First things first, before we get into how my first training camp with my new team TAAP Endura went. I have a special thank you to make. Pedal Potential have supported me for the past 2 years and made it possible for me to live and race in Spain for the tail end of 2021 and for the whole year in 2022. Unfortunately, our partnership has come to an end but I will always be grateful for their support and wish the whole team and the new supported athletes the very best.
Now onto the training camp.
I was very excited to go on my first true team camp away on the beautiful island of Majorca. I knew one of my team mates already in Marco Overbeeke from racing together as kids but everyone else was new to me and they all welcomed me like family which was truly humbling. Sharing jokes on the flight and then looking out of the window and seeing the stunning island of Majorca.
Everyday was great even with me riding with a broken finger after a crash in training a few weeks before Majorca. I had a smile on my face everyday even when my lights went out after some tough efforts. All I had to do was look around and take in the beautiful views of this island and it reminded me that I’m very blessed to do this as my passion. We had a few days of weather forced rest due to extreme rain and snow on consecutive days which was frustrating but it gave us all more bonding time in the apartments and in the local cafes and restaurants.
All the guys were incredibly strong and I even got to show my climbing prowess along with my Spanish skills to help the team where I could to talk to people which was rewarding for me to see how well my Spanish had come along after the hiatus from being in Spain. My room mates were always looking out for me and helping me work on my nutrition weakness which was just so incredible to experience.
It was also the first time I got the chance to meet the team owner Ryan Visser and we spoke for a good hour and a half on the first ride on Saturday afternoon getting to know each other and learning the ethos of the team and I just felt like family instantly. I couldn’t be happier with this great team and I’m more than convinced we can achieve great things this year. Moral is high and all the lads are strong.
I can’t thank all the guys on the team enough for the warm welcome and making me feel like I’m at home in this team. I truly believe that this year will be one to remember for us all. Big thanks to my coach Tim Ramsden for helping me get over all the adversity to get to the camp and to Tony Henderson for making sure my legs were in the best shape and sorting them when I came home.
Thanks for reading, stay tuned to see just where this year takes me and the rest of the team
Cheers
Lance
Lance Childs 