7 months Winter training in Spain

jlindblom

I have decided to spend the coming winter in Spain, starting in October until April, preparing for an Iron man next summer and study some Spanish. I have difficulties to decide where in Spain to go however, so I would be grateful if someone can give some advise, these are places I have been thinking about:
- Mallorca
- Malaga
- Alicante

What I am looking for, in order of importance, is:
- Good cycling possibilities (Climbs, flats, not too much cars)
- Good Training facilities (Swimming, running, Gym)
- Like minded people to train with
- Reasonable cost of living (rent)
- Nice winter climate
- Possibilities to study Spanish
- Proximity to the coast
- Preferably not the touristiest areas

Any advise on where people normally would go an train over the winter in Spain or any other advise on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

el Inglés

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Seems to me that Spain and tourist go together I´m afraid , some where out in the wilds just won´t have cheap hotels or cheap apartments to rent ( and cheap is now a very relative term ) and there is a lot of traffic everywhere .
Now I can only speak of where I live ( Benidorm ) and there are a number of pros that come here to train / live during the winter ; come the spring it is not unusual to see the major teams , Rabobank , USPostal for example in this general area .

Check out the routes on our website www.ucbclub.org

If you avoid July August and semana santa then you should be able to avoid the worst of the tourists but if you want the facilities then that means tourists ( tourists = money = jobs = facilities )
so I would recommend Benidorm or one of the towns nearby , Villajoyosa , Altea , Finistrate , Alfaz del Pi , La Nucia ( Calpe , Denia , Javea , Torreveja all have British " colonies " and should be avoided - Benidorm has bars and shops aimed at Brits but there is no British community here that I´ve found )

Contact me if you need more details .

__________________
' too old to rock 'n' roll : too young to die '

el Inglés

Just a small point but people do forget thet the winters here can be cold and wet so bring clothes to cope with low tempertures ( rental flats tend to have inadequate heating ) and the snow line can come down as low as 300 - 400 meters at times so bring cold weather riding gear + water proofs .

__________________
' too old to rock 'n' roll : too young to die '

NJK

Out of all of the towns i would say benidorm is by far the worst. For cycling with flat terrain aswell as mountains i would recommend Denia or Javea.

Irelander

Hi I'm Going off to La Mata (Just South of Alicante) for 7 weeks in mid January can anyone recommend any good routes??

nickin spain

Hola,loads of good rides,the only problem you'll have is getting across the very busy/dangerous n332,but once you do,miles of good surfaced undulating roads,also depending on the level you ride there are groups who ride,one meets at San Miguel,mostly retired old boy's,but don't be fooled,they will rip your legs off if your not up to it!!
keep spinning

Irelander

Yes I would be interested in meeting up wit groups some days, I am hoping to 20+hrs per week. Is there much flat terrain in the La Mata region which would be suitable for Intervals/ Speed work???

nickin spain

Yes you could go towards Elche and loop back,3to4hrs,mainly flat,pick me up atAlmoradi and i'll hang on your wheel and direct you,our go toward Torremendo and around the embalse,loads of short sharp climbs,good for intervals,thers also acanal which runs almost to Cartagena at least 50mls one way all flat!!

Irelander

Thanks for your help, I might just take u up on that.

mareblu

GRRRRRRRRR...............HEY I AM IN CALIFORNIA (NORTHERN PART) AND I'M FREEZING MY BUNS!!!!

HOW ARE YOU DOING INGLES? ANY PARTYING FOR CHRISTMAS?

CUANDO ME VISITAS EN MI FORO?