Colombia Training Camp with CCNS

The trip starts in earnest tomorrow (Sunday) but we’ve booked you into the Hotel Movich this evening so you can arrive at any time, check-in and relax. The hotel is situated just 5 minutes from Medellin Airport and a free shuttle is available.

Our staff will meet you after breakfast tomorrow morning.

Meet our staff in Reception at the Hotel Movich at 9:00 am for a brief Orientation Meeting where the Thomson Trip Manager and the Head Coach from CCNS will walk you through what to expect during the week ahead. At 10:00 am our mechanics will be on hand to help with the bike build followed by lunch at the hotel pool at 12 noon.

After lunch (at 2:00 pm) we’ll head out on our first ride in Colombia. From the hotel we head south to La Ceja, home town of Fernando Gaviria. In La Ceja we start the 2.5km climb to Los Enanos. Enjoy the beautiful descent from Los Enanos to Don Diego, then the final 15km of rolling terrain through El Tablazo back to our hotel.

The CCNS staff will be conducting a Field Test today to get a measure of your current fitness level and to help them plan your rides for the rest of the week. We’ll ride out to the Alto de la Union, Rigoberto Uran’s favorite climb, and where he does much of his climbing repeats in preparation for the Grand Tours. Rigoberto just happens to be a close friend of our Regional Manager, Mauricio Ardila, and if Rigoberto is available, there’s a good chance he’ll join us on the ride

After the field test on the Alto de la Union, we’ll continue on to the town of La Union for a coffee stop before throwing in a few force development intervals on the way back to the hotel.

The focus is to stress your muscular and metabolic endurance today. Be ready to go big from an energy expenditure and training stress standpoint!

From the hotel we’ll head south over no less than 6 categorised climbs for a total elevation gain of almost 2900m. Our destination is the beautiful colonial town of Abejorral which was declared a national monument in Colombia.

The ride itself is a roller-coaster of ups and downs through rural Antioquia. Enjoy the riding along traffic-free, quiet roads that wind their way through the green fields and valleys of this beautiful part of the Andes mountains.

The goal is to back things off today and focus on your fat-oxidation and aerobic base. We’ll be keeping the power low and steady while focusing on good form as we stick to a flatter route today.

From the hotel we head north to La Ramada then turn south towards Marinilla and eventually on to El Carmen de Viboral. Although just a small village, El Carmen is the capital of handcrafted ceramics in the region and we’ll have a short coffee shop and look around to see the local craftsmen at work.

From El Carmen we head back to Fernando Gaviria’s home town of La Ceja and the climb to the Alto Pantanillo.

The goal is to do specific Lactate Threshold (FTP) climbing work today. Be ready for a short but high-quality day of climbing focused work.

We’ll ride through the Arvi Natural Park which provides a series of climbs and “rollers’, perfect terrain for the threshold work that we have planned. Enjoy the 8km climb to Santa Elena, almost straight out of the hotel - and a huge favorite with the local pros.

We’ll also have a bit of a surprise for you in the form of a cobbled section which many of the local pros use to prepare themselves for Paris-Roubaix and the Flanders classics!

In the afternoon we’ll take a trip into Medellin, visit Rigoberto’s clothing shop and other local attractions, then stop on the way home for dinner in a local restaurant with spectacular views over the city.

Another epic/long day with plenty of climbing. Once again, the goal is to stress both your muscular and metabolic endurance today.

From the hotel we head south to La Ceja and to the Alto de la Union to the town of La Union. In La Union we keep heading south for another 55km over a series of ups and downs, culminating in the 6km climb to Sonson. We’ll enjoy a coffee in Sonson before heading back to La Ceja. In La Ceja we’ll jump in the vans for the transfer back to the hotel.

A spectacular day of riding and a total of over 150km and almost 3500m of climbing!

Another day of focus on your fat-oxidation and aerobic base with another challenging ride in the Arvi National Park.

Enjoy the first 15km of the ride, the only flat section of today’s route. After 15km we reach Guarne and the start of the Alto Medina climb.

From the top of the Medina we enter into the Arvi Natural Park and from there until the end of the ride we’ll enjoy a long series of short, steep climbs and descents.

Unfortunately, our Colombian Training Camp has come to an end. Feel free to leave at whatever time suits you best. The Hotel Movich is just 5 minutes from Medellin Airport and provides free shuttles throughout the day.