More WorldTeams opt for different training camp setups in January

The foundation for a successful season is laid by cyclists in the winter. From the first training sessions in November, through training camps in December and January, up to the first race. In recent years, however, we’ve seen a trend where teams increasingly shape their January camps differently. This continues into 2026. WielerFlits asked all WorldTeams about their plans for the first month of the year.

In principle, there are never complete teams at training camps in January anyway, because part of the squad is often already on their way to Australia for the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. However, except for those seven riders, until a few years ago most teams chose to centralize all other riders during their January camps, which typically take place on the Spanish west coast.

This is still the case now, with the region between Alicante and Valencia being the hotspot par excellence. No fewer than nine of the eighteen WorldTeams are staying in well-known training locations such as Altea, Benidorm, Calpe, Dénia, and Javéa in the upcoming period. Exceptions to the rule are Uno-X Mobility (whose training camp takes place in Palma de Mallorca) and EF Education-EasyPost. The American formation has been based in Girona, north of Barcelona, during this period for years.

WielerFlits will be in the region again from January 11 to 19, 2026 with the Alpecin Barbershop, where last year Tadej Pogacar also showed up - photo: Hidde van de Streek/WielerFlits