On Wednesday, the Spanish Xacobeo Galicia team will have a collective training session. The ride will start at 10:00 in Ponteareas and more than 200km will be covered. The event is not just about team bonding, but will also serve as an indicatior for who will be doing what races in the near future.
Manager Álvaro Pino and his technical staff will keep a close eye on the group. After the training session, they will decide on the teams for the next three races – the Gran Premio Miguel Induráin, the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco and the Klásika de Primavera.
The training session will be a steady, fast, long distance workout, without any intervals scheduled. The staff is still weighing its options on who should represent the team, especially in the very important Vuelta al País Vasco. País Vasco (April 5-10) is the second Spanish ProTour race this year, after the Volta Ciclista a Cataluña, which just finished.
This Saturday, the team will also participate in the Gran Premio Miguel Induráin, which is 179,3 kilometers long. It starts in Estella, then has its traditional finishing climb up to the Basílica del Puy, ranked as a third-category climb. There are also four category two and one category one climbs. All the climbing is in the last 100km.
The training ride tomorrow should give a good indication on who will be up for these hilly Basque races.