US summer 'cross camp a success

Although the Olympics are less than a year away, US cyclo-cross aficionados will also have one eye on the 2013 Worlds which take place on home soil, in Louisville, Kentucky.

With that in mind, Geoff Proctor – organiser of the US 'cross camp that takes place in Belgium each winter – and USA Cycling teamed up to give 16 aspiring athletes a chance to participate in an inaugural summer training camp in Helena, Montana, last month.

“I found out late that I could do it and USA cycling gave me the green light for something that I’d been advocating for, for years,” Proctor told Cyclingnews.

The camp, spread over four days, mimicked the Belgian 'cross camps that occur during the summer.

“It all came together in my home town in Montana,” added Proctor.

“I know all the training rides, facilities and equipment. There was no guess work and everything was tightly planned and structured. I went down and tried to find results from nationals for guys between 15 and 17 years old, so the guys that will be making the Worlds team in the next couple of years and obviously we want to be doing well in Louisville in 2013.”

Each morning the 16 young hopefuls would have strength conditioning exercises in order to improve their core fitness. They would then undergo specific cyclo-cross training on a race course, practicing dismounts, run-ups and pit practice. In the afternoons they would have typical training rides, while the evenings would be taken up by video analysis of Europe’s top professionals.

Proctor will organise his winter camp in Belgium for the 9th time this year but is hoping to have a summer camp next year and include female athletes as well.

Camp Roster

CX Summer Camp Roster
Helena, Montana
July 25-29, 2011


1994 - Hometown
Drew Dillman - Fairdale, KY
Zane Godby - Louisville, CO
Luke Haley - Louisville, KY
Cypress Gorry - Payson, AZ
Sam O’Keefe - Baltimore, MD
Tyler Coplea - Fountain Hills, AZ
Travis Monroe - Coeur d’Alene, ID

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Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.