BOMBs Clinic Monterey 2011

This clinic was everything you could have asked for.   Some of the best Bay Area California mountain biking trails, mountain bike technical skills, fitness nutrition for cycling athletes, and  yoga for biking bodies. Most of  all woman on mountain bikes,  who were  kind-hearted, enthusiastic, and of course babe-o-licious ladies become BOMBs.

Day-One:
The Pre-Ride Nutrition at Jocelyn’s Bike shop was a hit! Everyone loved the warm baked potatoes with butter and cinnamon. Since it was high fruit season, local strawberries, blueberries and peaches made a lovely topping for the potatoes. Boiled eggs and a variety of fresh raw nuts gave us the protein boost we needed to get us amped for our skills clinic just 20 minutes away.

Terrain Drills at Monterey BOMBs

Skills at Toro with Head Coach Henrietta:
Like usual, the weather on the Bay can be unpredictable. The clouds hung over us all morning long. Thank goodness for the body warm-ups (pushups, sumo core lock and downhill power butt). Next, the BOMBs descent on the prop skills exercises that were taught by the eager IMBA chapter members of MORCA Ellie and Anna. We practiced various mountain biking technical skills such as, getting on and off the bike, bicycle foot position, holding a straight line, changing terrain, climbing, downhill speed control, and cornering. 2.5 hours later, these hot mountain biking chicks were hungry!
Bay View Deli, of  Monterey,  provided the sandwich to-go order so we could have a nice picnic-style lunch with plenty of fresh fruit and cycling snacks that included those famous REE bars and gluten-free goodness cookies made by the Bicycle Yogi BOMBS Director Rita Leon.

Swag from our fabulous sponsors!

After lunch, MORCANS acknowledged our sponsors (REI, Tough Chik, Green Guru, IMBA, and Jocelyn’s Bike Shop) who supplied us with generous schwag bags full of more goodies!

The Ride:
After our leisurely lunch, we headed over to the Schoonover Inter Garrison trail entry to practice our skills! Met by a few more MORCA volunteers to ensure our safety on the trails, we split into our leveled groups and off we went with our guides. 2 hours later, the intermediate BOMBs regrouped with the beginners. At the end of the day, we found everyone felt satisfied with mastering their mountain biking skills and the knowledge they gained that would be put to the test the following day.

Day-Two:
We took off from Jocelyn’s and 40 minutes later we were at Wilder Ranch off Hwy 1 just south of Santa Cruz. We arrived with clear sunny skies, just about 70 degrees. Nothing could have made our day go wrong! Deborah, Anya, Kathy, Melissa, and Karen were our fearless guides, the women of mountain biking skills for the day.These ladies are also the dedicated members of  MBOSC  another local IMBA chapter. As we ascended up into the forested areas, beginners and intermediate BOMBs split off and utilized their new feats of strength on the wooded single track in the Wilder Open Space.  At the end of the ride, everyone arrived with smiles on their faces and ready for lunch. First, we made a stop at the Bauman College classroom, dropped off our gear and walked down 41st Avenue to our lunch spot.
After lunch, we let our food digest while sitting through a fitness nutrition for cycling athletes discussion,  lead by licensed nutrition Educator and Alumni of Bauman College, Rita Leon. We focused on our current diet and how to make it more balanced. Then, we calculated our proper protein and caloric intake for our activity level. Finally, we all sank down to the floor for some recovery yoga for biking bodies. We hugged our knees to our chest, released tired shoulders and stiff necks, opened our hips and stretched out our spines.  This yoga routine was a perfect way to wrap up a fun-filled BOMBs Clinic weekend. Hey, I think you could even recommend this clinic to other women for an active peoples vacation! What a great idea!

See you next year Monterey!