Florent Jimenez returned to room 301 of his hotel in Calpe. On the door latch, a net containing Q36.5 flocked cycling clothing, straight out of the washing machine. Those of Tom Pidcock. Blunder of the floor staff: the English champion slept in 701. Cyclist with room for improvement but a perfect honest man, Florent returned his belongings to his owner. “ Plus, I’m 1.86m tall. I could never have put on his jersey », smiles the young forty-year-old, mental coach for enduro pilots “in civilian life” licensed at Salon-Cyclo Sport (Bouches-du-Rhône).
Where, when, and how can a “runner” accustomed to Ufolep games (but should we talk about games at this poor level?) come across at the table, in the corridors and on the road the winner of the Alpe-d’Huez, the Strade Bianche and the Amstel Gold race? Answers: in Calpe, in January, during the pre-season training camp. For around twenty years, running pros have been fleeing the frost, migrating to the mild skies of southern Spain. The ideal climate, the ideal topography to perfect their pedaling before the start. Since…much more recently, they have been joined and imitated by amateurs of all kinds – sometimes with legs, hair.
All-inclusive stays
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The phenomenon is increasing, it can make you smile, or even give rise to a few jokes on your return. If you don’t progress by bike, no course, no matter how intensive, can give you the watts, cardio and calves that Mother Nature has always denied you. And yet, they flock: to Rosas, to Tenerife, to Calpe, above all, where 80% of the seaside resort’s clientele are cyclists at this time of year. “ Calpe at the start of the season is Meccaassures Florent Jimenez. Sometimes you start your ride at five or six, and you find yourself riding with forty guys, platoons form. In addition, motorists are super respectful. No insults, no honking, they can stay quietly behind you the entire ascent of a pass, if overtaking is risky. We can only venture on the fast lane. Yes, Mecca. »
The faithful present diverse profiles. All sporting levels, all social levels, all objectives. From the Elite runner, a high-level amateur resident of a National Division club; athletically the closest to the stars of UAE or Visma-Lease-a-Bike spawning in the area – in 2018, Geoffrey Bouchard, still licensed at CR4C Roanne, had thus come very close to the times of Gaudu and Pinot in the ascent of Vall d’Ebo, the local standard climb, despite his poor aluminum rims. Who else?
From the rough-hewn Junior crimson from meeting Lotte Kopecky at the jacuzzi. From “Open 2” FFC a little tight on Sunday in the “all categories” events. Ambitious cyclists, big consumers of chocolate medals and other fake cups. From the cyclist from a northern Jura club affiliated with the FFVélo, who will not pin a bib of the year. Young. Someone who balances between two ages. From the old, like Bernard Mantovani. 70 years old. 7 or 8 races per season. 8,000 km per year. Candidate for qualification for the UCI World Championship in his category, the former business manager from Var will sweat in Calpe, in contact with more bleeding trainees. “ There are level groups. I aim for the fastest. Two years ago, I forced myself to join it, but I held on. »
“The landscape is magnificent. Once, I got in the way: “Damn, guys stop. Look around!” »
The senior core Bernard Mantuani
Mantovani opted for the “all-inclusive” formula of Labicycle, a personalized cycling training program platform based in Brittany. This is not their core business but, a sign of the times, many coaching sites act as tour operators. With success. “ Fifteen places are available, upon reservation. In less than a week, we are complete », assures Kevin Gueraud, manager of Labicycle. What to be selective about: “ Before registration, the trainee is asked to be able to maintain an average of 30 km/h over 5 kilometers. »
Credibility requires, the week, peppered with thematic conferences, is supervised by ex-pro runner Denis Leproux. Le Raidard, a colleague from Labicycle whose selling point is “ a cycling course in Spain, like the pros, by the pros! », for his part, enlisted the help of Geoffroy Lequatre, formerly of Radioshack.
“Like the pros, by the pros!” »
Despite the idyllic setting, the 4-star hotel, the full board, the spa, the mechanic and the attentive masseur, the week is not easy. A vacation? Come on then! We are here to limit ourselves: no less than 600 km accumulated, accompanied by PMA tests, ascents of passes at the threshold, sprints and lactic efforts, strength work, as if we were going to line up for Paris-Nice. With such a program, few distractions (go sightseeing with heavy legs), the nightlife is rather calm.
“We go to bed early, we don’t drink or little, we don’t smoke » lists Bernard Mantovani, sometimes a little sorry to see his comrades with their heads in the handlebars “ while the landscape is magnificent. “Once I got in the way: ‘Fuck, guys stop. Look around!’ » Not all of them saw seminarians: if he turns grenadine at the short vigil, Florent Jimenez allows himself a little pastry on the way, an innocent deviation given the difference in altitude engulfed.
