Where are Canadian road cyclists training this winter?
Canada's top riders are busy putting in kilometres in far-flung destinations across the world preparing for the 2019 season
Canada’s top road cyclists are riding their bikes all over the world during the winter months. From North America to Oceania, there are Canadian cyclists scattered across the globe pedalling themselves into form for the quickly approaching 2019 season.
RELATED: Where are the Canadian pros training this winter?
Tucson
Tucson is the hot spot for Canadian cyclists to congregate and ride during the winter. While those with pro teams are often called away for training camps in other warm climates, Mount Lemmon and the surrounding area is definitely the place to be every winter. Nearly every Canadian pro cyclists has spent some time training in Tucson at some point in their careers.
This year a full squad of Canada’s women’s team were down in Tucson during December for a training camp ith B2ten. Team Sunweb’s Leah Kirchmann, Rally UHC’s Sara Bergen and Sara Poidevin, Astana’s Marie-Soleil Blais, Tibco-SVB’s Lex Albrecht, and Twenty20-Sho-Air’s Simone Boilard all spent time together in Tucson. Matteo Dal-Cin and Nick Zukowsky where also in Tucson training in December.
While Albrecht headed back to Canada over the holidays she returned to Tucson in January for more training.
World road championship bronze medalist went off-road on a ride up the backside of Mount Lemmon with Nick Zukowsky. They then headed to California.
Mountain bike star Emily Batty has also started her New Year in Tucson.
Australia
Ahead of the Tour Down Under, Michael Woods is riding in Australia to get in some warm weather training miles. Before too long, more Canadians will be headed down to Australia as race day approaches. The women’s Tour Down Under starts on Jan. 10 while the men’s race begins on Jan. 15. Bergen, Alison Jackson and Gillian Ellsay are all racing the women’s event with only Woods as the sole Canadian in the men’s race.
Winnipeg
Not many pro cyclists make Canada their base for any prolonged period of time over the winter but Kirchmann was in Winnipeg over the holidays. In between her training camp in Tucson and heading to Europe for the Team Sunweb team presentation followed by more training in warmer parts of Spain, Kirchmann went to just about the coldest place she could and spent the holidays. In Winnipeg, she got some fat bike in to keep the legs moving.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br6qzZ6lbQK/
Victoria
There aren’t too many places in Canada where you can train on the road year around without a ton of cold, wet or snowy weather gear. In Victoria, some are brave enough to get by like Rob Britton who has been putting in the kilometres regardless of how damp the weather can be.
https://www.instagram.com/rob_britton/
Spain
Spain has become one of the most popular destinations for cyclists from colder Northern climates to get together and ride during the off-season. A staggering number of pro teams hold their training camps on the Iberian peninsula including the Israel Cycling Academy which brought Ben Perry to Valenciana, Hugo Houle who was in Altea with Astana and Calpe where Antoine Duchesne’s Groupama-FDJ gathered. Woods also lives in Girona so when he isn’t travelling to ride calls Catalonia home.
New Zealand
Allison Beveridge along with the Canadian women’s track endurance team are in New Zealand ahead of the UCI Track World Cup in Cambridge on Jan. 18 to 20.
Mallorca
Kirchmann has been one of the busiest Canadian cyclists traveling all over the world to ride her bike this winter. After Tucson and the holidays in Winnipeg she flew to Berlin for the Team Sunweb team presentation and then over to Mallorca for more riding with her teammates.
California
Rally UHC Cycling had a training camp in California with their women’s team before splitting up and sending a squad to the first race of the year in Australia.
