One of the most common questions we get is: How fit do I need to be to join your cycling training camp? It’s a great question—and an important one. Our camps are designed for cyclists who want to challenge themselves, improve their performance, and push their limits. On this page, we’ll break down the fitness levels required, the pace you can expect, and the difficulty levels of our different camps to help you find the right fit.
Our cycling camps are not your typical bike holidays. They’re physically demanding, designed for those who are serious about pushing their limits and improving their performance. If you’re looking for a leisurely ride that includes long café stops and cake every two hours, this isn’t the place for you. But if you’re ready for a true sportive adventure—one that will challenge you, help you build skills, and take your cycling to the next level—you’ve found the right camp. Here’s what you can expect:
1. Focused Training, Not Sightseeing
These camps are about riding with purpose. While we take short stops to regroup and refuel, our focus is on maximizing training time on the bike. We prioritize structured rides that help you build endurance, power, and speed—not cake-eating breaks.
2. Building Skills and Strength
Each ride is designed to help you improve, whether that’s mastering group riding dynamics, climbing with confidence, or maintaining a strong and steady pace on the flats.
3. A Good Pace for Growth
We aim to keep a consistent and challenging pace, particularly on flat terrain. It’s not a race, but it’s also not a casual ride. You’ll be expected to contribute to the group effort and find strength in the shared challenge.
4. Train Hard, Recover Harder
While the rides will push you, recovery is a crucial part of the experience. Off the bike, you’ll have the chance to rest, refuel, and prepare for the next day’s effort—because training effectively means balancing intensity with smart recovery.
If your goal is to test your limits, improve your fitness, and immerse yourself in a cycling experience that’s all about growth, camaraderie, and challenge, this camp is for you. Bring your determination, an open mind, and a willingness to work hard—we’ll take care of the rest.
All our cycling camps share the same high standards of service: daily massages to aid recovery, expert coaching and guidance, and nutritious, delicious meals to fuel your rides. However, the rides themselves and the level of fitness required to participate vary between camps. The table below outlines these differences, helping you choose the camp that best suits your goals and abilities.
| Cycling Camp | The rides | Terrain | Fitness Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mallorca | 3-5 hours 80-120 km(50-75 mi) 600-2,350 m (2,000-7,700 ft) |
A mix of terrains, featuring long climbs up to 14 km with moderate gradients, typically maxing out at 7-8%. While the climbs are manageable for most, strong handling skills are essential for descending the winding roads safely. The routes provide a great balance of endurance-building ascents and technical challenges. | Intermediate to Advanced 2.9-5.0 w/kg FTP |
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| Women's Edition | 3-5 hours 80-120 km(50-75 mi) 600-2,350 m (2,000-7,700 ft) |
A mix of terrains, featuring long climbs up to 14 km with moderate gradients, typically maxing out at 7-8%. While the climbs are manageable for most, strong handling skills are essential for descending the winding roads safely. The routes provide a great balance of endurance-building ascents and technical challenges. | Intermediate to Advanced 2.7-3.9 w/kg FTP |
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| Uncharted Edition | 5+ hours 90-140 km(55-80 mi) 650-2,700 m (2,100-8,500 ft) |
Expect long to very long rides through a landscape that tests your stamina and strength. The terrain includes several steep climbs requiring extra effort, making it ideal for cyclists aiming to build power and resilience. The combination of extended distances and sharp gradients makes this location a true test of endurance and climbing ability. | Advanced 3.0+ w/kg FTP |
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| Full Gas Edition | 3-5 hours 80-120 km(50-75 mi) 600-2,350 m (2,000-7,700 ft) |
A mix of terrains, featuring long climbs up to 14 km with moderate gradients, typically maxing out at 7-8%. While the climbs are manageable for most, strong handling skills are essential for descending the winding roads safely. The routes provide a great balance of endurance-building ascents and technical challenges. | Performance 4.0+ w/kg FTP |
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| Calpe | 5+ hours 110-150 km (70-90 mi) 2,000-3,000 m (6,500-10,000 ft) |
Expect long to very long rides through a landscape that tests your stamina and strength. The terrain includes several steep climbs requiring extra effort, making it ideal for cyclists aiming to build power and resilience. The combination of extended distances and sharp gradients makes this location a true test of endurance and climbing ability. | Performance 3.0+ w/kg FTP |
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| French Alps | 5+ hours 50-110 km (31-70 mi) 1,500-3,300 m (4,900-11,000 ft) |
The French Alps present a super-challenging environment with relentless terrain. Climbs can stretch up to 20 km in length, and the routes are designed to keep you climbing for most of the day, with little to no flat sections in between. This is the ultimate destination for those seeking to conquer long, iconic climbs and push their limits to the extreme. | Avid cyclist 3.0+ w/kg FTP |
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To get the most out of this experience, it’s important to meet some necessary riding skills and fitness requirements. Participants should:
- Ride regularly for at least four months prior to the camp — at least 3 to 4 times a week, totaling 7 or more hours.
- Be comfortable with rides of around 90 km on hilly terrain and up to 120 km on a longer day.
- Have good bike-handling skills, especially for descending on long, steep, and sometimes technical descents.
- Be confident riding solo and in a group, in a wide variety of road and weather conditions, including narrow roads, light traffic, and wet surfaces.
- Expect frequent climbs of varying distances and gradients, requiring endurance and climbing ability.
