'No weak links' at Quick-Step Floors – Gallery

Quick-Step Floors concluded team training camp in Calpe, Spain on Thursday. The 10-day event included 27 members of the 2018 outfit. The team got in plenty of high-volume and high-intensity riding while in the warmer climate and fit in time for mandatory performance and medical tests.

"We are pleased with our first training camp, it's been a good and important block of hard training ahead of next season," said Koen Pelgrim, the team's trainer. "The weather was great, and that allowed us to follow everything we had planned.

"The camp is a good moment to see where everybody is and fortunately we saw that everybody was more or less on schedule, no weak links in the squad.”

Pelgrim monitored two young riders Maximilian Schachmann and Laurens De Plus, who both suffered a crash and injury in the second part of the season.

"[They are] getting better and better with every day spent on the bike. They will be ready for next season," he said.

Outside of training, the team held photo shoots, team bonding activities, physiological tests and bike fitting sessions conducted by Specialized and Retül.

"After such a big block of training, most of the riders need a bit of recovery,” Pelgrim said. “A few days with the family over Christmas is therefore not too bad. Hereafter, they continue their training, but on a lower level than in the camp.”

Quick-Step Floors riders will have a second training camp from January 5-13, which includes the team presentation on January 9. They start their racing season at the Tour Down Under in Australia.

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