Giant-Alpecin’s German fast men Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb have been hard at it preparing to take on the their rival sprinters again this season.

The team bases itself in Catalonia for the winter, making several different trips to the region to work on all aspects of the team’s training.

And Mattias Reck, a trainer on the team, says the roads in the region are well-suited to their needs for a training camp.

“Of course there are many climbs, but you can also find easier climbs and various flat roads which are important for working with the sprinters and for the longer steady rides,” he said.

“We have recently been working on some specific high intensity sprint work, but it’s now our third time here since December so we have worked on a lot of different areas and seen most of the landscape around Cambrils and Costa Daurada.

“We are also impressed by the hospitality of the people here at Cambrils.”

Good roads aren’t the only advantage, with a fair chance of good weather also a key factor in their decision to base themselves in the region.

Reck added: “What is so good with this region is, beside the stable weather, that we have so many different roads to train on, providing us with all the different opportunities to work on specific aspects of each rider’s individual training programme.”

Who trains there? Giant-Alpecin