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Where are Canadian pros training over the winter?

The snow and cold isn't conducive to big winter miles but the same can't be said of Spain, California, South America and more

January 22, 2018
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Canadian winters don’t exactly lend themselves to hours in the saddle. That is, unless you are OK with riding in your pain cave. Needless to say, if you are a proffesional cyclist from Canada your likely in a warmer climate training for the season ahead. Canadians travel across the world for training and racing over the winter to hon form in anticipating of big summer racing programs. Here are some of the destinations Canadians have choosen during winter 2018 to ride their bikes.

Spain

Leah Kirchmann is in Calpe in the province of Alicante south of the of Valencia. It’s a popular training destination with many WorldTour teams choosing it as a base for the seasons first training camp. Of course while training there Kirchmann got together with some Team RaceClean riders also in the area to get in the early season kilometres.

Hugo Houle is racking up the kilometres in Alicante as well with his new Astana teammates. Last week, team manager Alexandre Vinokourov pranked the team pretending to be an old man but blowing by the riders on a climb.

Another Canadian who makes Spain his base during the winter is Michael Woods. The Ottawa-native who finished seventh at the Vuelta a España is one of many North American riders who make Girona north of Barcelona their European base. With a nice climate, vibrant city, beautiful roads and many English speakers it’s the ideal place to escape from the cold of Canada.

Argentina

Alex Cataford of UnitedHealthcare, and Israel Cycling Teammates Guillaume Boivin and Ben Perry are in Argentina for the Vuelta San Juan. It’s the first race of their 2018 and is a mostly flate race with a individual time trial and one summit finish. Perfect training and since it’s in the southern hemisphere the weather is siginifantly warmer at this time of year.

Colombia

Before traveling to Argentina for the race, Perry, Boivin and Cataford were all in Colombia to get in some riding. Boivin spent two weeks in Bogota while Perry was there for slightly less time. Cataford rode in Antioquia before heading to Argentina. Boivin and Perry will also be racing the Colombia Oro y Paz stage race in February so their time in South America is a solid block of racing and training in a warmer climate.

Hawaii

Cycling Canada’s cross country mountain bike program is currently holding a training camp in Maui, Hawaii. The great weather, beautiful roads and big climbing around the Haleakalā volcano make it a great spot to build pre-season form. In attendance are Canadian champion Emily Batty, Olympian Raphaël Gagné, Hailey Smith and Andrew l’Esperance.

France

Rio bronze medalist Catharine Pendrel has cchosenNice, France for her off-season. The French city has a warm climate and bigs climbs on its doorstep making it a great place to get away from the snow before beginning the 2018 season.

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4hr52min, 2512m climbing 102 km How do you plan your ride routes when travelling? With the first World Cup 8 weeks away I decided ensure some good outdoor km’s in the legs beforehand by heading to Nice, France. My husband and I have been spending a lot of time recently on Garmin connect building road routes and on Strava checking out heat maps of the popular local rides, how long they take, how much climbing …all the stuff you want to know when you want to explore a new place but still have very specific workout goals. This ride, like it seems every ride around Nice, took us up some amazing climbs…me 6 times up the same one ? and to the coolest little town called Peille where we got to see people slack-lining 600m above the valley after riding through its medieval buildings and narrow streets. But of course I love your insider tips too on where to go! Thanks! #wheremybiketakesme #feedyouradventure #relive #garminconnect #strava #trailforks

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Australia

The Tour Down Under presents a great opportunity for professionals to start their season in a really warm climate. The near by ocean is a good place to cool off but the warmth and nice roads paired with the racing makes it a good destination. Alison Jackson and Antoine Duchesne are the two Canadians Down Under to get some January riding in. They both began their season at the Tour Down Under with Jackson earning some top-10 placings along the way with her new Tibco-SVB team.

California

California is a very popular training destination and for good reason. The state has endless nice roads and plenty of climbs plus good weather for January. Rally Cycling which is home to seven Canadian professionals including both elite national champions hosts their first training camp of the season in Oxnard.