The Andy Cook Cycling team got the year off to a great start in lovely Lanzarote, at the annual Andy Cook Bike Weeks. Based at one of the world’s biggest and best sports resorts, Club La Santa, these Bike Weeks have been running for over 15 years and have grown ever more popular in that time.
In 2020, 70 riders from all over the world joined the team on the island over the two weeks to experience the amazing facilities on offer at Club La Santa, to battle against the wind and the mountains out on the road, and to enjoy the camaraderie and fun of being part of this camp.
One of the best stories from this year’s camp is the amazing achievement by a young rider, Libby, who, prior to joining the camp, had not ridden more than 60km (37 miles), but finished her time with the ACC team by completing the epic 160km (100 miles) ride, which included over 7,500 ft of climbing!
The weather was very kind to the participants this year, except for the usual challenging wind that this volcanic island is known for, there wasn’t a drop of rain on any of the rides during either week. Most cyclists (particularly those from the UK) would agree that a ride without rain is a good ride, whatever else the weather throws at them!
On Day 1 of week 1, the riders were joined by Lars Bak – former professional Danish cyclist who rode between 2002 and 2019 for the Fakta, BankGiroLoterij, Team Saxo Bank, HTC–Highroad, Lotto–Soudal and Team Dimension Data squads. Bak now works as a directeur sportif for UCI WorldTeam NTT Pro Cycling. Lars last joined the camp in 2011 – the year he went on to make his Tour de France debut where he worked hard for Mark Cavendish’s sprint train and finished off by taking part in a breakaway on the last stage.
The Club La Santa team – headed by the lovely Tiia – hosted everyone impecably as usual, and the cyclists from the resort’s Green Team – Aitor, Ben and and Bo – helped lead some fantastic rides, supporting the Andy Cook Cycling team of Steve, Ian, Mark, Andy and Jacqui.
Cumulatively, the riders rode roughly 30,000 miles over the fortnight, consumed hundreds of ham and cheese rolls, drank countless litres of coke, and enjoyed the delights of local cakes, coffee and juices at numerous cafes around the island.
People join this camp to get some sunny miles in their legs at a cold time of year, but also to learn from the combined experience of the Andy Cook Cycling team. On this, and any of the other camps Andy Cook Cycling offers, all participants can expect a high level of cycling knowledge, gleaned from years in the sport – competing and partaking at all levels. There’s not much an ACC team member doesn’t know about this fantastic sport!
If you’d like to join us in Lanzarote next year, the Bike Weeks run from 8th-14th and 15th-21st January. Before then, the Andy Cook Cycling Mallorca Camps are taking bookings now – our flagship Spring Camp (March 7th-21st) our Women-only Camp (1st-5th May) and our Autumn Camp (10th-17th October). For more information and to book visit this page of our website: www.andycookcycling.com/bike-camps
