Conducted over 2 weekends at the end of January, the team training camp is one of the few times we will all be together as a team.  Once the season starts, we will be split into three race programs covering races from France to Majorca, and from Under 23 races to International Elite.  Myself and a couple of the other guys were not able to make Saturday’s standard team training camp ride, due to other obligations such as studies or the track season.  The plan for the morning was a shorter, 80k ride with some hills reps.  Saturday came as a drizzly and gray day, so although the main team group were supposed to do 2 rides, they merged them into one.  They started with some big gear hill reps, and extended the ride to cover 4.5 hours and 140k.

Most of the guys stayed at the team house over night, but some of us elected to stay at home and drive back up on Sunday morning for the second day of the training camp.  We headed off with pretty much the full team: the only absentees were John Parks who is still in the US and has just come back from his own little training camp in Florida, and Christophe Coucsinie who is still in Hospital.  The full 16 or so headed out on the roads around Montauban.  We first had an “easy” 40km warm-up ride all together.  Great warm-up ride at 31kph over some hills.  Then we stopped and formed groups according to fitness and race schedule.  Our 3 groups of about 5 or 6 riders then did four 20 minute team time trial intervals over varying terrain including some mean climbs around the Penne area in the Aveyron Valley.  After each interval we all re-grouped and rode together again for about 10k.  After only the second interval some people started grumbling about the intervals.  I must say it wasn’t easy.  On the last interval, our little group caught the group ahead of us, which had left 2 minutes before us.  We were rolling pretty well on that interval, probably knowing that it was our last one. 

Once the intervals were done we all regrouped once more and rode the 40k (25 miles) back home together.  I must say however that these recovery, warm-up warm-down sessions were a NOT easy… oh well.  At the end of the day we had 160k (100miles) on the clock in a little under 5 hours, and with some pretty good hills… Ok fine, they were climbs!

Next weekend is more of the same.  This time I should be able to make it to both days for the full program.  The plan for Saturday is to be 2 rides, same as this past weekend.  Big gear hill reps in the morning, and some high cadence workouts in the afternoon to cover 140k; then another 160k on Sunday, but this time “harder.”  I’m not sure what “harder” means, but I don’t like the sound of it!!!  Once again these training camps include a DS and team car that follows us the whole way with spare wheels, food, water and anything else we might need.  We actually had both DSs (Directeur Sportif) with us, so that they can 1) tell us what to do and 2) both see how we are riding and how we relate to each other as a team.

It’s been good to get to know everyone, start learning their names and riding styles.  After this training camp, there is another training camp down by the Spanish border for a week.  Sadly I won’t be able to make it to that one.

Overall, my training is going pretty well.  I have just had a load of exams, and I didn’t touch the bike at all all of last week.  So having a pretty good weekend of riding, it was interesting to see how my body reacted.  I thought I would feel really bad, but I felt OK.  Despite my studies it looks like I will be starting my racing program a little earlier than I had initially planned.  I will be starting in the lower ranked races that are in this general area.  That suits me fine, as I’m not going to be ready for the big races half way across the country.

I tried to take some pictures during the rides, but it wasn’t really the sort of riding where you take pictures and look around at the countryside… so I apologize for the poor pictures.  Also note that the team does not have their bikes and clothing yet, so in the pictures everyone looks a bit mix and match; patchwork-bike-team.

This week I will be getting in some good training locally, mainly alone and with Alphonce, then a couple rest days and back to Team Training Camp for part 2.  After that it’s back to school.  By that time John Parks should be here, so hopefully we’ll be able to get in some training together.

Tune in soon for an account of Training Camp part 2.

Thanks for reading.

Sim

simjetlag@wanadoo.fr