"Cycling comes from cycling" ... this casually joking saying of our trainer Enrico Poitschke has been following us - the Merkur Cycling Team - for several years now and essentially means nothing else than that cycling is best trained by cycling. Especially before a demanding GCC (German Cycling Cup) season, long basic units on the bike are essential to be able to compete successfully in the races. And where better to do that than on the sunny island of Mallorca, where we stayed for ten days in Marina Luz, as usual, at the beginning of March. For some of us it is already the sixth stay here in the bay of Can Pastilla and the welcome at the hotel is correspondingly warm. We feel really comfortable here, which I think is an important component of a successful training camp.
Once checked in, I can't wait to get on my bike to do the first easy lap on the island in a mild 18°C and sunshine - and the others feel the same way. Despite all the professionalism, it is still something special to steer the new Fujis along the promenade under the Mallorcan sun for the first time in the season.
Since we arrive from different corners of Germany, the arrival times vary, so that on the first day we set off in smaller groups under "own direction". A small coffee break can also be built into Lluc Major, until we all get together at the big table in the dining room with the signs “Reserviert – Reserved – Merkur Cycling Team” at the latest at dinner.
The joy of seeing each other again is great and there is a lot to tell in the meanwhile close-knit team - after all, we haven't seen each other for almost two months. The first day together ends with an extended dinner, lots of funny stories from the winter training phase, visits to the dessert buffet 2/3/4 times and the anticipation of the coming days.
From day 2 the seriousness of the project "training camp 2015" begins and Ronny from the ROTHAÍ team takes over the management. The following nine days should be very structured: 7:50 a.m. meeting in the lobby for morning exercise, then breakfast together and at 10 a.m. departure for the training rounds. What may sound a bit stiff at first glance ultimately relaxes the daily interaction of the 11-strong group. The processes play out faster and an annoying wait - that the last person has his things together - becomes rarer. Exceptions prove the rule.
The scope of the training – i.e. the length of the unit and the associated program (intensities, steps, spinning tops) – were determined in advance by Enrico Poitschke and coordinated in the individual plans for the week together. Ronny takes over the daily route planning, coordinates the processes during the trips and also makes sure that the coffee breaks, which we would have liked to have taken from time to time, are omitted ;-).
After all, we train for the GCC races, which last up to 5 hours, and there are no coffee stops on the schedule. The stop after the units in a café on the promenade with "Café con leche" and a piece of cake is and remains an integral part of our program and often sweetens the "after work".
The first block of three was all about long, quiet basic units to get the body used to the posture, the movement on the bike and to train the seat. Because the winter months were often characterized by strength training and alternative sports such as running or cross-country skiing. In the first few days, from the third hour in the saddle, things tend to get a little more restless in the "peloton" and the changes to out-of-the-saddle pedals increase noticeably. Fortunately, the great spring landscape on the island along the training laps, carefully chosen by Ronny, always provides distraction.
The turning point of the training camp this year was the photo shoot, for which our specially traveled Anne (also from the ROTHAÍ team and responsible for the entire organization of our team) invited us to the mountains north of Palma. The fantastically beautiful location around a small castle hotel (Castell Son Claret, Es Capdellá) and the bright blue sky offered a perfect backdrop for great team photos, of which we will certainly see some over the course of the season... stay tuned! For us it was a relatively relaxed day with lots of sun, fun and a few funny "interludes" from our photographer.
Anne's visit also brought us MULTIPOWER supplies, which we could really use for the upcoming second part of the training camp, because it promised to be hilly and therefore strenuous. But first a rest day and recharge your batteries, which everyone could do individually with lying by the pool, sauna or a small trip to Palma....just let your feet dangle.
Thursday, day 7: we go to the mountains. Strengthened with an open-air breakfast on the hotel terrace (remember: it's March), today's route takes us directly in the direction of the Col de Soller, down to the village of the same name and directly back up to the Puig Major, which, with its 15 km length demanded a lot. I was particularly impressed by Mani here. He was back in the saddle for the first time since his serious fall injury last year and fought his way up the climbs with us as always, as if nothing had happened. The saying came up jokingly: "Why are we actually training all winter long if Mani can do it without!".
The following day Ronny brought us another three parade climbs, up to Valdemossa, Col de Soller and Orient, so that after the final 70 km flat we were all happy to finally have arrived back at the hotel....phew, what a day!
We rewarded ourselves in the evening with a short visit to a relevant Ballermann pub that has a king in its name ;-). In view of the day's program, it was not surprising that this visit was quite short...at 11 everyone was back in their bunks.
The training camp is coming to an end and the weather is slowly getting better. Clouds and light showers are moving over the island, giving us a second, chilled rest day with sauna and biathlon world cup. Actually, that suits us just fine, because for the last day Ronny had gotten us excited again with the prospect of a small Randa mountain race and with the difficult units from the previous days in the legs, it would certainly not have been fun without a break.
So we conclude our joint training camp healthy and without defects with a nice Randa lap (results remain secret, of course) and finally run on the promenade in Arenal in great sunshine.
My conclusion: It was a very successful training week, a great time with the boys and perfect preparation for the German Cycling Cup 2015. GCC, here we come!
In this sense.
Best regards and see you soon,
Your Christian.
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