The rides will be challenging, but that’s why you’re coming, isn’t it? With proper preparation, you’ll be ready to tackle longer days in the saddle and enjoy the journey!
If you know your FTP, we would say from experience that the minimum level required to complete all six stages of our camps is as follows:
- Mallorca : 2.9w/kg
- Women's edition : 2.7w/kg
- Calpe : 3.0w/kg
- French Alps : 3.0w/kg
The most common and simple way to estimate your FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is with a 20-minute test. Here's how:
1. Ride as hard as you can for 20 minutes, ideally on a steady climb or flat road (or using an indoor trainer), using a power meter.
2. Take your average power over the 20 minutes and multiply it by 0.95. This gives you your estimated FTP in watts.
3. To calculate your FTP in watts per kilo (W/kg), divide your FTP by your body weight in kilograms.
Example: If you average 250 watts for 20 minutes and weigh 80 kg:
• FTP = 250 × 0.95 = 237 watts
• FTP in W/kg = 237 ÷ 80 = 3.0 W/kg
Here, we prefer to talk in hours instead. Rides last between 4 and 6 hours, with one coffee/recovery ride in the middle of the week. Do you think it’s too much for you? Don’t forget that with massages, nutrition, coaching and the fact that we take care of everything else, getting back on the bike each morning will be easier than what you have ever imagined!
We have been welcoming riders ranging from 2.6w/kg up to 5.4w/kg. We manage to all ride together, as a team. On the flat sections, strongest riders lead the group. While on hills, each rider will climb at his/her own pace, and we regroup at the top.
Of course! Our cycling holidays are for every riders! No matter who you are, how old you are, or how fast you are, you deserve the best. This is what we’ll give you.
Don’t worry, our Ride Captain will make it tough(er) for you if this is what you want! Mallorca offers a lot of climbs where you will be able to train hard and if you want to push your limits further. The riders who reach the summit first will turn back down to catch the last ones. Nobody stays inactive at the top. It means some extra miles for the fastest riders and some support for the slowest ones in the last part of their ascents.
Every morning at the briefing each rider will receive personal goals for the ride to come based on their abilities and level of fatigue. We all take the road together, as a team. On the short (rare) flat sections, the strongest riders will lead the group. On hills, each rider will climb at their own pace with a powermeter. The riders who reach the summit first will turn back down to catch the last riders. Nobody stays inactive at the top. It means some extra miles for the fastest riders and some support for the slowest ones in the last part of the ascents.
Our experienced Ride Captain, Aurélien, will set a pace steady but engaging for the group during the rides. He paces with power at the front. The pace is designed for riders who meet the fitness requirements indicated on our website. That’s why it's important to arrive at the camp with the right level of fitness and enough miles in the legs, so you can hold the pace and stay on the wheels of your teammates.
No one gets dropped, but it's essential to meet the minimum fitness level! Riders who are unable to maintain the pace will be invited to shorten the ride and spend time in the support van, to avoid holding back the group. This also ensures we get back to the villa on time for lunch, massages, coaching, and other scheduled activities.
It’s important that all riders arrive with at least the minimum fitness required. If you sign up, you need to train for the camp — this is a level up experience, not a level down. Slower riders are expected to push a bit more to stay with the group, so that faster riders, who also come for serious training, can get the quality rides they expect. If you can’t keep up for the full ride, you’ll have to hop in the support van once your legs are done, so the rest of the group can continue their training as planned.
We have a dedicated support vehicle following the group, carrying spare wheels, tools, as well as essential fuel, drinks, and food. To keep the days efficient and avoid unnecessary delays, we aim to minimize stopping. Our schedule after the ride includes activities like massage and coaching, so it's important to keep moving. Feed zone stops are brief and designed for refilling bottles and a quick pee break if needed. We focus on reducing non-riding aka "faffing" time as much as possible to maximize your time on the bike and maintain the flow of the day.
No, our camp is focused on cycling and training, so we don't stop every day for coffee and cake. However, we do have a special Caffeine Ride on the fourth day of the camp. During this stage, we take you to Cycling Planet, where coffee and cakes are on us! This is the perfect moment to relax and enjoy some well-earned treats while still being part of the training journey.
No, our cycling camps are designed for riders who already have a certain level of fitness and can comfortably ride for multiple hours. Participants should also have experience riding in a group and basic cycling skills, such as riding downhills safely. We recommend at least one year of regular cycling experience before signing up, as these camps involve long hours in the saddle over an entire week. This ensures a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
No. Every rider must feel comfortable and confident descending. Whether in Mallorca, Calpe, or the Alps, every climb naturally comes with a descent — what goes up must come down. The support vehicle is there for mechanical and logistical assistance, not for shuttling bikes up and down the mountains. In case of fatigue or a mechanical issue, we’ll of course find a one-off solution, but loading and unloading bikes several times a day is not possible.
With 550km in six days, and lots of climbing, our cycling camps are challenging. To enjoy it, we definitely recommend you to ride your bike and train beforehand. It will help you to get most it, and have fun when you will climb some of the most spectacular climbs in the cycling world. If you wish to build fitness and arrive at the camp at your peak level, we have designed a 14-week pre-camp training plan, adapted to all levels and lifestyles, in partnership with Trainerroad.
Are you interested in one of our cycling camps?
Leave us a message and join the Sa Calobra Cycling Club for the best cycling experience you will ever have!