TEAM CAMP 2021
TEAM CAMP 2021
Written by Dani Morshead
All images by @creedub
Finally, back together again. It truly felt like a dream.
I landed in the Denver airport, turned on my phone, and shuffled through the jumble of travel notifications, “just took off!” and “just landed!” WhatsApp messages. One by one, I connected physically with my teammates. With each reunion and meeting (some of my teammates I had not yet met in person!) My perception of LA Sweat 2021 morphed from a group of digitally associated individuals linked together by group chats, social posts, emails, and zoom meetings into a living, breathing entity.
A TEAM!!
We pulled away from the Denver airport, comfortably packed in the van with several bike bags in the rooftop box and a few bikes locked down on the roof and rear racks.
We chatted and caught up while the rolling grasslands of northeastern Denver flew past. Soon, the flatirons were in view, and they grew larger and larger as we drew closer to our sick AF air BnB.
After unpacking and receiving a classic Kelli house tour, we sat in the yard and went over the camp schedule and a few key team rules (#1 - be nice).
On Friday we spent almost the entire day with our friends over at the Specialized Boulder Experience Center (BEC). We received a tour of the facility and were then fitted individually on our bikes.
Initially, I felt nervous about my bike fit. I loved my fit on my old bike and didn’t want to change it. However, my fitter assured me the goal of a bike fit is to put you in a position that is both comfortable and within the boundaries of your physical capabilities. The bike soon felt even MORE comfortable than my 2020 team bike, something I didn’t think was possible!
We left for a group ride from the BEC, and pedaled around the reservoir on some gravel roads. A perfect initiation for our new bikes, if you ask me! Becca Schepps used the excuse of having given birth a few weeks ago to get onto a Specialized Turbo Como e-bike, which she most definitely did not need. She left us in the dust SEVERAL times!
Saturday started with a drive up to Nederland with Ken from Hunt and Cree, our designated camera guy. We rode from Ned up to Ward, and then twisted back through the mountains to Daphne’s home; a cozy A-frame cabin off a dirt road in the woods above Ned. The ride was picturesque, and perfect for a photo day. We even got some lead-out practice in during the pedal back from Ward. After a delicious and much-needed post-ride meal prepared by Grant, we headed down the mountains to town.
Sunday was race day!! Our race started at 9am, which is early when you’re used to afternoon crits. The course was pretty flat with a nice power climb at the finish. We represented well in some early moves then let a few riders slip off the front. We spent the rest of the race chasing, which was not ideal, but we did what we had to do. I ended up winning the sprint from the very reduced pack (aka first chase group). While we hoped for a podium spot, we were happy to have gotten our first race as a team under our belts.
We spent the rest of our Sunday lazing around, cooking group meals and doing nails. If you didn’t know it already, the team does real good nails.
On Monday we showed up at the Hunt USA headquarters in north Boulder, where we met the Hunt crew and got a tour of the facility. We left for a stunningly beautiful ride up Lee Hill and down Lefthand Canyon. That night we celebrated a successful team camp in traditional fashion with tacos and margaritas, then hit the hay to prepare for a travel day.
Despite missing a few of our international teammates, team camp 2021 proved that after a year away, you really can pick things up right where you left off. Another fun race season is on the horizon for LA Sweat!!
If I had to describe the team camp’s vibe in 3 words…
STRONG
STYLISH
FUN!
This week we descend on top of the city of Tulsa, OK for the best event of the year Tulsa Tough. Be sure to look out for the #rainbowwave