My first team training Camp
When I signed for Cannibal B Victorious in Autumn 2022, they said there would be a February training camp but it seemed ages away.
Suddenly it was here, and I was waking up at 3.00am to get in the car and go the airport.
Gatwick airport and here I was, but feeling slightly nervous at this time of the journey, until I could be sure they would accept my bike box, my bag sizes and weights etc. Why is it all so complicated? Luckily, we are the family that always got to the airport really early. I didn't break that habit, so I had plenty of time and I got through.
All smooth and then I landed at Alicante – it then hit me that I AM ALONE in a foreign country. After a coach ride to Calpe I met the Team Manager who I had met once before and we headed to the team house, my home for the next 10 days.
That is where it got exciting, as straight away I went to the kit room and got all my new kit. I then rushed back upstairs to put it on and got an insta worthy photo in the bathroom. I was ready to go on a ride but there was one key thing missing - the bike! So I rushed back downstairs and got my new bike. Any new bike day for a cyclist is a Christmas Day, so with the bike, kit and feeling half awake, I set out on an easy spin with a few of my new team-mates. Fantastic - The sky was blue; the views were breath-taking and the roads were smooth!
Nothing could be better. In this exact moment I thought if this carries on for the whole week this will be epic.
How wrong could I be….the next day I woke up and it was pouring down with rain and the next and the next. Why did I pay £200 pounds to come to Spain when it rains all the time!
And the next few days weren’t plain sailing in other ways too… drenched on the first day and felt chesty. Trip to the doctors on day two and got antibiotics for a chest infection.
Got out again on day three but it was still raining and really windy. So much for those views!
The next day was the rest day and this could have not come at a better time as I could use the whole day to get 100% better. Day 4 we had tests - 2km and 500m - this went very well. I came first in the 2km and third in the 500 meters.
The next few days rolled round and the legs felt good, I performed well and enjoyed the amazing roads around Calpe. We saw some professional teams out on their camps too. But there was a sickness bug in the camp by now and eventually that got me. This illness wiped me out for the rest of the camp.
I had managed some great time on the bike, but as always with cycling it was a bit of a roller coaster.
On reflection it was an amazing experience. I got a great taste of the ups and downs of a winter training camp, I got to hang around with my great new team mates and somehow fit in some great miles.
All in all. it was success and I was super excited to start the season for Cannibal B Victorious!