Our riders and staff are heading to southern Spain next week for the first training camp ahead of next season.
For the third consecutive year, Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s get-together will be held in Calpe, the coastal town which hosted a stage finish at the Vuelta a España just a few months ago. There, the riders and the staff of the Wolfpack will outline their schedule and goals and lay the foundations for what they hope will be another successful season.
The Calpe training camp will be the sole occasion for all the riders to spend some time together ahead of next year, thus creating a strong group cohesion. Next season’s roster comprises 28 riders, including eleven additions: João Almeida, Shane Archbold, Andrea Bagioli, Davide Ballerini, Sam Bennett, Mattia Cattaneo, Ian Garrison, Stijn Steels, Jannik Steimle, Bert Van Lerberghe, and Mauri Vansevenant.
The riders will be mingling fun activities with sessions on the bike and in the gym, with the team divided into groups, based on their 2020 goals and schedule, as trainer Koen Pelgrim explained: “The first three days will be for photo shootings mainly, but we’ll also throw in some core stability, health screening, cardio, and others tests to see how the riders came out of the off-season. It will be after these three days that the real training will start, with the riders split into groups, according to their objectives.”
“This training camp is very important, as some guys will leave for their first race in Australia a month from now, so it’s vital that they build a good condition in December. It’s good for the whole team to have a solid block of training now and also to spend some time together, especially as this year we have many new riders. They will all have the possibility to know each other and create a strong group while in Calpe, where they will enjoy the great facilities of the Suitopia – Sol y Mar Suites Hotel and the excellent climate and terrain of the Costa Blanca”, Koen Pelgrim concluded.
Photo credit: ©Sigfrid Eggers