Gallery: Winter Training Camp

The winter training camps are crucial moments for the teams as riders and staff get together at a specific and suitable location to prepare for the season; on the physical, psychological and philosophical levels.

Like many other teams, Tudor Pro Cycling met on the Spanish coast in December and January.

Here is what a day there looks like.

It is 9:30am. Team cars, riders and staff meet in front of the hotel to go for the daily training ride that lasts between 3,5 and 6 hours. The soigneurs have been busy for a couple of hours already, preparing bidons and food for the ride. Same for the mechanics who checked all bikes and prepared spare material.

Riders are divided in small groups of 6 to 8 depending on their speciality. Each group is followed by a coach, a directeur sportif and a mechanic. When it comes to specific trainings, routes are created by coaches; whereas they are often designed by volunteer riders when it comes to endurance rides.

Some special guests join us on the road from time to time

Many hours in the saddle, climbs, effort tests, team time trials, race simulations, lead outs and sprints: it is all part of the training programme.

Back at the hotel, riders enjoy a recovery session. After an introduction session given by Blackroll at the beginning of the camp, everyone does the exercises and uses the recovery elements that suit them best.

Numerous tests and analysis are carried out during the training camps, as here, to improve the position on the bike.

The gym is often visited by the riders, on rest days or after shorter training days.

On rest days, some riders like to take their bike for a coffee ride, some prefer to do something different. The Eriksson brothers never miss an opportunity to play golf.

Hard work but always in a good mood.