Seeking the Sun for Winter Training

I caught up with Lucy Ellmore last week to talk about her return to training, seeking out some warm weather and preparations for the new season.

Hi Lucy, thanks for sharing your time with us, I know you’re in Calpe, Spain now for a week with some of the team.
You took some time away from racing at the end of last season so first question must be how are you?

I’m good thank you.
I found that ending my season in July was the right decision, as much as it was a tough one to make! It’s been beneficial to have a complete reset, I’ve been enjoying my training over the winter and am looking forward to getting back to racing.

It’s still quite early and another month or so before the full team camp in Girona so what stage has your training reached now?

Since the New Year I’ve started doing some structure into Z3 and sweet spot, but no top end yet as building a solid base has been the main priority and the high intensity isn’t needed just yet.

 And do you use the team camp as a key target to build to?

The full team camp is a great opportunity to ride with everyone, it’s important to bond as a team, especially with new riders coming in, before the season starts.
It won’t be a big goal for me, training wise, as I’ll be more focussed on target races in the season ahead.

I think I can probably guess your answer, but what are the main advantages of training overseas?

The trip has been going great, training abroad generally brings better weather with less ice so it’s less stressful training safely outside.
The terrain in southeast Spain is very different to the UK with longer, less steep climbs, so ideal for doing efforts.
It’s also great to be able to focus on recovering after rides without having to go to work.

What does a typical day look like for you when you’re away?

I always start my day with porridge for breakfast, it’s my favourite meal of the day and gets in plenty of carbs to help fuel the ride.

We generally head out on the bikes at about 10am, earlier if we have a longer day.
The hours on the bike change each day, sometimes we do efforts and sometimes just endurance. The rides can be anywhere from 4 to 6hrs or more.
When we return to our base we’ll eat and then recover.

And what are you eating on the long days on the bike?

On the bike I vary the number of carbs per hour depending on the session. High5 energy powder, bars and gels are great ways to fuel the ride and their recovery shake is perfect for after the ride too.

And how do you relax off the bike?

To relax, I sometimes go for a walk but usually end up having a nap!

I saw a recent social media post where you were baking flap jacks with Jo, who’s the better cook?

Hmm, I would say we make a great team making them together!

But if I was to choose it would be me because I know where to get the best recipes!

Sounds like fighting talk! I’ll be joining the team at their Girona camp in February so will be able to report back on the quality of cooking 😁 and bring back lots of news and behind the scenes content as we prepare for the new season.

We’ll also be officially launching the new team kit, their race bike for the 2024 season and getting a first look at the full team together.

What questions would you have for the team, what would you like to know about their season preparation and what are you looking forward to most in 2024?

Let us know in the comment section below.

Words and images by Adam Winfield at Through the Lens