Training camps 2015

bryangiggsy

That time of the yr again to start thinking of next years training camp. Last yr Iwent to Lanzarote and Sands Beach.with Russ Cox. Same camp is an option nxt year although also looking for other possibilities as it falls on the wifes bday. Total cost of russ,s camp is 650 sterling.half board.not incl flights or bike transport. 600 if u coached by him. I see ship.my tri are advertising their camps also in portugal for 1250 all inclusive. Anyone any other recommendations ?

tunney

bryangiggsy wrote: »

That time of the yr again to start thinking of next years training camp. Last yr Iwent to Lanzarote and Sands Beach.with Russ Cox. Same camp is an option nxt year although also looking for other possibilities as it falls on the wifes bday. Total cost of russ,s camp is 650 sterling.half board.not incl flights or bike transport. 600 if u coached by him. I see ship.my tri are advertising their camps also in portugal for 1250 all inclusive. Anyone any other recommendations ?

What do you hope to get out of a camp?

kingQuez

TI have had a camp the last few years with a good setup but a bit pricey, if its just a bit of cycling you're after then GC is a nice destination and can be cheap to do (http://www.cyclegrancanaria.com/) but you have to like hills, probably not an option but there's those Dove age group camps too (http://trisutto.com/category/age-group-camps/) but I expect they're somewhere far away at that time of the year.

Keep us posted if you come across anything else interesting?

bryangiggsy

tunney wrote: »

What do you hope to get out of a camp?

A week of good training with plenty of time for recovery . A lot of cycling in warm weather and beautiful location are to name a few. Something I cannot get with two kids under the age of 6

ciah

From November to February it is hard to do better than Club La Santa, Lanzarote. Excellent accommodation/facilities, good value Ryanair flights, 3 Olympic pools, sheltered open water swimming, running track, cycling heaven, warm but not mad hot. Did their Intermediate Tri Camp in late November last year and have booked again this year.

gilleek2

bryangiggsy wrote: »

A week of good training with plenty of time for recovery . A lot of cycling in warm weather and beautiful location are to name a few. Something I cannot get with two kids under the age of 6

If its largely cycling you want then you hardly need a full on training camp. Cheap flights to Gran Canaria, 140 for bike hire for a week and you'll get accommodation pretty cheap too. Routes are class. Lovely scenery, quiet roads when you get into the mountains. Mostly good road surfaces.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Lanzarote is great for bike training, toying with going there again or Alcudia for Xmas. No need for camps imo as most of them are a waste of time and money.

scheister

im looking at Le Sancture des Sportifs for a triathlon camp next does anyone know what they are like

bryangiggsy

gilleek2 wrote: »

If its largely cycling you want then you hardly need a full on training camp. Cheap flights to Gran Canaria, 140 for bike hire for a week and you'll get accommodation pretty cheap too. Routes are class. Lovely scenery, quiet roads when you get into the mountains. Mostly good road surfaces.

No not want i want.

bryangiggsy

scheister wrote: »

im looking at Le Sancture des Sportifs for a triathlon camp next does anyone know what they are like

Pulse have done a lot of training camps with those guys. Have never gone though because its warm weather i am after and they dont really get any until May

bryangiggsy

Poppy Uptight Opera wrote: »

Lanzarote is great for bike training, toying with going there again or Alcudia for Xmas. No need for camps imo as most of them are a waste of time and money.

Why?

bryangiggsy

ciah wrote: »

From November to February it is hard to do better than Club La Santa, Lanzarote. Excellent accommodation/facilities, good value Ryanair flights, 3 Olympic pools, sheltered open water swimming, running track, cycling heaven, warm but not mad hot. Did their Intermediate Tri Camp in late November last year and have booked again this year.

In comparison to Sands Beach i heard La Santa was very expensive. How much are you talking for a week all in?

mossym

bryangiggsy wrote: »

Why?

i imagine JB means it's easy rent a bike in Lanza, and get int a lot of decent training on your own. loads of opps to SBR, so the camps are a way of paying to do what you can do yourself. unless you go to take advantage of instruction from a speciific coach, you can get just as much training in by renting an apartment in Puerto del carmen or playa blanca for much cheaper and doing your own thing

bryangiggsy

mossym wrote: »

i imagine JB means it's easy rent a bike in Lanza, and get int a lot of decent training on your own. loads of opps to SBR, so the camps are a way of paying to do what you can do yourself. unless you go to take advantage of instruction from a speciific coach, you can get just as much training in by renting an apartment in Puerto del carmen or playa blanca for much cheaper and doing your own thing

why rent a bike when you can bring your own for less?

