The first training camp of the 2011 Team RadioShack squad will begin early next month in Calpe, Alicante, and will run for eighteen days.
Starting on December sixth, Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel will be joined by the 19 other returning riders, namely Sam Bewley, Janez Brajkovic, Mathew Busche, Ben Hermans, Chris Horner, Markel Irizar, Andreas Kloden, Levi Leipheimer, Geoffroy Lequatre, Tiago Machado, Dmitry Muravyev, Sergio Paulinho, Yaroslav Popovych, Gregory Rast, Sebastien Rosseler, Ivan Rovny, Bjorn Selander, Gert Steegmans and Haimar Zubeldia.
According to Biciciclismo, the camp’s attendance will be completed by six new signings: Manuel Cardoso (Footon), Philip Deignan (Cervélo), Benjamin King (Trek Livestrong), Michal Kwiatkowski (Caja Rural), Nelson Oliveira (Xacobeo Galicia) and Jesse Sergent (Trek Livestrong).
The camp will be used to build form, and also to make any remaining adjustments necessary to riders’ bikes. It will also be used to complete whatever is necessary to sort out clothing for 2011, as well as working on race schedules, training programmes and whatever else needs to be done to prepare for the new season.
Another important factor will be to enable the new riders to become more acquainted with those who are already on the squad.
The team’s first race is likely to be the Santos Tour Down Under, which begins on January 16th with a lumpy 138 kilometre race from Mawson Lakes to Angaston. It will be Armstrong’s final-ever international event, and he is likely to select a squad which will help him have the best-possible performance there. He will want to make a strong impression, signing off his international career on an upbeat note.
After that, the team will return to Europe and begin its campaign there. 2011 is likely to be a year of transition, with Armstrong winding down his career by riding select events in the US, and other riders such as Leipheimer, Horner and Klöden all ageing.
The team has a number of promising young riders that it will aim to develop further in 2011. Past that, it is uncertain as to what will happen, as the RadioShack backing is currently due to stop next December.