Photo gallery: RadioShack training camp in Calpe
Exclusive pictures from first gathering of 2011 campaign
The RadioShack team gathered in Calpe, Spain this week for its first training camp ahead of the 2011 season. And while Lance Armstrong and the other American riders didn’t make the trek across the Atlantic, there was still plenty of talent on show, including several new arrivals at the team for 2011.
Snow and freezing temperatures have wreaked havoc on the training schedules of professional riders all over Europe in recent weeks and so many of the RadioShack squad were determined to make the most of their time under the Spanish sun to get in some serious training miles.
New signing Philip Deignan had been forced to ride a turbo trainer in recent days in Ireland and he was among a select group of riders to get in an extra hour on the road on first morning of the training camp. Andreas Klöden recently spent some time in the Middle East with Jan Ullrich but was also keen to take advantage of the conditions. He stayed out alone to put in some extra kilometres in the afternoon.
Janez Brajkovic was less fortunate and had to wait a little longer before sampling the delights of training with the sun on his back. Weather conditions and a string of flight delays saw the Slovenian arrive a day later than his teammates. Haimar Zubeldia and Thiago Machado had more straightforward journeys from elsewhere on the Iberian peninsula, while Yaroslav Popovych seemed happy to be back on his bike in Calpe after his troubled off-season.
Team manager Johan Bruyneel kept a low-key presence at the camp, running an eye over the fitness of his European-based riders as the team prepares for the beginning of the post-Lance Armstrong era.
Like last season, RadioShack will continue to ride SRAM-equipped Treks in 2011. Having secured a ProTeam licence for the coming season, RadioShack should also be present at all of the Grand Tours. The Calpe training camp was also an opportunity for the team to begin planning its calendar for 2011.
Cyclingnews has an exclusive gallery of images from the Calpe training camp here.
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.