Winter Cycling Camps in Spain

Ready for a day's cycling

Cycling Camps:

Anna and I have now been on two Spanish cycling camps together, one in Denia on the mainland near Alicanti, and one in Majorca, so even though this isn't an exhaustive survey, I thought it would be good to explain what a holiday like this is like from our experiences. If you have never been on a winter training trip here are some of the things you can expect, and why you should go:

Cost:

These vary a lot, but can be as cheap as £320 per person per week for half board shared room during January-March. This will cover accommodation, all you can eat at breakfast and dinner, possibly local beer/wine as well, and the bike camp services (see what's included below). Flights are booked separately, Easyjet or similar will be as little as £100 return, but a bike box is currently another £70 return. If you want to reduce the stress of packing and transporting your bike, for not much more than £100 you can hire one.


Accommodation:

Store room in Majorca

If you have been on a Spanish package holiday then you won't be surprised by the accommodation - clean and uncluttered, white tiles everywhere. There will be a working lift, but don't expect to be allowed to take your bicycle to your room - if the hotel has a policy against it, they will have a store room where bikes can be kept locked overnight. You will probably need to take your bike box/bag up to the room once you've built your trusty steed though.

There may be a pool, but it is likely to be outdoor and unheated. This is not much use if you want to do some triathlon swim training, but is good if you want to freeze your calves and thighs after a hard days cycling.

In Denia we had a working kitchen in our room, which included a washing machine - very useful indeed unless you happen to have seven pairs of bike shorts. But in Majorca there was no such luxury, so a trusty bottle of travel wash, and a hanger on the balcony worked just as well. Our hotel offered a special cyclists laundry service, but we didn't risk it.


Food and drink:

The food will be buffet based. Breakfast will have coffee and brightly coloured fruit drinks that taste almost, but not completely, like what the labels on the dispensers claim ('tropical' is the reddish orangy one)

There will be eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, cereals and milk, maybe porridge, fruit (including bananas - the cyclists' ambrosia), toast, cheese, and sweet biscuits. This will be exactly the same every day. Fill your face, you may not see solid food for another five hours. Sneak some banana, or bread rolls and cheese out in your pockets if the staff aren't looking - can be useful if you get back home from your ride early.

Typical lunch break

Somewhere after 12noon, and 3pm, depending on the route, group, or bike lead's masochistic tendencies, you will get a lunch break. Spanish cafes know about cyclists, and many have bike racks outside. Ask for a baguette with cheese and ham as that is the fastest thing to get delivered, and provides carbs and fat and protein. Coffee, with or without milk, for the caffeine hit you need. Maybe a coke instead, though why I saw so many fellow riders ordering the diet variety I can't fathom. Get some water as well to refill your bottles.

In Denia the camp offered an extra service; we had a van that met us midday. We could place a goodie bag in there in the morning with extra nutrition and pick it up later. They refilled our water bottles as well. This was really great and something all the camps should do.

The evening buffet can never come too soon - but try to pace yourself when you arrive. It is too easy to just fill your first plate to overflowing with chips and burgers/chicken/fish with veg of the day, and shovel it in like the cheap fuel it is. Try to have a bit of salad and soup first. I know you think you deserve it, and the puddings are also part of the free buffet, but you probably do not actually need more sugar after all the energy drinks and gels you had during the ride. I burned three or four thousand calories a day on the bike, but came home exactly the same weight as I left. I'm blaming the ice-cream (not the limitless glasses of lager, oh no, not those).

Be a little wary of the seafood. Buffets are notorious for food poisoning, and I heard first-hand from four people who suffered - most blamed the prawns in the paella.


Bike Leading:

This is what you are here for - local knowledge of the best routes in the area, some company and/or competition on the dusty roads and scenic hills, and new friends to compare experiences with.

There will be many people of differing abilities, and your camp should have at least three different groups - nominally called slow, medium and fast. A lot will depend here on the types of people who have turned up, and the numbers. If a cycling club have block booked, then expect the fast group to be a pretty intense, take-no-prisoners affair. Familiarise yourself with maps of the area, as if you get dropped, you are cycling home alone. You might cycle 100 miles a day, averaging 20 mph.