In Calpe, according to the established expression, we “do the job”… even if it is not a job. If the pros are paid to ride in the sun of the Costa Blanca, our amateurs, fully supported by having subscribed to the all-inclusive formula, pay between 1,400 and 2,000 euros per stay, depending on whether or not they opt for a single room. For those who are more flexible, independent and others who are resistant to organized trips, getting away with it for less remains entirely possible. “ Half-board accommodation is around 120 euros per night in a nice hotelassures Florent Jimenez. But it can go down to 80 euros in a lesser establishment. It’s still Spain, it’s affordable, especially if you book 3-4 months in advance. I spent weeks at 700 euros. »
On the slopes of the volcano
The shrewd hoteliers quickly understood the benefit of filling the coffers outside of the summer rush and bend over backwards for their guests in shorts: light menus based on the sacrosanct pasta, salad, fish or grilled meat, dedicated car parks where you can leave your horse in complete safety. A fan of the course since his cycling debut in 2023, Florent Jimenez prefers to plan his Iberian trips himself, solo or with his club mates. They develop their training program in advance, robust, and based on the land. “ We drive between 100 and 150 km per day. We are here to create volume, turn our legs. »
Fashion effect combined with logistical facilities, Calpe, 1h30 away from Valencia airport, occupies pole position. But the most fanatics do not shy away from a distant expedition to the Canary Islands, on the charred flanks of the Teide volcano, Chris Froome’s arid garden.
Like his co-religionists Bernard Montovani and Florent Jimenez, Rémi Alazard lives in Provence, objectively the best place in France to train in winter. Insufficient for the very determined licensee of Istres Sport Cycliste, a National Division 3 club, a strong supporter of the course since the junior ranks, in 2018. After Lloret de Mar and Calpe, Alazard therefore flew to Tenerife. Quite a journey for an honest courier ranked 1,423rd in the FFC national ranking. “ Seven days on the island, with a friend. Thursday to Thursday. 650 euros for two. Not an inch of flatness there, and my longest session lasted seven hours. As someone who is not a climber, it really helped me get out of the way. » On site, the 24-year-old farmer met all the elite. “ The Ineos, four guys from Lotto-Soudal, Tiesj Benoot, too, all alone. »
Low profile in Van Aert’s wheel
Rémi climbed the Teide volcano alongside Juan Pedro Lopez (then at Lidl-Trek), discussed the bout of fat with Geraint Thomas, the winner of the 2018 Tour. Very affordable. He kindly answered my questions about possible routes, and even gave me the address of a café. The presence of the pros creates a nice emulation. They are still relaxed at this time. » So inclined to mingle with the pedaling plebs. Tolerate it, at least. Not so obvious: our champions are working and can legitimately be annoyed by the massive presence of sometimes paunchy pimps clinging to their coattails. For some intrusive people, the kind that forces conversation.
“I found myself at the red light next to Pogacar. It never occurred to me to bother him. Question of respect »
Florent Jimenez, fan of internships in Spain
Florent Jimenez is careful not to do so. When he took the wheels of the Visma, for a few kilometers, pedaling in the wake of Wout Van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson, he made himself very small. “ They don’t say hello, normal, they’re on their own thing. And sports directors don’t like us to stay in the hands of their runners, I understand perfectly. When I’m around pros, I keep my composure, I act as if nothing happened. One morning, I found myself at the red light next to Pogacar. It never occurred to me to bother him. Question of respect. »
A discretion which did not prevent him from discussing nutrition at breakfast with a perfectly consenting Tom Pidcock in front of his bowl of oatmeal. The icing on the cake of a stay that was beneficial in many ways according to those surveyed. “ I recommend 100%, s’anime Jimenez. It would be stupid to deprive yourself of it. We all need it. » It is therefore not a question of level, to hear it. Neither a matter of immodesty, stupid mimicry or lack of lucidity. “ Anyway, on a bike, you are always someone’s champion, Alazard notes finely. I race in Elite, so for the cyclo, I am a god… while the WorldTour guys give me monumental pills. »
A coquetry, really?
The licensee at Istres SC sees in this Hispanic rush proof of the trend towards the “professionalization” of cycling. “ Today, the amateur cyclist models himself on the professional, whatever his intrinsic qualities and the level at which he evolves. All areas of the bike optimize everything. I too make big sacrifices to perform. Since covid, the general level of racing has seriously increased. Consequently, the internship in Spain, which could initially be perceived as a vanity, tends to become more democratic. Everyone (sic) is going there, and in my opinion, the phenomenon is not going to run out of steam. »
Kevin Gueraud, the boss of Labicycle and course organizer, thinks the same: “ It can still gain momentum. We have the right to think that the course is a bit gimmicky. But after all, if the participants want to have fun, ride a week in the sun… And in a qualitative way: when you come out of seven such intense days, you really want to give yourself! »
TRUE. If it doesn’t transform a donkey into a racehorse, the internship in the country of Valverde can’t do any harm: we are at least sure to come back tanned and sharper. The 2025 season for our witness trainees was also good. Rémi Alazard crashed a stage of the Agglo Cycling Tour of Pays d’Issoire, for which he wore the leader’s jersey. Bernard Mantovani won two cyclosportives in his category. Florent Jimenez left the sad Ufolep level to move up to “Open 3” FFC. The big loads at the start of the year in the mildness of the province of Alicante must have something to do with it…
