Last week, we held our Spring Training Camp in Wales, specifically in the beautiful area around Hay on Wye. The main goal of the camp was to help our athletes develop endurance, durability, and muscular endurance, while also having fun and taking on a great challenge.

Our routes varied in difficulty from very challenging (with 1400m of climbing in just 46 km) to more rolling terrain. We encountered a variety of terrain, including short, steep hills (up to 25%), long climbs that were reminiscent of the Alps, and technical descents. We even encountered a few unexpected obstacles, like a 'river' that crossed one of our roads, which turned out to be deeper than my aero 60mm wheels!

Here are some of the stats from the camp: 487 km (303 miles), 8355 m of vertical ascent (27411 feet), and 24 hours of cycling at an average speed of 20.3 km/hr (12.6mph).

Our riders really enjoyed the camp, and one of them, John, even said that last year's camp "set me up for the entire year." Personally, I felt the same way - the camp provided excellent base training and helped me improve my endurance and reliability, which allowed me to participate in more road races than I had in years (around 30, including 2 national championships, and 1 gravel race). Andy also benefited from the camp, as it helped him prepare for the Transcontinental Race and the TransPyrenees Race.

Additionally, Rob has already started to benefit from this year’s camp allowing him to train harder after overcoming the challenging terrain and realising how hard he can push himself.

Like last year, we had one day of rain, which wasn't very enjoyable, but it did help build our resilience. The scenery was stunning, and one ride, in particular, stood out as magnificent (even though it included that aforementioned 25% climb).

After each ride, I prepared healthy and nutritious meals to help us recharge for the next day's challenges. We also had plenty of coffee to get us ready in the morning and some delicious treats to enjoy after dinner each night.

Now that the camp is over, I'm already thinking about next year's event and what devilishly difficult climbs we can include. If you're interested in attending next year's camp or a late summer camp, please let me know.