The only way this would be beneficial imo is if you went with 3 or 4 guys of similiar abilities and had a set plan of training in place for the week. Wud imagine it would be quite hard to get a number of guys going in the first place the same week. Going on my own not an option. Going with my family..defeats the puropse as you would come back wrecked no recovery. train, mind kids,train mind kids...
I really liked lanza last year..although the wind was an absolute c u nxt tuesday....food was excellent in sands beach...the group had 2 coaches so when the group split there was no waiting around for people and there was a set plan in place.....got plenty of miles in and great experience on the lanza IM course...once i can do it for about a grand then im happy.

mossym

bryangiggsy wrote: »

why rent a bike when you can bring your own for less?

.

or bring your own. some people don't like to. for a week's training i would. but brining your own bike is going to be the same for camp or solo effort so no real difference there

cart man

Poppy Uptight Opera wrote: »

Lanzarote is great for bike training, toying with going there again or Alcudia for Xmas. No need for camps imo as most of them are a waste of time and money.

mossym wrote: »

i imagine JB means it's easy rent a bike in Lanza, and get int a lot of decent training on your own. loads of opps to SBR, so the camps are a way of paying to do what you can do yourself. unless you go to take advantage of instruction from a speciific coach, you can get just as much training in by renting an apartment in Puerto del carmen or playa blanca for much cheaper and doing your own thing

Do you have the same view with regards being in a club? (Why bother join a club if you can train by yourself - advantages are save money, training times and locations that suit you better etc)
Also if it is just about finding the cheapest training opportunity why travel at all??

Personally I value the social aspect of going on a camp(or being in a club). Getting a week away from the family is about both maximising the training and also a holiday. As a relative newbie I still have loads to learn, so once the coach is good I will learn more than if I go on my own.
Just my 2c.

mossym

cart man wrote: »

Do you have the same view with regards being in a club? (Why bother join a club if you can train by yourself - advantages are save money, training times and locations that suit you better etc)
Also if it is just about finding the cheapest training opportunity why travel at all??


Personally I value the social aspect of going on a camp(or being in a club). Getting a week away from the family is about both maximising the training and also a holiday. As a relative newbie I still have loads to learn, so once the coach is good I will learn more than if I go on my own.
Just my 2c.

not in a club. and it's nothing to do with saving money, your thinking is flawed there for a lot of people a club could be the cheapest option.

going off track here, but it's not about the money. if you're getting something you can't get yourself then worth paying for. if not, then doing it yourself an alternative. no-one suggested it was about the cheapest option.

peter kern

bryangiggsy wrote: »

Why?

I know your one was ok as you got milage in , but most of them are coffee trips and a when people want to break 10 hours in an Ironman and do 450 k of cycling in an organiced camp for me this is a fail.its not even great for a 12.30 h ironman ( still all those people loved a camp so you cant argue with it )
I think jackbacks argument is totally sound the ways he justyfies his argument
and tunnys when he askes what you want to get out of it , this is the most important question . Its not what others like as different people like a camp for various reasons . Most want a active holdidays where they feel they do training , some want to train proper and others want other aspects ( like a 2nd opinon form anohter coach, a guide etc. or train with their online coach or in a group )

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Just to expand on my previous post on why i see most training camps as a waste of time and money.

1. Most camps have generic enough plans that those follow, whats good for one is not good for the other. Very few camps offer 1 on 1 tailored sessions for the week.
2. If its a group camp you will likely be going as fast as the slowest person, whats the point.
3. Lets be honest most people attending these are doing so for the social aspect/group training and thats ok. For me if i wanted the social side i would go out at home for a few pints or a coffee. Not a fvking chance i am going to spend money and time away from the family if the time away is not totally focussed on train, recover, train, recover and getting the most out of the week.
4. More bang for buck doing your own training, or better still find a few athletes who are similar or better ability. Having trained in Lanza i was surrounded by top agers and mid level pros....yet still had my own plan to work but dove tailed in when i could, being pushed by better athletes is great to have
5. Cartman, "Also if it is just about finding the cheapest training opportunity why travel at all??" i will flip that, why waste money on going away and not getting the best out of your training, my point, a waste of time & money no?
6. Cartman "Getting a week away from the family is about both maximising the training and also a holiday". Training camp and holiday do not mix, its one or the other. Example i will be going on a family holiday at Xmas, with my bike, that does not mean its a training camp, it just means i will be cycling on my holidays!
7. I know people who have gone abroad on these camps and they stop for lunch on a 4hr or 5hr ride, fine if its a social setting but a training camp!!

I will likely do more training camps but not paying over the odds for the privilage of following a generic (& mostly) **** plan not designed to address ones specific weaknesses. I would rather spend that extra money on nicer accomadation and train solo.

my 2c.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

bryangiggsy wrote: »

why rent a bike when you can bring your own for less?

