Annemiek van Vleuten (Orica-AIS) and Kasia Niewiadoma (RaboLiv Women Cycling Team) talk us through their training camps and preparation for the remainder of the season.
I spent a lot of May in Tuscany, in and around Castagneto Carducci, which is almost like a second home to me. I’ve been going there since 2009, and I know the hotel, the people and the bike routes. We had our Orica-AIS training camp there, and I also rode a bit with the Dutch Under-23 national team. The rest of the time I trained alone which I also really enjoy. It’s good for my mind and gets me remotivated and refreshed after weeks of pinning on race numbers over and over again.
I did some very hard training which is important for the next part of the season. I love racing but I know I need to take a break and get some quality training in. I have proof that it has paid off because I had three very good races when I got back to the Netherlands: 2nd behind Lizzie Armitstead after a three-way sprint in the Boels Rental Hills Classic on May 27, and two days later I was in a 75km breakaway at the Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik. For 50km it was just Emma Johansson and me. You have to be strong to do that and I was very pleased with my shape. Then on June 1st I won another Dutch race, the Parel van de Veluwe.
My training and racing calendar is mainly in preparation for the Rio 2016 road race, but I want to be strong in every race I do. We have our Dutch National Championships at the end of June which are very important to me. It is so special to be able to wear the red, white and blue jersey. I have been working on my time trial skills so am curious to see how I can do. I won the national time trial in 2014 (and the road race in 2012 – ed) but last year I didn’t have a time trial bike which was very frustrating. I was disappointed not to be selected for the time trial in Rio, especially as it’s a hilly course that suits me. But that is sport and you have to accept the decisions. There are still the qualifications for the UCI Road World Championships in Qatar so the time trial there will be a goal.
After the nationals, I will probably go on another training camp, but in the meantime I’m looking forward to spending some time at home, having a bit of social life and seeing my family. I have some nice things to look forward to, like a family team triathlon with my niece and nephew. I will do the 20km bike section, which is good time trial training for me.
I also have some friends coming to visit, so for the next few weeks I will train hard in the morning and do other completely different things in the afternoon. That is very important to keep a balance and help me rest both mentally and physically.
Hello from Sierra Nevada where I am training with the Polish national team. My RaboLiv Women Cycling Team mates Roxane Knetemann and Anna van der Breggen are also here so I can ride with them as well.
The first few days were spent getting acclimatised to the altitude but there are still two weeks to go so and plenty of hard training to come. We have already done some long endurance rides which I love and find relaxing after races where you are always concentrating on the other riders’ wheels! We will also be doing some tough sessions, but the good thing about camp is you only have to concentrate on training and recovery as opposed to the constant travelling and changing of hotels when you race.
My last race before taking a break was the three-day Festival Luxembourgeois du cyclisme féminin Elsy Jacobs… which I won! We went with a strong team and we wanted to make the race hard. On the last stage I attacked quite early and with one lap still to go, I felt pretty insecure. But it worked and it was an amazing feeling to cross the line first. I hope to continue doing that.
While I’m on training camp, I follow what happens in the races in Europe and the US. It’s difficult when you see so many nice races but I have my schedule to follow and I know I must take this break to train at altitude. Hopefully it will bring some positive results later in the season. You can feel good in training but it’s only when you race that you can compare your shape with the others.
My races this month include the Polish National Championships and the Giro del Trentino Alto Adige – Südtirol in Italy. It’s a two-day stage race, a bit shorter than the UCI Women’s WorldTour Aviva Womens Tour which I think will be better for my preparation for the Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile in July. The Giro is one of the big races and an important goal for me. I like the climbs and that is where I can show my strengths. Everyone wants to be good there. I came 5th in 2015 and I dream to be on the podium this year.
It’s a huge motivation to have the Giro and the Olympics coming up and I will be thinking about those during my training camp. I’m also thinking a lot about my sister who is about to have a baby. I am a family person and am in contact with her every day. I really hope that when I go home after my training camp her baby will be born. I will be an aunty for the first time, and I can already tell you that this child will be very spoiled. As I travel a lot I can buy nice presents from Spain, Italy…. all over!