A group of 15 Cervélo TestTeam riders began their preparation for the 2010 season last week on the Canary Island of Tenerife. The Spanish Island allowed the riders to take advantage of the warm weather and challenging terrain to put in some quality training.
“Back home it is 2 degrees at the moment,” said British rider Daniel Lloyd on the team’s website, “and the good roads here on the island are perfect for training. At the moment I am really focused on the spring classics. Milan San Remo and the Tour of Flanders in particular are highlighted in my planning, and they’re not so far away.”
The challenging terrain on the island left plenty of time to workout in the gym and spend time getting to know the new arrivals. “It is a good opportunity to work together with my teammates on my condition,” said Lieselot Decroix from Belgium. “We do some long ‘easy rides’ but it is not so easy here on this island with the climbs. We also do some gym and core stability training in the morning.”
“In addition to the training on the road, it’s good to do some power work in the gym,” explained newcomer Stefan Denifl from Austria. “I am working really hard at the moment to reach my best form ever for next season. I would like to be a good team player, and maybe if the opportunity is there I will get the chance to do something for myself.”
Newcomer Theo Bos is also looking forward to the season with his new team. “It is also important to train together with your teammates in a good atmosphere,” he said. “Hopefully we will see the results from a camp like this back in the races.”
Swiss rider Marcel Wyss is on Tenerife for the second time, but this time his visit is all about preparing for next year. “The first time I came for a holiday, but now it is more serious because this part of the season is really important as preparation for the 2010 season. Due to the fact that it is snowing in Switzerland at the moment, this is the last opportunity for me to train on the road before the team training camp in Portugal, and I hope I can make some good progress.”
The next training camp begins on January 10 in Vila Nova de Cacela in the Algarve, Portugal, and will also be the location for the official team presentation on January 17.