For William Thomson, the 2,000-plus-kilometre trek from Whitehorse to 麻豆社国产was well worth it.
The Yukon resident came to town to take part in the second annual Future Stars cross-country mountain bike camp Saturday to Monday (Oct. 8 to 10).
It was the first time Thomson had experienced Squamish's well-known trails and he said he enjoyed the challenge.
"They're sick," he said of the trails. "It's like another level of riding out here. There's just so much to offer."
The camp saw riders get to hit the trails with two-time Olympian Seamus McGrath and Thomson said he learned a lot being around an established pro biker.
"It was really cool to get to ride with Seamus," he said. "He taught me a lot about riding but it was just cool to see how he trained and prepared for racing, too."
Thomson, who has represented the Yukon at the Western Canadian Summer Games, hopes to use what he learned from McGrath to help him with his next goal, which is qualifying for the Canada Summer Games in 2013.
Participants in the camp hit the trails for three hours on Saturday (Oct. 8), Sunday (Oct. 9) and Monday (Oct. 10), with a fitness session at 麻豆社国产Crossfit on Saturday and a lecture from McGrath on Sunday.
McGrath said it's fun working with groups of eager young bikers and added he always enjoys riding in Squamish.
"Mountain biking is such a fun sport and we got to ride all the trails," he said. "The trails are just awesome out here and it's good to connect with the kids."
He noted that the group had sunny weather on Saturday and Sunday but got to experience rainy conditions on Monday. The different weather conditions can only help the young riders.
"It's kind of good that we got to have rainy and sunny days out here," he said. "Wherever you ride in the world, the weather can vary and it's good for the kids to get a chance to try that out. The trails are so well designed out here that there's really not much risk."
He added that the fitness component is a nice feature to the camps.
"At 麻豆社国产Crossfit they took us through a crossfit workout and fitness is such a huge part of being an athlete," he said. "We want to teach these guys how to work out and train. Staying fit and the exercises we learned are not only good for the sport but for everyday life."
According to McGrath, the camaraderie of the group made it a fun weekend for all involved.
"Everybody really got along really well," he said of the group, which consisted of nine riders from all over the country. "Anytime there's an intersection, guys would wait for everyone to catch up. They're all educated and never let anyone fall too far behind on the trails."
McGrath said getting back on the trails in 麻豆社国产was a lot of fun.
"I've raced all over the world and we really have the best trails in the world here in B.C.," he said. "When I tell people I'm from B.C. they just rave about what we've got out here. We're really lucky. This is what people dream about."
Future Stars will host another camp in Whistler this coming May, with McGrath heading up the class. He added that next up for him will be an adult camp in Hawaii this December.
For more information on Future Stars camps, visit www.futurestarscamps.ca.
