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Calpe, Spain (Bello) — Want to catch a glimpse of Tadej Pogačar or Demi Vollering?
No need to wait for the Tour de France in July.
Instead, build a track on Spain’s Costa Blanca this winter, and pre-season training camps will see half the men’s and women’s peloton trace the narrow, winding roads of the glittering Mediterranean coast.
Every winter, the world’s best professional cyclists clog the roads between Denia and Alicante on an annual pilgrimage that has been going on for decades.
“I’ve been coming here non-stop since my first year in the U23s. I was 18 and now I’m 34, you can do maths.”,” Tim Declercq of Lidl-Trek said: Vero. “This is a great area to train. The roads are very good. This is a great place for climbing and good weather is guaranteed. I always see colleagues and friends riding here. .”
Think of spring baseball training in Arizona or Florida to get the idea.
Why Spain? we asked during a recent visit to several camps. Here’s what we learned:
Weather: Sunny, calm, no rain
No one likes to struggle for hours in the rain, cold, and wind, all bundled up. That is the purpose of the Northern Classics.
By November, the players will be coming off their scheduled off-season break, and few will be able to withstand the harsh and harsh weather on their home turf in Belgium, Denmark and France.
“Weather is an important factor and it certainly makes training easier,” said Riddle Trek’s Toms Skužiš from Latvia. “December is usually cold everywhere in Europe. Here the weather is usually very nice. I wore several layers, but it wasn’t extremely cold.”
Please also read: Volering enjoying the Alpe d’Huez stage
Team camp runs from late November until just before Christmas break. And while some riders and staff head to early-season races like the Santos Tour Down Under, many gather again in January.
By that time, winter has officially begun across Europe, but temperatures across the Spanish sun belt typically hover in the low to mid 60s. And it hardly ever rains.
Perfect for sweating before the season. That is the first reason why the team loves Spain.
Calpe, Denia, Mallorca: lots of hotel rooms
Another reason? There are also many hotel rooms.
It may not seem like a very important factor, but it is.
Teams can draw upwards of 100 people to these crucial early-season training camps, but there aren’t many places in Europe that offer discounted prices and great weather on those dark winter days.
The Calpe region between Valencia and Alicante is a popular base for teams, with dozens of teams such as Lidl Trek, DSM Firmenich Post NL, SD Works, UAE Team Emirates and Soudal QuickStep hosting riders, staff and Packed with VIPs and sponsors. In dozens of hotel rooms.
“We have a lot of people here. We have over 150 people contracted to the team,” said Riddle Trek’s Mads Pedersen. This includes both men’s and women’s World Tour teams and staff, and their numbers are growing rapidly. “Now, when we all get together, it’s a big gathering.”
The location of 18 world team training camps in December. (Gazetta) pic.twitter.com/mYgqpi5is8
— ammattipyoraily (@ammattipyoraily) November 23, 2022
Hotels along the coast from Denia to Altea and in the hills above Alicante are packed with teams. Pogacar’s UAE team Emirates are camped in La Nucia above Benidorm, while Astana Kazakhstan and Mark Cavendish are camped in Altea.
Please also read: Pedersen embraces change in classical exploration
Many of the hotels are also designed to accommodate cyclists, with large parking lots for team trucks to set up staging areas for training rides and bike fitting.
The team returns to the same hotel every year.
Volcano Teide and other popular high-altitude training destinations are often booked out years in advance, but many hotels are mostly empty during the winter months of dormancy. Some facilities that are closed may reopen for several weeks to accommodate returning teams.
The hotel offers deep discounts to teams, allowing them to book up to nearly 100 rooms at a time. As a result, staff are employed and kept busy all year round.
An endless ribbon of pavement: the perfect road for training
At first glance, holiday destinations like Benidorm and Calpe recall nightmarish scenes of ugly front-line hotels and congested roads.
However, if you head inland, you’ll reach the Alicante region, which offers several miles of excellent driving conditions on relatively traffic-free roads. Local drivers are used to seeing groups of skinny-legged riders going around in circles, and usually give way without much fuss.
“This area is perfect for training,” said Joséan Matosin Fernandes, sporting director of UAE Team Emirates. “There are so many teams and riders moving around on the road that it sometimes feels like a race.
“There are flatlands, medium hills and some mythical climbs,” he said. “This is the perfect combination of what we need right now.”
Please also read: Explainer: Why is Pogačar now challenging the Girotour double?
Some teams have previously practiced in southern Italy, but road conditions and access are thought to be better in Spain. Mechanics and staff can drive the team’s trucks and vehicles from team headquarters and service courses across Europe to the Spanish coast with relative ease.
As Matoshin said, there’s a little something for everyone. The coastal region, especially in the north of Denia, has flat areas, but there are also steep slopes for those who want to climb a little.
The legendary steep Col de Lates is equidistant from Calpe and Denia, while the even steeper Cholet de Cati and Porto de Tudons lurk just around the corner for an even harder punch.
The coastline can be congested and there is a lot of traffic, which can lead to accidents and collisions. Chad Haga and John Degenkolb were among several riders injured in a nasty crash in 2016 when the driver turned directly into a group of riders from the then-Giant Alpecin team.
First Touch with Suffering: Laying the Foundation
Riders usually depart in groups of varying strength.
Classic riders may have already stepped up their game, but those heading to the Grand Tours will be running at a slower keel.
December is all about building the foundation.
“The roads are very good. This is a great place to climb,” said Decler. “This camp always ramps up the volume first and spices it up for some intensity, but not too much. We’ll ramp up the intensity even more in the January camp when we go to Denia. That’s when you really… You start to suffer.”
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Camping is also very important in terms of testing new gear, equipment, jerseys, and wheels.
Tadej Pogačar’s “Incredible record time on the Col de Leto” (@cyclingweekly) was beaten by Victor Campenaerts in training today (24:37 min @ 5,99w/kg, via Strava) – Get ready for the Belgian Tour de France winner. pic.twitter.com/xQghxgN2YB
— MF Naichaka (@NaichacaCycling) February 12, 2022
Mark Cavendish, who joined Astana Kazakhstan in the middle of the night last year, said this year’s camp was in stark contrast to the hectic pace experienced at the end of 2022.
“It’s a lot different than last year,” Cavendish said from Altea. “The weather is nice here and the training is very good. I am very happy to get everything in place with the bike and the team for the new season. It makes a difference.”
Cavendish and his colleagues and rivals are all hoping that the seeds sown this winter will blossom into wins and success on the road once racing gets underway in earnest. It all starts in Spain under the winter sun.
Meetings, plans, new teammates, new gear
These preseason camps also serve as an opportunity for recruits and staff to network with teammates.
There are many transfers every winter, with some teams adding as many as 12 new riders. Team camp is the first opportunity for everyone to get to know each other.
Pogacar met with the media and made the bombshell that he would be competing in the Giro d’Italia for the first time.
Please also read: Geoghegan Hart and his Tour de France adventures
And incredibly, these winter camps, especially the December ones, have a vast infrastructure where almost everyone is under the same roof at once: mechanics, staff, sporting directors, managers, nutritionists, coaches, riders, etc. It’s our only chance to get together.
Tao Geoghegan Hart, who left Ineos Grenadiers to join Riddle Trek, said: “I didn’t really get a chance to say goodbye to everyone.” “When the season starts, you won’t see some of your teammates for months. Some of these guys you may not see until months later. Camp is really , it’s the only opportunity to be together with everyone at the same time.”
Race season will start soon. By then, his nomadic life as a professional racer was in full swing.