Devo Wrap: Talent ID Camp underway in Chula Vista

The riders go for a leisurely ride around the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. (Photo by Billy Innes)
The riders go for a leisurely ride around the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. (Photo by Billy Innes)
Junior cyclists on the cusp of the USA Cycling's National Development Program are at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., honing their skills at the National Talent Identification Camp.

The camp began on Oct. 30 and will run through Nov. 4. For the 29 participants, it is an integral step in the USA Cycling Road Development Pathway. The majority of junior and U23 riders that participate in the USA Cycling National Development Program have attended the National Talent ID Camp.

The camp is managed by Barney King (manager of Southwest Camp) and his assistant coaches: David Wenger (South Central Camp Manager), Renee Eastman (Rocky Mountain Camp Coach), Jon Heidemann (Rocky Mountain Camp Manager), Michael Heitz (Coach at various Development Camps) and Billy Innes (Assistant Junior National Development Program Director).

Jos Chalmers showing some bike-handling skills. (Photo by Billy Innes)
Jos Chalmers showing some bike-handling skills. (Photo by Billy Innes)
The riders are going through the standardized field testing that is utilized at all USA Cycling Development Camps. Further, they will work on specific skills and have plenty of educational opportunities with daily presentations on topics ranging from proper bike fitting to training to nutrition. There will also be coach-led breakout sessions for the female participants. In the evening, the riders attend demonstrations and presentations given by King and other coaches that will cover many subjects, such as training and racing in hot climates, race nutrition, tactics and UCI regulations.

Some of these riders will go on to race in Europe next year as participants in the USA Cycling National Development Program.

The following riders are participating in the camp:

Men
William Barta (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS)
Diego Binatena (Playa Del Rey, Calif./Team Specialized Racing)
Grayson Brookshire (Hendersonville, N.C./DIY Music p/b Asheville Youth Cycling)
Chris Calder (Greenville, S.C./Les Amis)
Zach Carlson (Plano, Texas/Matrix-RBM)
Jos Chalmers (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla./ZMotion Racing Team)
Geoff Curran (Tustin, Calif./Surf City Cyclery)
Michael Dessau (Boulder, Colo./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Bryan Duke (Salinas, Calif./VOS Racing)
T.J. Eisenhart (Lehi, Utah/FFKR Architects-SportsBaseOnline.com)
Zack Gould (Boulder, Colo./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Noah Granigan (Cape May, N.J./Specialized-Rising STARS p/b Bicycling)
Jack Maddux (Fresno, Calif./Team Specialized Racing Juniors)
Philip O'Donnell (Suwanee, Ga./Team Specialized Racing Juniors)
Daniel Parks (Dallas, Texas/Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Jon Petrillo (Albuquerque, N.M./High Desert Bicycles Team)
Brandon Pruett (Silvercreek, Ga./Harbin Foundation Cycling)
Greg Ratzell (Blandon, Pa./Young Medalists-Team Rothrock)
Ethan Reynolds (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS)
Jon Schilling (Grover, Mo./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Jake Silverberg (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Noah Williams (Wimberley, Texas/Chipotle Junior Development Team)
Chad Young (Newmarket, N.H./CCB Racing)

Women
Emily Elbers (Syracuse, N.Y./Farm Team Elite Women's Cycling Team)
Sarah Huang (Kenosha, Wisc./ISCorp Cycling Team)
Nadia Latzgo (Fogelsville, Pa./Young Medalists-Team Rothrock)
Tara McCormick (Long Beach, Calif./Team TIBCO II)
Laurel Rathbun (Monument, Colo./JETCycling)
Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./HDR p/b Lombardi Sports)

USA Cycling's National Development Programs are supported by the USA Cycling Development Foundation. Support the future of American cycling with an online donation now.

About USA Cycling’s National Development Programs
One of USA Cycling’s dual missions is to achieve sustained success in international cycling competition. To that end, USA Cycling maintains development programs for all disciplines of competitive cycling, including men’s and women’s U25 and junior road; mountain bike; track (endurance and sprint) and BMX development programs. These programs provide a structured pathway to the top tier of the sport through athlete development that begins with Junior racing series, Regional Development Camps and racing and moves through to international competition. For more about USA Cycling’s Athlete Development Programs, click here.


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This Article Published November 1, 2011 For more information contact: