Gallery: Sunweb-Napoleon Games training camp

Belgian 'cross team takes mid-season break in Spain

With no cyclo-cross races in Belgium or the Netherlands this coming weekend, the stars of the European cyclo-cross circuit have opted to head south to warmer climes for training camps commencing earlier this week and running through the latter portion of next week. While the Telenet-Fidea squad opted for the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, rival team Sunweb-Napoleon Games chose the coastal city of Calpe, Spain as their destination for a mid-season break.
"This is mostly a program of long-distance training on the road, but I will also include a few sessions in the woods," said Subweb-Napoleon Games team manager Mario De Clercq.
"This break comes just in time for many of our riders. Klaas Vantornout was looking forward to it, he even left a day earlier for Calpe. For Kevin Pauwels it is good that he can go someplace away from the stress. Gianni Vermeersch has been missing his explosiveness in recent 'cross races while Jim Aernouts still needs to build his base after his broken leg."
In addition to current team members, three of the squad's new signees for 2014 are also in attendance at the camp: Michael and Dieter Vanthourenhout plus Dominique Cornu.
The team will spend 10 days in Calpe, Spain and return home to Belgium next Thursday. Sunweb-Napoleon Games riders return to racing on Saturday, December 7, at the C1-rated Scheldecross race in Antwerp, Belgium.