Training in Lockdown
Spain is in full lockdown to help slow the spread of the coronavirus which has meant I’m doing all of my training on Zwift. Zwift has been a real lifesaver for me (especially because of the meet-up feature) but, even if you don’t have access to Zwift or a smart trainer, if you’re riding indoors, these are a few things I’ve learned in the past two weeks.
1. Adjust your power. Drop your watts, scale down your FTP, and recalibrate your brain to those numbers. Riding inside is harder and if you try to match your outside numbers you will pay for it!
2. Focus on the feeling. Since your power won’t be what you’re used to and you may have to adjust normal training sessions, take your heart rate into consideration and always factor in your RPE (rate of perceived exertion). Listen to your body. In races you rely on your instincts anyway so it’s great practice for getting in touch with your body.
3. Indoor trainers function best with cadence around 80-90 RPM. Under or over and your training might be compromised. I’ve been trying to execute some high torque, low cadence strength intervals but with the smart trainer, sticking to cadence targets isn’t effective; instead, I focus on the feeling.
4. Reduce the volume by 20-30%. Riding inside is a constant effort. Although on Zwift you get a sense of drafting and going downhill, you still have to pedal. I’ve been adjusting my 5 hour rides to 3 hours and my 3 hour rides to 2 hours.
5. Don’t forget to fuel. Although your sessions might be shorter, don’t be tempted to skip nutrition. I set up a table next to the trainer and stock it with dates, homemade banana bread and lots of liquids to ensure I’m fuelled and hydrated.
6. Lastly, let go of perfection. A long period of indoor training is a big mental challenge. You might be used to structure and nailing each session but accept that indoor training is different and allow your training and expectations to adjust.
Full Circle
Silvie, Wouter, Ashleigh and Carl outside the Rocacorba Cycling front door.
I didn’t even realise it was happening but there it was: a Dutch couple I’d met at the Boels Rental Women’s Tour in September last year at my doorstep. I couldn’t place them right away, but I knew I knew them. They reminded me; after I had won the QOM jersey on stage one, we met and I gave them my podium flowers. Now, here they were in Spain, at Rocacorba Cycling, and making our vision into a reality. Let me explain…
When we first started Rocacorba Cycling, I had my racing life and my business life. When we opened our doors, it was about more than being a hotel and cycling destination. Rocacorba Cycling was and is part of a big dream to bring the parts of cycling together, to marry the right hand of cycling passion with the left hand of sustainability. We wanted a place where everything could viably function together so there were no barriers between cyclists, cycling stakeholders, and everyone in between—a positive feedback loop, so to speak.
That positive feedback was loud and clear when Wouter and Silvie came to stay. We’ve had fans become guests, guests become friends, and friends become family over the years but having fans come to stay because I had connected with them in person at a race was something special.
Racing life and business life have really become symbiotic and that alignment feels so organic and fulfilling. Seeing that connection grow and gain momentum is motivating and uplifting—we hope for our guests also. We aren’t just a hotel. We aren’t just a cycling destination. There’s so much more to experience and feel, not only at Rocacorba Cycling, but beyond our ancient stone courtyard.
We welcome everyone to join us in 2020 whether it’s following my races and preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, coming for a cycling holiday, staying at the hotel and enjoying Catalunya, or connecting with us on social media and being part of our journey from afar.
From our family to yours, best wishes and we hope to see you in 2020!
Peaks and Perks
California knows how to party. It was the queen stage of the Tour of California which meant it was all uphill for the final 45km with an amazing summit finish on Mt. Baldy. It also meant there was a cookie corner on one of the switchbacks—literally a corner on the race course where very enthusiastic fans were handing out chocolate chip cookies! Racing in the USA definitely has its perks.
Image: Jeff Clark
I knew the second stage was going to be the stage for me. The first stage had been nervous with strong winds and, to be honest, I was feeling a little flat having just come off some altitude and the set-back of my crash at Amstel. The impact on my sacrum was worse than just a hard landing and the doctor had recommended a few weeks off the bike. Not ideal but the Tour of California, a new race for me, was the perfect place for a new beginning and the start of my summer racing.
