Grand Prix de Santa Ana
Erika Vilunaite
Silvia PariettiDocument Actions
Emma reports from Spain.
Well I'm still here in Spain and making the most of our last week here in the milder weather. I have just finished a block of long steady rides of 6-6 1/2 hours in duration each with a day or two of recovery in between depending upon the sensation. These rides have allowed me to explore some new roads and see more of this area. More recently the almond blossom has flourished giving a snow carpet of delicate pinks and white to the valleys, truly beautiful. With such views to admire riding up the long cols is a doddle!
The area that we are staying in is very popular with cyclists, both professional and amateur. This is for many reasons, a few of which I will explain. The most obvious that springs to mind is the weather. Touch wood we have had excellent weather with average daily temperatures of 17 degrees and invariably maximums of 20. This makes for consistent training and more importantly a training environment that doesn't test your body any more than necessary.
Cold temperatures and wet conditions are not good for your body when you are pushing it day in day out for 4 to 5 hours a day, it's an extra unnecessary ingredient that will lower your immune system. The other primary reason for this area's popularity is the terrain. The roads surfaces are excellent and the terrain testing with long climbs and sweeping descents which lend themselves to maintaining a respectable heart rate while going down.
I was fortunate enough to be able to ride with four of my new team mates last week since they were stopping in Calpe, a particularly popular spot with cyclists. As I have previously mentioned, we are staying in Benidoleig with Citrus Cycling (www.citruscycling.co.uk) and this puts us in an ideal position to get straight into the mountain without contesting any of the busy coastal routes which are so often a hurdle for many of the cyclists opting to stay in Calpe or Benidorm.
I fly to England in a week's time and am looking forward to a brief stay with family and friends. After that it's a return to Belgium to prepare for the first race of the season.
Do not forget to visit Emma's site...
