Pucon, Chile. She’s a fellow Montanan and close friends with the crew at The Cycling House.  Brendan just PR’d with a time of 2:38 at the Rock n Roll Marathon in Phoenix, AZ!

Pre-Breakfast stretch and core session at The Cycling House

Both Brendan and Linsey started racing triathlons together while going to school at the University of Montana. Ever since then their friendship has grown as well as their success in the sport.

Brendan Halpin leads the group to the base of Gates Pass

Ty Brookhart has been preparing some AMAZING food this week!

Our first couple of rides were cold but Linsey and Brendan credited these workouts to aid in being better prepared to deal with tough, miserable races later on the road

Wide open desert roads in Arizona

TCH Staffer, Anya Wechsler is ready to lead some trail runs

Part-time staffer, Emily Kipp is just coming off a 40 day bike tour down the CA coast. She makes sure the wine is flowing...

Linsey and Jodie cresting the top of Gates Pass. It's all down hill to lunch.

Stay tuned for more updates. We thank Linsey and Brendan for making this such a memorable week!

Hammer Time, Fiesta Night

We just finished up an amazing week with the crew from Hammer Nutrition. Hammer brought down 13 campers from all over the country to ride in Tucson’s mid-70′s temperatures, learn about nutrition and proper fueling, and to have a good time.

Owen, Brian and the group riding towards Gates Pass

Brian Frank (proprietor of Hammer Nutrition) and Steve Born (fueling guru) made the trip from Whitefish, MT. Hammer Camp head coach, Jim Bruskewitz made the trek from Madison, WI. All in all, it was a great crew at the house!

The support car kept a close eye on the group

The fiesta night at Hammer Camp is always a highlight

Andy and Alison Schultz made a guest celebrity appearance!

Lots of smiles on the last day of camp

Our next camp is a full on triathlon camp. We'll see how Red Danger holds up against some of the worlds fastest bikes...

A Whirlwind of Fun

Since our fist camp ended on January 9th we’ve had some great people visit us from all over – some new to the house and even more that are returning guests.

Looking east from the top of Gates Pass

We’ve also had:

1) Brendan run a 2:38 Marathon in Phoenix

2) Owen turn a year older

Anya makes a mean carrot cake

3) TCH volunteer shuttle services at the Arizona Trail Jamboree Fundraiser to help raise funds for singletrack

A portion of trail that was part of the AZT Jamboree route on Jan 15th

4) The world’s best ceviche

Ty's shrimp and snapper ceviche is always a crowd pleaser on a warm day

5) The top of Mount Lemmon – twice.

Three good friends from Toronto made it out to conquer Lemmon together after snow turned them back last year

And of course, lots more sunny miles and silly antics.

You can't hide from the Miltster

Mike and Steve enjoying a 75 degree day

The new swimming pool size dutch oven has been fun to cook with

Upper Echelon Camp Conquers Rain, Mt. Lemmon and Madera

The Upper Echelon Fitness/Portland Velo Crew enjoyed the sunshine. They escaped the rain in Portland, OR.

The Upper Echelon Fitness/Portland Velo Crew enjoyed the sunshine. They escaped the rain in Portland, OR.

This is the 3rd year of having Russell Cree and friends down to The Cycling House for a camp in Tucson, AZ.  When rain was in the forecast for the first big ride the Portland Velo crew probably questioned why they left the Pacific NW. They definitely paid their dues on the guided ride out to Saguaro E. National park and Old Spanish Trail. The first half of the ride it only threatened to rain, the second half the clouds delivered in a fierce way.

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A week of wild weather and perfect rides

 

Frank Brummer and Kevin Raymond at mile 13 on Mt. Lemmon.

Frank Brummer and Kevin Raymond at mile 13 on Mt. Lemmon.

It’s been an awesome week at The Cycling House!  With the weather man telling us that rain was inevitable we were preparing for the worst. We aren’t use to rainy weather down here in Tucson, AZ so we had to re-think our rides a little bit and actually found ourselves stressing about the thought of putting on shoe covers, jackets, and hats to go riding.  The weather was wild and it turned out to be one of the best weeks of riding that we’ve had so far this year.  
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Big Rides, Great Food and Sunshine

 

Core Time at The Cycling House

Core Time at The Cycling House

Happy New Year!  It’s only been a week since The Cycling House has opened it’s doors and we are already in full swing.  The crew at The Cycling House has been putting in some serious miles in sunny Tucson, AZ and our first camp (53×11 Coffee Camp) is under way and we’ve found our flow.  TCH Campers and staffers alike are getting in those ever so important base miles to kick off their season of training the right way. 

Cycling House Mt. Lemmon

Bob T. and Bryce making their way up Mt. Lemmon. (Owen in the back getting dropped)

Sam and Andy Schultz have started their training for the upcoming pro mountain bike season.  The food they have been putting together has been nothing short of amazing!  

Cycling_House_Salmon_Dinner

Salmon dinner prepared by Sam and Andy

 

Brendan Halpin and Jen Luebke are preparing for a great result at Ironman St. George in the beginning of May. They’ve been leading our 53×11 coffee campers on great rides and adding swim workouts and solid trail runs on either end to top off their training days.  

 

Jen is still all smiles after a big day of riding. Photo Courtesy of Heidi Swift.

Jen is still all smiles after a big day of riding. Photo Courtesy of Heidi Swift.

New to The Cycling House staff this year is bike mechanic extraordinaire, Bryce Daviess.  The University of Montana cycling team leader has come down for the month of January to train and wrench on bikes.  We are stoked to have another solid Montana rider to add to our star studded staff.  

 

Bryce Daviess - A man who knows how to ride a bike...and fix them.

Bryce Daviess - A man who knows how to ride a bike...and fix them.

Temperatures hit 73 degrees today and I must say that we couldn’t have had a better day of training in Tucson.  Hope all is well and we’ll keep the updates coming!

- The Cycling House