Just a few short months before helping the US Cycling team in the Rio Olympic Games, Piedmont College Head Cycling Coach Jame Carney continues growing the roots of the new program by hosting a youth camp this past week on campus.
The group is Frazier Cycling which is now in its 10th year of running a summer camp for riders ages 7 to 17 with Piedmont College chosen as this year’s destination.
The camp included riders from across the country and even saw international reach with an exchange student from France coming to the event hosted on Piedmont’s Demorest campus and in the surrounding area, one which is ideally suited for the sport of cycling.
“I was at one of the Hincapie Spring Series races this February and Kelli Rogan asked if I would be interested in hosting their camp at Piedmont,” said Carney of the camp’s genesis. “I thought it was a great idea, so we brought the group in this week for camp right here in town.”
The camp ran from July 10 to 15 with riders of all abilities at the event from beginners on the bike to some national medalists. The event comes as part of the Junior Camp Series of Frazier Cycling which also includes a Winter Holiday Camp and clinics both in the fall and the spring.
“Piedmont College as a camp location is perfect,” said Frazier Cycling Coach Kim Landrum of the experience. “There are some hills but little traffic and the people are nice. The cafeteria is in a beautiful building and the food is good and varied. The college has been exceptionally welcoming and accommodating. We hope to return next year.”
According to the Frazier Cycling website (www.fraziercycling.com), the series is based on the group’s junior cycling development program with emphasis on race skills and strategy.
With expertise in working with competitive junior athletes, Frazier Cycling has a proven track record of developing national champion riders with nine such individuals since 2008.
Carney continued with praise for Frazier Cycling coming on campus, saying: “I personally had a great time! It brought me back to when I first started racing at age 7 in 1976. Seeing these young things in action made me reflect. Wish I could have been more available to engage even more. We’re launching our varsity program this fall and the Olympics are only a month away so I’m on high alert at almost every moment. Very big year, great year!”
For more information on Frazier Cycling, please visit the official site located at www.fraziercycling.com or visit Frazier Cycling on Facebook by clicking here for pictures and videos of this past week’s activities. The Piedmont College cycling programs are set to kick off the 2016-17 season, the program’s inaugural year of competition, with a visit to the Georgia Tech Mountain Bike Omnium on August 27.