We hit the bottom of Mt. Baldy and Katie Hall was the first to accelerate. I wasn’t going to jump. My gut told me the best thing to do was to stick to my own hard tempo. More attacks came from Kasia and Anna, me following in tow, as the bunch was left behind and the break was eventually caught. Anna eventually joined her teammate Katie while Kasia slid back, leaving me on my own.
Image: Jeff Clark
“Steady, stick to your tempo,” I reaffirmed to myself. I was clawing Anna and Katie in, getting the gap down to 14 seconds, but as the gradient at the top backed off, I could only focus on maintaining my position. I crossed the line finishing in third place on the stage and moving up to third on the general classification. Since I had almost cancelled my trip to the USA, I was beyond happy: happy with my race strategy, happy with my physical performance, happy to have a podium, and happy that I managed to grab a chocolate chip cookie from the cookie corner on the way back down the mountain. It was a great day.
The final stage was really aggressive with a really exciting performance from Paulina. I wish there was television coverage so people could have watched how she lit up the race and almost stole the entire show had it not been for the long downhill to the finish. Still, thanks to her efforts, I managed to finish in the small bunch to hold my third overall and get CCC-Liv on the final podium.
Image: Jeff Clark
When I returned to the team car after prize giving, as if finishing on the podium wasn’t enough, I discovered some fan had made me brownies. I mentioned at the Mt. Baldy prize giving that I loved chocolate brownies and I couldn’t believe someone had taken the time and care to deliver brownies to the team. I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. The enthusiasm and hospitality of the USA was exactly what I needed. I was leaving the Tour of California with a renewed sense of confidence in my performance, a fresh excitement for the rest of the season, and the desire to come back and race in California next year. Then again, maybe it was just the brownie talking. Yep, they were that good!
The Next Chapter
You can just imagine the family working where we’ve started to dig out the new pool. Originally the vegetable garden, you can still see the built-in benches in the remains of the stone walls where they would rest. We’re definitely keeping those benches.
The position of the pool moved several times during planning and was discussed at length over months, as are all the renovation plans; but, ultimately, the house always reveals what is best and we’ve learned to trust that. There is always an initial idea of what we want but when you live on a property like this one, you get to know it. All the quirks, how it functions and how people flow through the spaces, the scars of wear and tear, the layers of modernization—it isn’t a blank slate. Respecting what is here always presents challenges but working with what we have allows us to refurbish and reinvent instead of replace and erase.
For the recent updates to the Germa building, we especially wanted to reinstate the doors opening onto the courtyard. The action is always in the courtyard and it’s probably been that way since the house was built. We wanted to re-establish that connection, not just for the building, but so our guests can feel that connection too. It’s easy to think of Can Campolier as historical, and it is, but it’s also still a functioning property so it’s not just about highlighting what it used to be, it’s also about showcasing what it still is.
There is so much history on this land and, as we modernise and bring the Rocacorba Cycling vision to life, there is a hope that this will become another chapter in the long story of Can Campolier. The truth is the house has 300 years of history before us and hopefully, with our help, 300 years of history after us. It’s a significant part of our lives but we are merely custodians of Can Campolier, hoping to leave it better for the future.
The Sting Of Bad Luck
Flanders is one of those races where it still means something if you finish. The tiniest country roads, the unforgiving rough and stupidly steep cobbles, the blood sport fight to position yourself before the climbs, and don’t forget the weather if Mother Nature decides to show up. Actually, it’s one of those races where it still means something if you start and CCC-Liv started perfectly.
No doubt it was the best race we had done as a team. For the first 115 kilometres we had this amazing rhythm, operating like a well-oiled machine and then some. We were riding together, positioned well, Marianne felt amazing and so did I. To have everyone come together like that, it was just another level. We had the goods to pull off a win, we just needed the luck.
