Winter cycling holidays/training camps.

A winter getaway could be just the ticket. Pre season training camps and cycling holidays give you good quality miles in decent weather, the sun helps!

Cyclists are a hardy lot and will usually ride in any weather but a week or two in the sunshine helps to boost the mood and really kick starts the next block of training. You have time to focus on you without the distractions you get at home.

Popular resorts are Southern Spain, Majorca and the Canary  Islands, you can expect decent weather, not too hot from October to April. It’s usually sunny with cool mornings warming up nicely in the afternoon.

You can opt to take your own bike on the plane or hire a bike at your destination, both are easy to do. If you do take your own bike i recommend a sturdy bike box, these can be hired in the UK.

If you’re hiring, the longer the stay the cheaper the daily rate but you can expect to pay around €25-35 per day for a decent carbon disc brake bike electric bikes are also available. Remember the brakes will be on the opposite side so the front brake will be on the left!

Take your own shoes/pedals, saddle and helmet too any spares specific to your bike like the rear mech hanger.

There are plenty of accommodation options from self catering apartment’s to full board cycle package holidays.

If you book with a cycling holiday company your daily routes are planned for you and supported, you can choose to guide yourself and this is not hard to do, there are lots of places to get information from and GPX routes, local bike shops, tourist information as well as apps like Strava, Komoot etc.

You see so much more of the authentic side of a country travelling by bike, you visit beautiful remote villages, most have a coffee shop and most people speak english although knowing a few common phrases will help once you get out into the sticks. Cycle tourism brings a lot of income to these places and everyone is friendly (even the car drivers).

Winter miles summer smiles 😎

Words: Cheri Mills