Silence-Lotto trains in Portugal

Greg Van Avermaet is competitive and won the sprinter's jersey at the Vuelta last year (Image credit: Unipublic)

Belgian team Silence Lotto trains currently in Albufeira, Portugal, and is very pleased with the training conditions. There is virtually no traffic and the weather is perfect, about 15 degrees centigrade and sunny skies.

Directeur Sportif Roberto Damiani was very pleased with the circumstances. "Ideal conditions for good work." The team has split ninto two groups. One was led by Gilbert, who is eying the Ardennes Classics. The group went out for five-hour long ride at a fast pace, according to La Dernière Heure. The other group with Greg van Avermaet, for the races in Flanders, stayed in the flatlands and for a slightly shorter period of time.

Damiani was quite amused about the lack of traffic. "When you go off the main roads you ask yourself if there isn't a problem here, as there is so little traffic." Dogs cause the only problems, with their sudden appearance out of nowhere and their desire to cross the road in front of a fast charging mini-peloton. Some of them are also rather aggressive. "It is the only problem here," said Michaël Delage. "There are dogs everywhere."

At the end the Flandrien group also gets to work on some climbing, up to Monchique. Jophan Vansummeren is the first to attack, halfway up. But Van Avermaet takes his wheel together with Staf Scheirlinckx. Van Avermaet shows he is getting ready for the Belgian races on a climb the group rode up at 450 watts, according to Vansummeren. Damiani was in admiration. "Greg was born with such a winner's mentality."