Sardinia April 2002

It was somewhere near the summit of the Ittiri that I lost the will to live. My bike, the fabled “Blue Meanie” Cannondale had suddenly doubled its mass and the road felt like it had turned from smooth asphalt to an especially viscous quicksand. My quads were burning, I had eaten my last GO bar half an hour earlier and yet I was loving every minute of this. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Gavin, Rhian Jones (HIMUK 2001 Finisher) and Steve Thomas (Ex-pro cyclist and Pro Cycling Journo)

Tricia and I had travelled to Alghero in Sardinia with Activepeople www.activepeople-uk.com a fledging company specialising in Cycling and Triathlon based holidays at several locations throughout Europe. The great attraction of the week was the opportunity to be coached by and train with Matt Bellfield (Winner of 1999 Lanzarote Ironman, Top ten in Hawaii @ World Championships) and the lure of some warm weather cycling.

The set-up in Sardinia is ideal for Triathlon training. I went to that Mecca for Triathletes, Club La Santa, last year and whilst the sporting facilities are fantastic (50m pool, tartan track) there is little interest in the surrounding area, the running surfaces are very poor and the rooms are a tad spartan. Activepeople use the Green Sporting Hotel in Alghero, which has an excellent 25m pool, weights room and cardio studio, the roads are, without doubt, the finest that I have ever cycled and there are great on and off road running trails in the area. The real bonus (especially for those travelling with partners and families) is the local town and surrounding area. Alghero is full of character, with its fortress walls, colourful tratorria and labyrinthine streets but to fully appreciate the beauty of the island I would recommend non-cyclists to hire a car and explore the breathtaking interior mountains.

The training followed a fairly flexible pattern, except for swimming where the pool was booked for 7.30-9am every day. Swim training varied from 8x400m to technique work, with some open water and swim-bike T1 training thrown in for good measure – I just hope this will allow me to avoid being the slowest person through transitions this year! Open water swimming conditions are generally fantastic, however the rough weather we experienced on the first two days had kicked up a lot of sand in the bays, so there was only a single session at Cappa Caccia.

Jamie and Lottie, the couple behind Activepeople, have strong links with the local running club so they know plenty of good spots for both speed and endurance sessions. There is an off-road half-marathon and we also raced a 5K session with a staggered start – much like Tom’s Boat Club Handicap this gives everybody a target to aim for, the only problem with this out-and-back course was that it was downhill out! I realised that I was in bother when I reached the turn in 7.34 but as coaches are fond of saying the return leg was "Character Building".

Swim coaching with Matt Bellfield

However the real attraction of this camp was the cycling – mile upon mile of velvety-smooth roads, friendly and courteous drivers and a perfect climate. Sardinia has long been the training ground for many of the great Italian riders, from the legendary Faustino Coppi to Marco Pantani, indeed on the second day (After the long run) five members of the group, including the legends representative, cycled the Via Coppi to Porto Torres and Argenteri, which was 55 miles of spectacular countryside, rolling roads and clifftop descents.

The long rides will stay with me as some of the great cycling experiences – hitting the top at Villanova Montelone after 12 miles and 3750 feet of climbing from the door of the hotel, only to be told by Matt Bellfield to go back and pick up the back marker! The above mentioned bonk-fest at Ittiri (and a life-saving hidden gel!), 40mph descents at Putafugri, the bridges at Romanova - hundreds of feet above sapphire coloured lakes, with sandstone cliffs all around (Only one problem with this last one - we had already covered 75 miles and had yet to climb those cliffs to get back to the coast!). It really was cycling heaven.

Training Camp Tips

• Taper into any time away and take an easy week or 10 days afterwards, just to get the full benefit and avoid injury (Do not try to do the Irish Duathlon Championships 3 days later, you will only end up looking and feeling like the living dead! Trust me.)


• Relax in the evenings, have a glass of wine and don’t get too focused on only training, it will stop you getting stale / irritable by the fourth day and you will enjoy the craic.


• Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to push for the sessions you want to do, as opposed to what is in the programme. This is your time to specify and concentrate.


• Get a good sturdy bike box for any flights (Padded bags are just not up to the job) and secure everything inside it, wrapping the frame in bubble-wrap or newspaper.
  

• Clothing choice will depend on the weather but always take a pair of tights and a decent top/ jacket as even the best climates can have cool and windy days up in the mountains. Other useful items: arm / leg warmers, bandanna to protect back of neck from sun, Cooltool or basic allen keys and link-splitter, good quality bib-shorts, extra cage on bike for water (We had vehicle support but even then it can be a fair time between re-fuel, so capacity for 1.5l is minimum) and decent bike glasses with interchangeable lenses.
• Focus on one session per day and make that your key session, as you will never be able to sustain full concentration and intensity over 15-20 session, but make some key sessions technical as opposed to “balls-out” level 4 sets.
• Don’t take on any ex-pro cyclists down steep mountain descents, as you will only end up scaring yourself witless and /or nearly going over the crash barriers to 900ft drops.
• Enjoy it! These are the sorts of thing that Legends were born for and any aches and pains are quickly forgotten but the memory of cresting the mountain top after pounding 39x23 for 45 minutes will linger forever.

Basically I loved this camp and think that a legends Training camp to Morzine (or even back to Sardinia if anybody is interested!) would be a great idea for May time 2003 (Post Marathon/ pre Season). I have spoken to a few people but would like e-mails from anybody who is interested – all levels catered for! Jamie @ Activepeople can put together 4 days in Morzine or Vittel (French elite camp) for about £150 for half board and vehicle support. Both locations have a 50m pool, gym and track facilities, with loads of cycling in the area. I was tempted by Morzine as it is at altitude but on a plateau so all sessions at 5-6000ft (inc. outdoor pool), think of the training benefit! If we could get 12 people together/ committed I can look @ flights (Either direct, Dublin or v. cheap via Stanstead). Basically would be trying for the £200-£250 range inc. training camp running gear. Aiming for a Thursday post-work departure, returning on Tuesday pre-lunch (2.5 days away from work).

E-mail gavin@mcauleyandbrowne.co.uk if interested.