BEGINNING THE FIRST WEDNESDAY IN APRIL, COACH KENNETH LUNDGREN AND PRO FACTORY RIDER LAURA SLAVIN LEAD MTB AND ROAD PRACTICES EVERY WEDNESDAY, ALTERNATING BETWEEN LEWIS MORRIS AND THE NOTORIOUS FAST FIFTY.
BY MID-AUGUST, THE WEDNESDAY WORLDS SESSIONS SETTLE IN HOLSTER PARK FOR CYCLOCROSS PRACTICE. PLEASE CHECK THE EVENT CALENDAR FOR ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE EVENT INFO!
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When you are the new person in town, it can be hard to make friends, and Brandon Dwight was the first friend I made in Colorado and he easily was the most positive influence in my life when I was there. When you initially meet people, you get an instant sense about them, and with Brandon I sensed he was a winner but he also genuinely enjoyed helping people.
I went to Boulder, CO in summer of 2011 and stayed there for eight months. I was immediately impressed with how strong, fast, and skilled these local cyclocross athletes were. I researched online and went into the top bike shop in town, Boulder Cycle Sport, and owner Brandon Dwight reached out to me, invited me to train, ride, to come out to Wednesday Worlds. I didn’t know who he was.
And then you sit down that night and Google his name and realize very quickly you are speaking with a living legend.
Wednesday Worlds in Boulder CO is a different world. Brandon Dwight, I have never seen anyone ride like him on a ‘cross bike, and I realized he very much was a product of his environment. Many of the best ‘cross riders in the nation come from this region…
The Boulder Wednesday Worlds is one of the finest cyclocross practices in the country, helping produce relentless improvements for riders of all skill levels — the lightbulb went off in my head.
When I came home, my goal was to create our own version — if you cannot bring NJ to Boulder, then you bring Boulder to NJ, and today we have our very own Wednesday Worlds.
I am incredibly proud to note that in 2013, the men’s and women’s A, the men’s and women’s B, and the men’s C NJ state champions came from these Holster Park practices. If you ever meet Brandon Dwight, you meet a world-class athlete who is willing to help all riders, a successful athlete who is driven to give back, and his impact is immense — to this day, I strive to be like him.
At the Holster Park Wednesday Worlds, athletes begin to trickle in to the parking lot by 5, warming up and riding the course, and we try to start the sessions at 6… We begin with light warm-up drills, then skills drills, then cyclocross-specific intervals, then race intervals, and we always finish with Starts.
Each week, we progress the practice session so you can feel performance improvements through cyclocross season.
Wednesday Worlds produces awesome turnouts and makes for priceless training stress — I cannot wait to see what our 2015 Wednesday Worlds will bring for everyone… Last year, we started in first week of August and went straight through to November. We ride ’til dark, and the course burns in very, very nicely. I typically get to the park by 5pm. Feel free to get there early if you want extra practice or to go over some things
The Holster Park cyclocross course, the brainchild is CX wizardmaster Eric Oishi, is an excellent mix of most things you’ll see in competition: off-camber, a climb, a run-up, forced dismounts, rad flowy downhills, corners corners. We offer the quintessential cyclo-cross training course.
All riders of all skill levels are welcome to attend… There is zero charge to these sessions. You can use CX or MTBs — all riders required to wear helmets.
What started with CX has grown to MTB and road… Beginning the first Wednesday in May, we start MTB practices at Lewis Morris, wheels down at 6pm, and the following week we run the Notorious Fast Fifty group ride at 6pm from Riverdale NJ — every Wednesday night, come get it.
If you didn’t know, now you know — Wednesday Worlds is some of the most fun you’ll have all year. (and seeing/feeling improvements doesn’t hurt, either) Please check the Elite Endurance event calendar for the upcoming dates.
— Kenneth Lundgren
Elite Endurance Training Systems has continuously helped develop the best competitors in the region. The professional staff teaches private cyclocross lessons at the Elite Endurance campus year-round.
For more information, please contact Coach@EliteEndurance.com