Jay Torborg
04-05-2004, 08:55 PM
Hi folks -
I just returned from a week of cycling in southern Arizona at a PAC Tour desert training camp. For fellow forum members that might be interested in attending something like this in the future, I thought I'd share my experience.
PAC Tour (Pacific-Atlantic Cycling Tours) is a small family-run cycling tour company aimed at experienced cyclists. They're best known for their fast-paced transcontinental tours (coast to coast in 3 1/2 weeks or less), but each Spring they offer several one-week training camps leaving from Tucson, AZ. PAC Tour is run by Lon Haldeman and his wife Susan Notorangelo (both previous Race Across America winners and currently holders of the mixed tandem record) and they attract some of the best long-distance cyclists in the country.
The earlier camps offer lots of coaching advice and even offer professional bike fits by Andy Pruitt. The camp I attended last week was oriented toward longer daily rides through the countryside south of Tucson (Sierra Vista, Tombstone, etc.). Most of our rides were 80-90 miles with both shorter and longer options available, including an official 200K brevet mid-week. I ended up riding 460 miles for the week. The crew provide great snack and lunch stops and SAG support as needed. Each evening we had an informative and entertaining presentation ranging from the history of ultramarathon cycling to a talk on cardiovascular disease titled "If the heart could talk".
What made the tour really special were all the great people. More than half the participants were repeat customers and many had joined PAC Tour on a transcontinental trip. Everyone was extremely friendly and more than willing to share stories and advice. I learned a lot to help me prepare for my own transcontinental trip this summer.
The camps are very reasonably priced (compared to many that cost several times as much) at $845 for the week including lodging and breakfast and lunch each day. Check out their website at www.pactour.com.
I just returned from a week of cycling in southern Arizona at a PAC Tour desert training camp. For fellow forum members that might be interested in attending something like this in the future, I thought I'd share my experience.
PAC Tour (Pacific-Atlantic Cycling Tours) is a small family-run cycling tour company aimed at experienced cyclists. They're best known for their fast-paced transcontinental tours (coast to coast in 3 1/2 weeks or less), but each Spring they offer several one-week training camps leaving from Tucson, AZ. PAC Tour is run by Lon Haldeman and his wife Susan Notorangelo (both previous Race Across America winners and currently holders of the mixed tandem record) and they attract some of the best long-distance cyclists in the country.
The earlier camps offer lots of coaching advice and even offer professional bike fits by Andy Pruitt. The camp I attended last week was oriented toward longer daily rides through the countryside south of Tucson (Sierra Vista, Tombstone, etc.). Most of our rides were 80-90 miles with both shorter and longer options available, including an official 200K brevet mid-week. I ended up riding 460 miles for the week. The crew provide great snack and lunch stops and SAG support as needed. Each evening we had an informative and entertaining presentation ranging from the history of ultramarathon cycling to a talk on cardiovascular disease titled "If the heart could talk".
What made the tour really special were all the great people. More than half the participants were repeat customers and many had joined PAC Tour on a transcontinental trip. Everyone was extremely friendly and more than willing to share stories and advice. I learned a lot to help me prepare for my own transcontinental trip this summer.
The camps are very reasonably priced (compared to many that cost several times as much) at $845 for the week including lodging and breakfast and lunch each day. Check out their website at www.pactour.com.