Spring Training Camp 2026 Recap

Apr 07 | ( 0 ) Comments

No shortcuts. Just execution.

Spring Training Camp 2026 is officially in the books, and the weekend delivered exactly what it was meant to: high-quality work, race-specific intensity, and a strong team environment from start to finish.

Over three days, the camp was built around a simple idea — not big volume for the sake of volume, but purposeful work with clear intent. The goal was to simulate the demands of race season through structured sessions, hard efforts, and direct coaching feedback in a team setting. That is exactly how the weekend played out.

Day 1 – Establishing the weekend

The first day set the tone for the camp. The scheduled VO2 max testing was part of the plan, although not everything went exactly to schedule. Mo was the only athlete from the list who did not make it, and both Ximena’s and Corina’s tests had to be moved to after the race due to time limitations. Even with that adjustment, the day was still a success.

One of the biggest highlights from Day 1 was seeing Alek’s progress. We noticed how well he has been moving toward his goals, having lost about 10 pounds in roughly 3 months while still increasing his VO2 max power by about 10 percent in that same short period. That combination says a lot about the consistency and quality of his work, and it was great to see that progress show up so clearly.

The evening ride went well and gave the group a strong start to the weekend. It was a good opportunity to settle in, get the legs working, and begin building momentum for the more demanding sessions ahead. Right away, the group showed a willingness to work, stay engaged, and support each other.

Day 2 – Intensity, pressure, and teamwork

Day 2 was one of the toughest days of the camp. The ride was very intense, with repeated mini race efforts that forced everyone to stay engaged, respond to changes in pace, and execute under pressure. It was exactly the kind of session that challenged both fitness and focus.

It was also one of the most enjoyable days of the weekend. Everyone had a lot of fun, and the group energy stayed high throughout the ride. By the time it was time for the core workout, a couple of athletes were already cramping, which says a lot about how hard the work had been.

One of the standout performances on Day 2 came from Ximena. She did very well on the efforts and was even catching up to the group ahead of her, which surprised all of us in a very positive way. It was a strong reminder of how much she is progressing, and it was great to see that show up so clearly in a hard, race-style setting.

Another great part of Day 2 was seeing Miguel help Corina with her riding, giving her tips and technical cues to improve her control of her power on the bike. Moments like that added to the team dynamic and showed that the camp was not only about hard efforts, but also about learning and helping each other improve.

Day 3 – Shorter, harder, and well executed

The final day was shorter in duration, but still extremely demanding. In roughly two hours, the group took on about 3,500 feet of climbing, making it a highly concentrated effort to close out the camp. The camp schedule had Day 3 built around a hard climbing effort followed by a 10-mile run under accumulated fatigue.

Before the main effort up San Miguel Mountain, Miguel had a flat tire, which caused a short delay at the start. In the end, the extra break worked out well for the rest of the group, giving everyone a moment to reset before the effort began.

Once the effort started, the group delivered. Franco was one of the big standouts of the day, putting together an impressive ride on the climb and recording a 32:00 time at 303 watts average, good for 6th fastest overall on the Strava KOM standings.

Asher was another major performer on the final day. He was second on the bike climb effort, then followed that up by posting the fastest time of the 10-mile run. It was an incredible performance, especially coming after such a hard effort on the bike, and it showed a very high level of fitness, toughness, and ability to execute under fatigue.

Even with the load from the previous two days already in their legs, the group continued to perform at a high level. That was one of the biggest positives of the weekend — not just the ability to go hard when fresh, but the ability to keep executing when tired. That is a major part of racing well, and it was great to see the group rise to that challenge on the last day.

Big picture

This camp was designed to be a quality-first training block, and the athletes delivered. Across the weekend, they handled structured work, repeated hard efforts, climbing, fatigue, and team dynamics at a high level. The training was demanding, but the atmosphere stayed positive, competitive, and productive.

Just as important, the camp gave everyone a clearer picture of where they are right now and what still needs sharpening as the season continues. It also gave us a chance to see individual progress show up in real time, whether that was through testing, execution during efforts, or the way athletes handled repeated hard work over multiple days.

I’m proud of the work this group put in over the weekend. They showed toughness, commitment, and a willingness to lean into the process. Camps like this are not about shortcuts or easy miles. They are about showing up, doing the work, and building toward race season the right way.

Spring Training Camp 2026 is done. Strong work all around.

Thank you for reading!

Gilberto Cortez - USA Cycling & TrainingPeaks Certified Coach