Get your bike serviced before you go

There is nothing more frustrating than having something go wrong with your bike on day one and spending the next day trying to find a local bike shop while all your mates are out riding.

Get your bike serviced before you leave and make sure everything is working perfectly. Another great tip is to fit new tyres before you go. I would recommend fitting the same tyres you are planning to ride on during the summer – this is a great opportunity to get used to them on smooth, fast roads.

Be prepared for cool weather

Just because the sun may be out, it doesn’t mean you will be riding in shorts and a jersey day in, day out.

Training camps often include long rides into the mountains and while it may be warm at sea level or in the valley, but the temperature will drop as you climb, particularly if you’re in a region where the climbs are particularly high, like southern Spain.

For every 100m you climb the temperature will drop around one degree, so even though it’s 15 or 20 degrees on the coast it might be close to freezing at the highest point of the ride.  As a result, you need to ensure you head out for the day dressed appropriately, or with enough clothing with you to pull on when it does get cold.

Have an easy day midweek

Needless to say, when you’re away on a training camp you are going to be riding more than normal. If you’re away fro a week then seven days is a long training block.

You will get much more out of the week if you take an easy day after three days of training. Even WorldTour pros won’t train flat out for seven days at a time so follow their example and give yourself an easy day.

This will keep you fresher for the second half of the week and will finish the camp strongly when your riding buddies are struggling.

Fuel ahead…

On a training camp, where you’re riding day in, day out, it’s vital to fuel yourself not only for today, but also tomorrow.

Any deficit in your calorie consumption when you get home from a ride is going to be carried forward into the next day, so you need to replenish.

When you’re out on the bike you never want to feel hungry or get close to bonking – running out of sugars and energy. When you’re on the bike, remember to eat small amounts regularly to keep your body topped up, and focus on recovery when you’re back from the ride.

…but don’t overdo it on the hotel buffet

Most people want to lose some weight while on a training camp. However, most people also go about it in completely the wrong way, by cutting down their food intake on the bike and then making up for it at dinner time by going overboard when they’re starving hungry.

To come home leaner than you went to the camp, you need to do the opposite. Make sure you are fueling well on the bike, eating little and often, but then cut down on portion size at night.

Remember you are training more than normal – think back to the point ahead, you need to fuel ahead for tomorrow’s ride – so there’s no need to cut back on calories, but if you can keep the overall intake at the same level as when you are at home you will loose weight over the course of the camp. Step away from the all you can eat dessert buffet!

Warm up and cool down each day

Treat the first and last ten minutes of each day’s ride as a warm up or cool down.

If I am at a training camp I normally try and head out the same way each day for the first ten minutes, so I can warm up and then know it’s time to start the session.

Likewise, on the way home once you get to that same point it’s time to put it in the little ring and spin back.

Don’t try and keep up the same amount of training once you get home

So you’ve done your camp and feel great having followed all the advice above. What next?

Well, now’s the time for some recovery – don’t try and continue the same amount of training you were doing while you were away.

Chances are it will be quite a hectic week catching up with work and family commitments once you get home, so sit back and let all the work you have just done come through. Your hard-earned fitness isn’t going to evaporate overnight, instead you need to let your body recover and grow stronger.

Time and time again I have seen athletes have a great week of training only to come home, overdo it, get sick and miss the next ten days. This is exactly what you want to avoid. Once you are home, instead of focusing on training hard, wrap up warm, make sure you go to bed early, wash your hands regularly and avoid getting sick.