The final 30 kilometres is where the big bets are made. I knew we had the fire power to execute the final strategy but as we got together on the Kanarieberg (climb #6) someone switched my wheel. Somehow I didn’t crash and, after a quick foot down, I started to chase back. I wasn’t too far behind but there also wasn’t a lot of time before the next climb, the cobbled Taaienberg (climb #7), where the pressure would continue.
I didn’t have a choice: I had to go all in to catch the peloton or it was race over. I didn’t even have to think about making a decision, my legs were already powering across the gap and up the Kanarieberg.
Image: Jojo Harper
Now, I know Belgian roads. I’ve raced in Belgium for many years. I know the cobbles, the narrow roads, the road furniture, and the wide crack right down the centre of their concrete roads. I’m always aware of that crack. I know it’s there but as if two hands reached up and grabbed my wheels, out of nowhere my bike instantly came to a complete stop. My wheels were both perfectly stuck in that centre crack. Like walking into a glass door, it caught me so off guard I only realized what had happened after I hit the ground, slid across the road into the ditch, and came to a stop in stinging nettles.
Grazed and confused, I got up and back to my bike. The drivetrain was all messed up. I definitely needed a new bike but, after the big splits on the Kanarieberg, the team cars were too far behind. Everything had happened so fast that I could actually still see the bunch ahead. It didn’t matter what I had, I needed to go all in again if I was to get back.
Image: Oliver Grenaa
My body was stinging all over from nettles and road rash but my muscles were working. I got back up to speed and as I clicked into an easier gear as I hit the bottom of the Taaienberg, my derailleur went into my back wheel and fell off! “Ok, that’s it,” I thought with a sigh. With the odds so stacked against me, it was smarter to save my legs for the next race.
Up at the front Marriane wasn’t faring much better with a poorly timed puncture. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed; it really wasn’t our day. You can have the best legs and the best team on the day but to win a bike race you always need some luck or, at least, no bad luck. Still, we had finished one of the toughest Spring Classics and the magic of the first 115 kilometres made me believe at the next race our luck would change.
Discover more about Ashleigh’s home Rocacorba Cycling
The Best Things in Life Are Shared
The memorable rides, the ones that transform into shared stories, have a few special ingredients. Good roads help, great bikes are optional (okay, desirable!), but it’s the people, the vibe, and the opportunity that make a ride a memory. It’s not an easy combination to have when you travel to explore somewhere new but it’s exactly how we’ve designed our guided tours.
You might be hungry to conquer the legendary Girona climbs or longing for the sunshine and sea-side roads of the Costa Brava and a guided tour gives you the opportunity to go and ride. Explore the best roads of Girona without the stress of planning routes, navigating a new country and language, or finding people to ride with. With our local knowledge, in-house bike mechanic, and rider-focused premium accommodation, it’s a chance no cyclist will want to pass up.
The best things in life are shared and every rider knows that’s true. Joining a guided tour might be a step out of your comfort zone but, at the end of the day, it’s riding bikes on great roads with new friends. Cycling brings together so many different types of people but with a shared passion it’s always a comfortable and happy environment. You won’t be too slow or too fast but you may be challenged, fall in love with Catalonia, and never want to leave. One thing is for sure, you’ll never forget your guided tour and you’ll be talking about it on your next ride.
Only The Best
Riding somewhere new can be great. It can also be terrible. There is nothing worse than showing up to ride a route or climb you have dreamed about only to end up on the busiest roads, going the wrong way, at the worst time. We’ve all been there. A lot of people come to Girona and waste precious kilometres when they could be riding the good stuff.