The slow group will be a friendly place, a haven if you have tired legs, or simply want to take your time enjoying the scenery and drinking coffee and eating local cakes. You will still cover up to 75 miles in a day, so it's not for complete beginners, but the pace will allow you to manage the distance comfortably, and the 'lead' will stay with the slowest rider, and everyone will wait at the top of any significant climb until the group is together before moving on.

The medium group will consist of some people who want to progress from slow, and those who would like to be in fast but just can't hack it. So there will be a lot of mad dashes on the flat, followed by waiting around in the hills. You will still cover long distances and do all the big climbs that the fast group do, but hopefully you will get home with the group in once piece. If you just can't keep up, you'll be asked to join the slow group - if you are lucky and aren't the only one that day, one of the bike leads might accompany you home, but don't count on it.

In our Majorca camp, the medium group had as many as 40 riders, and 5 leads, slow and fast groups had about 10 riders and 2 leads. The Denia camp was smaller, and so the fast group was more accommodating.

You can mix and match groups, depending on how you feel each day. If you go with a partner or friend and you both naturally fit in different groups, you can both just take an easy day in the slow group together if you like, and there is nothing to stop you taking off by yourself if you feel confident of the geography later in the week.


What to take:

Think of spring in England. One day it may be a sunny 18 degrees, the next you may be drenched or battered by hail. Things in Spain are exactly the same. Hopefully you will be lucky, and need nothing but shorts and jersey; on our first camp in Denia I only needed a light rain jacket on one day. But remember that there will be hills, and weather changes quite rapidly there, and it's always a bit cooler.  In Majorca I needed a base layer every day, arm warmers most days - and a small gilet for descending (there are no crowds at the cols handing out newspapers).

When the sun is out it is warm enough to burn, so wear sunscreen on exposed skin. The good weather is the main reason you are doing this camp rather than taking time off in the UK to cycle, and you would be very unlucky to get more than a couple of days of poor conditions - you are far more likely to have temperatures in the 14-18 degrees centigrade region, and warm beautiful sunshine.

You might want shoe covers, or leggings. I didn't have any with me, but spent a chilly 30 minutes one day wishing I had. Find out from your lead what the weather is expected to be that day - I decided that if heavy rain was forecast then that would be a rest day. We were lucky, but heard some stories from fellow riders who had gotten caught out like this on previous camps, and even heard about snow last year

If your hotel does have an indoor pool/spa then take a swimming costume and swim hat, and some goggles. Don't forget the hat or they will make you purchase one.

Variety:

Sea view from our balcony in Majorca

It's nice to relax in the sun and discuss the days riding for 20 minutes when you get back, and as you have ready made transport anyway, take a short ride to a coffee shop. Keep some extra Euros in your jersey pocket, get a round in for your peleton to thank them for protecting you from the wind all day.

Unless you are on a shoestring budget, try and make a point of getting out of the hotel at least once. Local restaurants can be of a very high standard, and at a fraction of UK prices for similar venues. Check opening times and book in advance  - we found everywhere was closed on Monday evening. Your taste buds will thank you, as although the hotel food is plentiful and filling, it does not have much flavour, and the presentation is as basic as the menu. You are on holiday after all, so enjoy this aspect as well.

You can cycle every single day if you like, but we took a break mid-week and caught a bus to Palma for some sight seeing - it was nice not sitting on a razor sharp saddle for 6 hours that day.

Conclusion:

Both weeks we spent in Spain we cycled over 600km in sunshine, in March, through beautiful countryside, and up spectacular hills with amazing views. We came home with a great base fitness, as this kind of trip gives your training a real kick-start, and builds confidence in your abilities for the sportives you might have planned for the summer. I really recommend doing this, especially if you can guarantee rotten, cold and wet weather in the UK.

Links:

 - Stuart Hall Cycling
 - Train In Spain