Each camp follows the same pattern: structured coaching, on-bike technical support on every ride, and pace groups set by power rather than by who turns up strongest. Testing is built in where it matters — Open The Season and Close The Gap both include test days, and the Sierra Nevada altitude camp runs lactate tests alongside its two weeks at height. Riders without a power meter or a testing history are placed by Strava data, recent events or perceived effort.

The camps differ by terrain and by where they sit in the season. Open The Season in Calpe (4–10 or 16–22 January) is for riders with no formal training history: you leave with tested zones, a race calendar and a coach adjusting your plan through spring. Granada Gravel (9–15 May) is technique-first — cornering, braking, climbing and descending — on Andalusian gravel roads and sierra passes. The Altitude Road Camp in Sierra Nevada (17–31 May) spends two weeks sleeping at 2,300 m, riding low first and climbing higher day by day, with chef-cooked full board. Serra da Estrela (13–19 June) covers Portugal's highest climbs with home-cooked recovery. Grenoble Alps (July, dates being finalised) is the high-mountain block. Torres Vedras Gravel (14–18 August) is five days on home turf with no jet lag. Close The Gap in Calpe (9–15 October) is the season-closer: power-grouped rides, daily debriefs, a VO2max test day, full board and a welcome pack.

The coaching team is the same at every camp. Carlos Cobos Márquez is part of the professional Movistar Gravel Squad and coaches professional and semi-pro racers, including Calum Johnston, Pablo Lospitao and Mauricio Moreira, winner of the 2022 Volta a Portugal. Darina Balabai founded Portcycling and built the community behind more than 50 Coffee and Social Rides across Portugal; she went from zero to semi-pro in four years and reached a World Championship start line two years after starting cycling at 36. Artem Shcherbyna is the guide, living on the Costa Blanca and riding it daily — he knows the climbs, gradients and wind directions.

Rider results are concrete. João, 50, a Lisbon real estate professional, came back to cycling in September 2024 with a goal of riding 100 km and feeling good doing it; five months of structured coaching and group rides later he lined up at the UCI Granfondo Coimbra, averaging 32.5 km/h against a 28 km/h goal, with sustained power up from 165 W to 230 W. Alex Zhuravlev rode over 100 km with 1,000 m of elevation for the first time. Nataliia Shovkun switched from running after a knee injury, had her pedalling technique and bike position adjusted, and climbed 1,000 m for the first time.

Camps run in English, with Portuguese, Spanish and Ukrainian also spoken across the team. The community is mixed and women are actively encouraged; pace groups are set by power, not gender.

What's included

- Structured coaching on every camp day - Full technical support on every ride - Pace groups set by power - On-site testing where the camp includes it (lactate and FTP at Open The Season, VO2max at Close The Gap) - Daily ride debriefs - Chef-cooked full board at the Sierra Nevada Altitude Road Camp - Full board and welcome pack at Close The Gap - Three months of remote coaching after Open The Season - Accommodation as arranged for each camp

What's not included

- Travel to and from the camp - Travel insurance (recommended for every camp) - Personal expenses - Bike hire, where needed