The riders and staff of Etixx – Quick-Step are heading to Spain this week for the first training camp ahead of next season (8-18 December). After last year the get-together was held in Oliva, this time the team chose a different location, Denia, a small city on the Costa Blanca, halfway between Alicante and Valencia. There, the riders and the staff will lay the foundations for the new season and outline their schedule and goals.
One week after presenting its new clothing for 2016, Etixx – Quick-Step will reunite in Denia for the winter's first training camp, which will be the sole occasion for all the riders to spend some time together ahead of next year, creating a strong group cohesion and working towards a new season they all wish to be successful. Next year's roster will count 30 cyclists, including the eight new ones who signed with Etixx – Quick-Step during the transfer period: Rodrigo Contreras, Laurens De Plus, Fernando Gaviria, Marcel Kittel, Bob Jungels, Daniel Martin, Davide Martinelli and Maximiliano Richeze.
The riders will be mingling fun activities with sessions on the bike and in the gym, with the team divided in three groups, based on their goals and 2016 schedule: "The training camp will be similar to last year's. We will begin with the marketing material, and continue with physical testing and core stability screening for all riders. After the first two days, we will start training on the bike, mixing it with fitness sessions in order to strengthen the body. The team will be split into three groups: one which will prepare for the races in Australia, one for the Classics and sprints, and one for the climbers. Joining us for all these tests will be the staff of the Bakala Academy, whose input will be very important, as always", said Koen Pelgrim, the team's trainer and physiologist.
After training in Calpe in the previous years, Etixx – Quick-Step decided to go to Denia this time, but Koen Pelgrim insists there is no difference when it comes to the terrain: "We are going to be based in Denia, which is more or less the same, and among the things we will work on will be the lead-out for Marcel Kittel. It will be interesting to see how the guys will react to this. We also have scheduled some track testing for aerodynamics on the Valencia track, which will complement the ones we already did with Specialized, at the Morgan Hill wind tunnel. Bottom line, we are all looking forward to a nice training camp."