5:50 Hrs., 188 km's, 4,320 KJ's

By Steve Chapin, CycleOps Marketing Director

The dream of being a professional cyclist most often involves glory in both training and racing. We like to think of ourselves as a tough, hardscrabble bunch, and our dreams frequently culminate in epic battles from which we emerge victorious. The dreams come easily and comfortably, especially as we compete vicariously from the comfort of our living rooms. We play the part to the best of our ability, sometimes defined by our actual abilities and others by the other things which keep us busy: jobs, family, etc. We train through the winter and get outside as frequently as we can, and take pride when we overcome the obstacles which prevent others from getting in the work.

5:12 Hrs., 156 km's, 4,250 KJ's, 8,470' climbing

By Steve Chapin, CycleOps Marketing Director

Day 3 of camp is typically when fatigue begins to set in.  From the outside, you probably wouldn't notice, but there are small clues in the speed at which the riders move about the hotel, how energetic and talkative they are at breakfast.  Today will be another big day with over 5 hours and almost 8,500' of climbing, so perhaps the riders are not showing signs of fatigue, rather preparing mentally for the day.

CycleOps-sponsored Dutch squad, Vacansoleil-DCM, captured three stages, two classifications and nearly won overall at Paris-Nice.

Gustav Erik Larsson captured stage one, Lieuwe Westra took stage five and Thomas De Gent won stage seven of the race.

Thomas De Gent, Team Vacansoleil (photo by Cor Vos)

Lieuwe Westra also finished second overall in the time trial, only eight seconds behind winner Bradley Wiggins of Sky. Frederik Veuchelen also won the King of the Mountains classification and the team finished first in the team classification.

Vacansoleil-DCM rider Gustav Erik Larsson won the opening stage of the 2011 Paris-Nice race with a time of 11:19 for the 9.4km time trial according to cyclingnews.com

View more photos from Team Vacansoleil-DCM

In January, Team Vacansoleil-DCM preformed a wind tunnel test in France.

Watch the video on YouTube

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Stay tuned to the CycleOps Team Vacansoleil page for more updates about the team

5:10 Hrs., 160 km's, 4,200 KJ's

By Steve Chapin, CycleOps Marketing Director

The first day to test the legs and the team is still eager to get down to business. Training camp is a great place for the younger riders to prove to the directors that they're on track for the early season races, and for the more experienced guys to pass along bits of sage wisdom. The weather is cool, and with morning temps in the low 40's at sea level, they'll stay out of the big mountains. But those who wish to climb need not worry; there will still be plenty of climbing as the roads around Benidorm are endlessly rolling.

2:00 Hrs., 60 km's, 1,700 KJ's

By Steve Chapin, CycleOps Marketing Director

The morning was consumed with rider arrivals and typical press events. On the surface, there are only photos and a short, 2-hour ride in the afternoon sun. At a moderate pace, the ride winds along the coastal roads in and around Benidorm and Calpe. It is everything you might envision camp to be, and the riders are fresh, happy to be training, and in good spirits. The riders cover about 60k and put out about 1,700 KJ's. For most of us, that's a solid ride with some sustained efforts, but for the team it merely stretches out the legs and prepares them for the 'real' training in the coming days. All in all, a relaxing way to kick off camp, for the riders at least.

By Steve Chapin, CycleOps Marketing Director

Now and again we allow visions of grandeur. Ethereal ascents up the most prized cols. The Tourmalet, le Madeleine, le Aple. We ascend unencumbered on a playground on which only we inflict pain. Flying down the Champs with a burst of acceleration only witnessed from behind. In our dreams, we always prevail.