I never realized the value of a guide until I became one. After riding in Girona for many years, it’s second nature for me to put together routes. From the Costa Brava to the Pyrenees and every back-lane, not-on-Google-Maps road, I’ve ridden it. There are certain things that you just have to find out and experience first-hand on two wheels. Of course I know all the climbs, how to fix any road-side mechanical, and the best places to stop for coffee but it’s more than that. Its creating rides even the seasoned Girona rider would be excited by, knowing where the water taps are on abandoned back roads, the most picturesque places to stop for photos, where all the friendly donkeys are, and, of course, the inevitable conversations along the way.
I’ve ridden with dentists, accountants, geologists, stay-at-home parents, lawyers, photographers. . . from all around the world. After a long ride it’s hard to remember I’m a guide because after the ride we’re all just tired, happy, and ready for a piece of chocolate cake or (and, in some cases) a beer. I can get you from A to B on the best and most incredibly quiet roads you’ve ever ridden but you’ll find out the really good stuff is along the way.
Season Opener: Tour Down Under
It’s been 9 days since I’m officially a CCC-Liv rider!
The excitement of signing with a brand new team has only built over the last few weeks. For the first time in my career I had a pre-season training camp so, in December, I had an early taste of what was to come: new equipment, new teammates, new management, new race schedule. Contracts only officially roll over on January 1 so after camp I had to wait. I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas and when 2019 finally arrived, the build up did not let me down.
A week after the New Year we all jetted down to Australia for the Tour Down Under. After the million-hour long flight, we all crashed at the hotel while the time change crashed into us. Thank goodness there is a strong coffee culture in Australia because the next day it felt like I needed a constant supply of caffeine just to keep one eye open. The other eye, thankfully, was being kept open by spending time with teammates, exploring Adelaide by bike, and snuggling baby kangaroos. (Hey, when in Australia, right?!).
I couldn’t think of a better way to start with a new team then with a new race. It will be my first time competing at the Tour Down Under. Since it’s also our first race as a team, the goal is just to start learning how to race together over the four-stage event. We’re all professionals with a very professional set up so everyone knows what they are doing but there is sense of unspoken communication in racing, a rapport, that just needs to be built on the road in a race. It’s learning how your teammates react to race situations, what each riders facial expressions mean, and even who likes what in their bottles. In other words, it’s all about bonding this week but, if an opportunity arises, whether that’s snuggling a kangaroo or grabbing a podium, you can bet we’re going to take it!
Girona’s Best Climbs
There is so much to ride and experience as a cyclist in Girona but there are three must-do climbs that every rider should experience and no rider will forget.
Rocacorba
Stats: 10.7km, 7%, 742m, Category 1
We aren’t just partial to our namesake climb, Rocacorba has a history every cyclist should become a part of. Used for over a decade by many local pros as a testing climb, the famous mountain is a challenge to anyone and everyone. The 10.7 kilometre climb has a deceptive overall gradient of 7%. Starting teasingly gentle before levelling off and demanding your easiest gear on sections up to 11%, disciplined pacing will pay off for the last half of the climb that averages 9%. However, the quiet tree-lined road offers just enough respite to remain achievable for the determined weekend warrior. Keep your eyes peeled toward the top for the faded “Look Right” painted on the road to see spanning Pyrenean peaks through an opening in the trees. If you ride it on the weekend, reward yourself with a coffee and a cupcake from the seasonal Rocacorba Food Truck on your way down.
Strava link: https://www.strava.com/segments/686229
Mare de Déu del Mont
Stats: 18.5km, 5%, 919m, Category: HC
Boasting a 360 degree view that includes the peaks of the Pyrenees and Costa Brava coastline on a clear day, there aren’t many cycling climbs like the 18.5 kilometre Mare de Déu del Mont. There are two roads up D’El Mont that join past the mid point. Both options are narrow and twisty roads through the forest with steep hairpins but, if you choose the less popular route through Besalu instead of approaching via Cabanelles, add on an extra 1.5km. Where the two roads join the road quality improves and there is 6.8km to go. When you hit the 500m flat/downhill section 13 kilometres in, take a moment to enjoy the exposed view and prepare your legs for the final ascent to the summit. You’ll leave the trees behind and ride past the rocky cliffs before the final 300 meters that wrap around the back of the peak. After 18.5 kilometres with an average gradient of 5%, as the road ends, you’ll feel on top of the world. Make sure you park your bike and venture up to the church and cafe so you can get the whole 360 experience.
