Why nearly all teams train in Spain explained

Matteo Tosatto has experienced this change firsthand. A former professional rider for teams like Tinkoff-Saxo and Quick Step, he began working as sports director for INEOS Grenadiers immediately after retiring at the end of the 2016 season. Subsequently, he joined the Tudor Pro Cycling Team in 2023.

During his long career (20 professional seasons), Tosatto achieved six victories. He won a stage in the Giro d'Italia and another in the Tour de France, and he participated in an astonishing 34 Grand Tours and 55 Monuments.

“Having had a long career, I saw, or rather lived, the shift between Italy and Spain,” he said in an interview to bici.pro. “Until 2005 we went to Tuscany, and not just us, many foreign teams came too. I remember Telekom, Rabobank, Lotto and many French teams.”

Several equestrians live in Spain. One of them is Mathieu van der Poel, who lives in Alicante and was recently spotted swimming with Greg Van Avermaet.
According to Tosatto, several factors played a role to cause this shift, mainly weather and infrastructure. “A little bit the climate changed, a little bit the need for another type of infrastructure. Meanwhile, Spain grew a lot and now almost everyone goes there, including us. I think within 50 kilometers of coastline between Valencia and Alicante you find all the teams in the world.”

“Over there in December, the temperature is still excellent and certainly the hotels are more structured,” he added. “They have gyms, spacious parking for vehicles, meeting rooms to do many things. On the internal roads there is also much less traffic, another important factor.”

The economic aspect can't be overlooked either. "Spain offers excellent prices for cyclists. Sometimes I would go alone for specific tasks, and I remember it being really convenient."

Tosatto traces this shift back to the mid-2000s and praises the Canary Islands as the best place for cyclists to prepare for the upcoming season. "In 2006, with Quick Step, we did a December camp in Italy and then a January camp in Calpe. Then, since 2008, we've only been to Spain, Gran Canaria. In my opinion, that's the best place; the temperature there is always between 18 and 26 degrees, and you can do everything. Long climbs, short climbs, flat roads, everything you need for good training."

Why not Italy now?
Some have suggested Southern Italy (and especially Sicily) as an option. Tosato is skeptical. "I was in Sicily for a week in 2015, and we were at the foot of Mount Etna. The weather was great, it was nice, but I remember the problem was the roads. The main road was good, but the inner roads were bad because of the traffic. There were also many stray dogs that could cause problems on the bike."

Still, he praised the mountain. "The climb up Etna is the most beautiful sight you can see, and you can train very well. But you can't keep going up and down that climb all the time."

Other Italian regions had the potential to become pre-season hubs, but they couldn't compare to Spain. "Another time, always with Quick Step, we went to Puglia and it seemed like a great place. Both in terms of weather and infrastructure. The problem is that there are no climbs there, and now even in December the teams already start producing quality work."

Tosato recalled that Italy was once known for its food, but that has changed with the arrival of traveling chefs. "People used to pay a lot of attention to the quality of the food, which is unmatched in Italy and still is. I remember foreigners being amazed by just a cappuccino, and they would come to us with great pleasure even just for a cappuccino."
When asked about his best and worst training ground memories, Tosato had clear answers. "The best place for me is Gran Canaria. We were there during Bjarne Riis's time, in a beautiful building, in a huge golf club with a villa for every three riders. The quality of training, the climate, everything."

And the least pleasant? "Probably in 2013, when we went to Corsica for a week in January to watch the opening stages of the Tour that started there. It was beautiful, but it rained and was windy for five days, and with Riis you could always train, no matter what."

From a purely technical perspective, Tosatto argues that methodology has not dramatically changed compared to some years ago. “In my opinion it hasn’t changed that much compared to fifteen years ago. The first camp, the one in December, is when everyone comes together and it’s used to build the group, because it’s the only time of year when truly everyone is there, from athletes to staff.”
“You train more endurance, without too much intensity,” he continued. “Instead, the second one, in January, is more specific in terms of workload, and the different groups are already formed, for example those who race soon in Australia.”

Eyes already on the spring
Looking toward 2026, Tosatto confirmed Tudor will target the full block of spring classics. “In general we aim to do well in all the Classics starting from Milano-Sanremo, especially since we strengthened ourselves with quality riders like Stefan Küng and Luca Mozzato. And in 2026 we will be present at all WorldTour races and we want to do well also at Amstel and Liège with Alaphilippe and Hirschi.”

“If I really had to pick two races that are right for us, though, I'd say Flanders and Roubaix are our two big spring goals . I'm sure we have the team to do very well,” he concluded.