Agree, bring your own

bryangiggsy wrote: »

The only way this would be beneficial imo is if you went with 3 or 4 guys of similiar abilities and had a set plan of training in place for the week.

Yes very true, then no real need to spend the additional money on a generic plan, coach or camp.

cart man

Poppy Uptight Opera wrote: »

5. Cartman, "Also if it is just about finding the cheapest training opportunity why travel at all??" i will flip that, why waste money on going away and not getting the best out of your training, my point, a waste of time & money no?
6. Cartman "Getting a week away from the family is about both maximising the training and also a holiday". Training camp and holiday do not mix, its one or the other. Example i will be going on a family holiday at Xmas, with my bike, that does not mean its a training camp, it just means i will be cycling on my holidays!

I think all your points are well made and perfectly valid. I wonder sometimes does the wrong tone/intention come across in my posts.

I have much less experience than most people posting here. I have experienced one camp. Perhaps I was lucky as we were able to split into smaller groups of similar ability, the faster/slower riders were brought off separately. We never stopped for coffee although at times I think I would have liked to. Also every one of us improved our swimming in particular.

For me the holiday bit was not nightclubbing/drinking/sunbathing etc it was getting away from work, being so busy on the camp that I didn't think of it once. The bonus was I got to train in warm weather, see new sights, enjoyed nice food, got a break from the daily routine. I also made good friends with others on the camp that I have been able to train with since I have come home. Had I stayed at home to do the same level of training I would have been sucked into the tasks of daily life.

Re pt 6: I agree - I brought the bike with me this summer on the family holiday, I was always back from my spin before they were awake, I was on a family holiday.

As Peter said there are many reasons why people do camps. People commenting here from experience either went on 1 or more camps - it is possible, unlike me, that people who only did only one had a bad experience and would suggest not doing another. People that have done more than 1 must have thought there some was value in them that they went again. Then there are others that camps just don't suit them.

I for one will be going again, if anyone wants to PM their address I will send them a postcard

To bring the post back on topic I would welcome any suggestions (particularly from those that went on more than 1) on where to go in March. At the moment I am leaning towards the Sands Beach Club in Lanzarote.

ciah

bryangiggsy wrote: »

In comparison to Sands Beach i heard La Santa was very expensive. How much are you talking for a week all in?

Costs for Club La Santa follow
Apartment for up to 3 adults + 1 child (very comfortable for a couple) cost £79 sterling per day (on double winter discount offer). 1 week cost £525 sterling. Apartment has kitchen and balcony. Food not included. The double winter discount has now expired so pricing is probably £100 higher for a booking, see the Club La Santa UK website.
Ryanair to Lanzarote costs €140 return approx.
€70 approx for taxi from airport to Club La Santa and back if bus is not running.
Triathlon camp for a week costs €185 per person (goody bag with cycle top probably included, at least that was the case last year).
Bike rental is €98 for a week if you want a bike for your exclusive use. Last year I just collected a Cannondale CAAD Tiagra road bike for free from the bike service centre prior to heading out.

Accommodation costs are less if apartments are packed with max number of people and the cost per person reduces with larger apartments.

Classes of every variety, TRX, yoga, pilates etc are regularly available which can be included.

Lots of pro athletes based there who offer talk + Q&A in the evening (I attended one with Johnny Brownlee last year).

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

cart man wrote: »

At the moment I am leaning towards the Sands Beach Club in Lanzarote.

These are also good, you can do your own thing and they have a 25mtr pool.
http://www.trisportslanzarote.com/

mickmc9

I have to agree with most of what jackyback says.....but
1. Only bring your own bike if you are coming for more than a week and you are comfortable with boxing it and putting it back together. Most of the bike shops will give you a discount if you ask ...nicely!

Places like Club La Santa & Sands Beach have their place, you are putting yourself in an atmosphere where everybody is getting out everyday to train and it is infectious. More suited to the triathlete than an out an out cyclist. At the end of the day you only get out what you put in.

From a cycling point of view, I have to go with JB. Lots of guys come out to Lanzarote to train on the bike and they are sitting at the airport at the end of it, thinking, ...k I could have done that at home. Most cycling training camps are simply trumped up base mileage spins with very large groups sometimes that end up strewn over a couple of kms along the route. They are more suited to sportif orientated clubs if you ask me. A bike training camp is 3 days of suffering a rest day and 3 more days of it.

trisportlanzarote run a good show and if you time your visit right, you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of training advice in all the disciplines. Contact them and find out who's going to be there and when, for a small place he has a lot of top class triathletes using his facilities - there's a good reason for that, it does what it says on the tin.