Strava link: https://www.strava.com/segments/3449399
Els Angels
10.1km, 3%, 344m, Category 2
Just outside of Girona, Els Angels is conveniently placed less than ten minutes from the city centre but you’ll feel miles away from the city. A staple climb for every local cyclist, pro and amateur, the twisty forrest-lined road has an approachable average gradient of 3% but, over 10.1 kilometres, it still requires some legs. The variable terrain will keep your attention with hairpins, downhills, flat and fast sections, and a few short steep rises that will tempt you out of the saddle. While the big cross marks the official summit for cyclists, you can continue up toward the Santuari dels Àngels church to see where Salvador Dali was married and catch a better view of the land and your accomplishment.
Strava link: https://www.strava.com/segments/654192
Want to experience all the climbs on offer and more? Check out our tour packages or let us customise a trip to your needs.
Guest Perspective: Ashleigh Girona Bike Tour
Ashleigh's Girona Tour exceeded all my great expectations. The riding routes, all expertly led by Ashleigh Moolman Pasio herself, were spectacular and challenging. On the first day, we did an epic climb past medieval castle ruins to the monastery atop the Mare de Deu d’El Mont with breathtaking 360 degree views of the entire region. Next we took a long scenic ride past volcanic ranges to the cobbled streets of Beget nestled in a remote, fairytale valley with a ranging mountain torrent roaring below stone bridges. The next day we crossed flat plains all the way to the incredible cliffside vistas of the Costa Brava and back. Finally, I had the good fortune to be paced to an excellent time all the way up the fabled "benchmark" Rocacorba climb by Ashleigh herself!
What made the tour overall such a rewarding and enriching experience was not only the challenging daily riding, but all of the amazing secondary support and activities the tour provided. Staying in a fully modernized but historical stone villa provided the perfect setting for rest, quiet, and relaxation. A lavish continental breakfast was laid out for us every morning before we awoke. Our laundry was done for us each day and returned neatly folded. Our rooms serviced and cleaned while we rode. Delicious, home cooked meals were provided, filled with great conversation, conviviality, and lots of good humour. Restaurant meals were equally exceptional and each one highlighted different regional specialties. Everything was included in the very reasonable price of the tour.
Each day's ride was fully supported as well providing extra supplies at strategic points. We had a professional photographer one day and many other great photos and videos shot by others driving sag or tagging along. Each ride included two or more guides to accommodate everyone's optimal pace and no one was pushed too hard or slowed down. My Cervelo R3 disc rental bike was a revelation. Truly a masterpiece to handle which gave me great confidence over a variety of terrain and conditions which included some gravel, some alpine style epic descents, damp and wet roads. I didn't expect to like my rental bike more than my own bike! After each ride, it was cleaned and tuned up optimally for the next day. I would definitely rent rather than bring my bike all the way from the USA.
What I found most enthralling was the opportunity to ride in close proximity day by day with a champion cyclist like Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and other ex-pro athlete guides. We were also greatly enriched on every ride and evening by a variety of luminaries from the professional cycling world who added great stories and legends from the pro women's peloton. A leading agent in women's cycling. A top Instagram cycling photographer. A prominent soigneur in the Girona cycling scene. A leading cycling journalist. The foremost commentator of English language broadcast cycling. The local manufacturers behind the Tactic clothing line we received as complimentary jerseys. Finally, we even got to meet many other professional cycling luminaries in person at the very memorable Girona Gala for Qhubeka on the final evening!
Truly an epic and memorable tour I would most highly recommend to any strong and adventurous cyclist. This region of Catalonia is a Mecca for professional cyclists for a good reason. I myself cannot wait to return for another Ashleigh Tour!
