Two weeks of sunshine, 1300 kilometres: That sounds like a successful training camp. Or does it?
For most bikers, the main obstacle to a perfect training camp is their own ambition. After all, if you rack up too many kilometres and altitude metres in a fortnight at a Mallorca camp, your form can go down the drain. Instead of undergoing a radical cure during the training camp, you should lay the necessary foundations before the camp. Without this, athletes sometimes need up to five weeks to recover after such a camp. "Doing little training in winter and then increasing the load by several hundred per cent - that can't work," warns sports scientist Clemens Hesse. "The recovery time after a phase with such high loads is disproportionately long," explains the Cologne-based sports scientist. Example: If you train for five hours a week, but then tear off 20 hours in seven days of training camp, you would have to allow yourself around four weeks to recover afterwards. However, very few people do this and can end up overtraining. "It's not unusual," says Hesse, "for athletes to get out of shape during a training camp". So you have to get active before the training camp and lay the foundations. You can then build on this in the sunny south. We show you where and how to do this here:
What do I have to do first?
Get on the plane and go full throttle for a fortnight - no camp works like that. You can find the timetable here.
Do you want to get the most out of your training camp? Then stick to the following rules: Increase your training volume six weeks before departure. An additional 30 minutes per week is sufficient. Important: The training volume should be reduced in the week of departure - to 60 to 70 per cent of the previous week. However, it is not only the kilometres you have covered that will prepare you, your diet also has a significant influence on your success. If you think you can lose weight in the training camp, you are on the wrong track. There are too many hours of training that are torn down in the south. You are more likely to run yourself into the ground than get fitter. Improving performance and losing weight are difficult to reconcile and work in a delicate balance. It's better to work on your diet six weeks before your island holiday than during a training camp.
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The training plans for 1 or 2 weeks training camp can be downloaded free of charge below.
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The cornerstones for a successful training camp:
- Complete basic training at 75 % of your maximum heart rate
- After each ride, you can go for a short walk or a relaxed 30-minute swim
- Ensure a high cadence of over 90 revolutions per minute
How to get fit for training camp: With this minimal programme you will build up the right form for higher volumes.
After the training camp
You don't need to think about training in the first week after the training camp. Give your body the time it needs to finish remodelling and building up. Just think: you will be better than before the training camp without doing anything. Depending on the length of the training camp, regeneration will be longer. If you have ridden intensively for a week, you will need around ten days to recover. Bikers who have spent two weeks on the island will need almost three weeks. However, you can easily ride during this recovery time.
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Where do you want to go?
The most popular destinations for training camps and their advantages and disadvantages:
MALLORCA
The facts:
- Temperatures: 7-20 degrees
- Best time to visit: February-May
- Area: best road network, very varied
- Ideal for sports enthusiasts with few kilometres; cheap offers
This classic offers everything athletes need in spring: The network of trails is magnificent and perfectly developed. Hotels and airlines cater for cycling crowds and offer favourable packages. Disadvantage: The weather can be cool and rainy in the winter months.
GRAN CANARIA
The facts:
- Temperatures: 14-25 degrees
- Best time to visit: December-March
- Area: mountainous, quiet roads in the centre of the island
- Ideal for bikers who want to step on the gas in spring. Good for biking.
Gran Canaria is favoured by many professional bikers. The weather is usually so good that double shorts can be ridden. Important: You can hardly ride flat on the island. You should therefore have a certain level of fitness and a good gear ratio on your bike.
SOUTH AFRICA
The facts:
- Temperatures: 20-33 degrees
- Best time to visit: November-March
- Area: perfect for biking; ride with locals for road training
- Ideal for bikers who like perfect trails and heat
In the land of the biggest stage race (Cape Epic), trail addicts get their money's worth. Many farms have their own trail parks. Those who prefer to ride on the road should ride with locals so as not to end up in dangerous areas.
ANDALUSIA
The facts:
- Temperatures: 4-16 degrees
- Best time to go: March-May
- Area: good trails, moderate weather
- Ideal for early beginners, especially if you want to race
In recent years, Andalusia has become the perfect place to ride the first trails in spring. Many bikers are already honing their skills there at the Andalucia Race (21-26 February, www.andaluciabikerace.com). Not ideal for road bike training.
Where can I sleep?
Package deal or individual planning: find the right thing for you.
Location: Hotel
Book, fly, ride - those who take package deals usually have very little to worry about and can concentrate on biking. The hotels (especially Mallorca) offer good service, have workshops and secure bike parking spaces. The many cycling groups make it possible to train with many athletes. If you book cleverly, you can sometimes also order bike fittings and performance diagnostics (depending on the provider). Disadvantage: There is usually a lack of sports-orientated nutrition. Group training is fun, but you can't work on your individual performance.
How the hotel training camp works
- If you are travelling with groups, you should look for the right one for the first two,
three days to find the right one. It's better to go a little slower than too fast. Tip: Take a look at your heart rate monitor or power meter.
- Scan the buffet: no-one has to go without, but try to eat a sport-orientated diet.
- Training camps are NOT diet camps! If you diet, you will drive yourself
into the cellar and experience a drop in performance.
- Pack warm clothes! It can be icy on Malle and the like.
Location: Finca or holiday flat
A perfect training camp starts with breakfast and ends with dinner. Many athletes therefore choose a holiday flat. The advantage: here you can decide for yourself when and what you want to eat. You can also choose a location that is far away from the tourist crowds. Marathon ace Markus Kaufmann chooses a holiday flat in Gran Canaria every year: "There are many factors that allow me to travel individually. Firstly, the risk of falling ill is lower: if I'm at the buffet with hundreds of people every morning, you can catch something. I also decide for myself what's on the table."
Tips for your own accommodation:
- You can find private accommodation on Airbnb. The advantage: usually cheaper than commercial providers. You are also in contact with the landlord and can choose your favourite location. www.airbnb.de
- Unique: Finca MA13 on Mallorca is accommodation that has been specially optimised for cyclists. www.ma-13.net
- Find out what the local shopping facilities are like.
What good is the most beautiful mountain village if you have to drive 30 kilometres into the valley to buy muesli?
ENERGY
If you cover a lot of kilometres, you need energy. It's better to eat more on the bike than at the buffet. You should start eating after 60 minutes at the latest. How much you eat per hour depends on your performance and the intensity at which you are cycling. Play it safe with 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
ORIENTATION
There's nothing more annoying than having to look for directions at every other fork in the road. Especially if you are travelling alone, a GPS device helps immensely. You can often find route data from cycle tour providers, and of course on the BIKE and TOUR website or on www.gpsies.de
Tip: GPS devices can often be hired from event organisers.
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"Many are over-motivated after the training camp." Interview with Karl Platt
Karl, as a professional you have experience with training camps - what are the biggest mistakes?
Too much in too short a time. The advantage of a camp should not only be seen in the time you spend on the bike: above all, you have time for yourself. This means that you may only ride for two to three hours a day, but you can really relax because you don't have a job waiting for you.
So don't go out of your way to make kilometres?
No. Of course you drive more than at home, but you shouldn't drive yourself into a cold. If you arrive in cold Germany totally exhausted, you are likely to catch a cold. As many are over-motivated after the training camp, they then train on top of the illness. What happens: They are out of action for a month and the kilometres in the sun no longer have any effect.
How do you protect yourself from driving too fast?
That's a big problem: as soon as you're riding around with a few mates, you accelerate on the mountain and everyone acts as if nothing is wrong. I can only strongly advise everyone to ride in their own areas. I've often seen how some people are already beaming in January and then the oven goes out during the season.
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