While pro riders in Mallorca were able to continue training on the road when snow hit the island yesterday, riders on teams holding their pre-season training in mainland Spain have been less fortunate.
Heavy snow has hit Calpe and the Costa Blanca overnight, bringing much of eastern Spain to a standstill.
The result was teams and riders struggling to get around, with training limited to time on the turbo in the hotel, rather than getting in the miles in the mountains.
Grand beau temps en Espagne ☀️ pic.twitter.com/fdaReuSReA
— Equipe FDJ (@EquipeFDJ) January 18, 2017
Uhm, Spain..☀️?? #somethingwentwronghere – https://t.co/9LIVeCqv8r
— Anna van der Breggen (@AnnavdBreggen) January 18, 2017
En Espagne pour prendre le soleil ! ❄️ #calpe #biathlon pic.twitter.com/9LEJbzSoKk
— Nicolas Geay (@Nicogeay) January 18, 2017
Training will be difficult. Snow in #Calpe today. pic.twitter.com/Wr9DgBSuXE
— Philippe Maertens (@philmaertens) January 18, 2017
First snow since 1982, they tell us. Quite exceptional. #calpe people younger than 35 never saw this here. pic.twitter.com/fXc1tVgJ0l
— Philippe Maertens (@philmaertens) January 18, 2017
🙈 @ Spain pic.twitter.com/f7LhP0YdYZ
— Tosh Van der Sande (@Toshvds) January 18, 2017
Snow in Majorca. Rain and 2 degrees in Calpe. This Spanish cycling thing is going tits-up at the moment! Thinks it's warmer back home #irony
— Colin Lynch (@FormerTTchamp) January 18, 2017
Snow settled down in Calpe today. Quite exceptional. How's weather at home? 🌨 pic.twitter.com/9SKTH5Yn9y
— WM3 Pro Cycling (@WM3ProCycling) January 18, 2017
#TrainingCamp 2e jour de home-trainer à Calpe 😕🌧❄️ pic.twitter.com/4vD0bsYJqY
— Team Direct Energie (@TeamDEN_fr) January 18, 2017
However Katusha-Alpecin got lucky with the day they’d booked the local velodrome.
Bike fitting, clothing, all details count. Velodrome Luis Puig #valencia #TeamKatushaAlpecin @tonymartin85 #racetowin pic.twitter.com/2sPmlJW80A
— Team KATUSHA ALPECIN (@katushacycling) January 18, 2017
Meanwhile back in Mallorca, Trek-Segafredo riders were enjoying a well-earned easy day after training through the snow on Tuesday.
Restday! #coffee #relax #TrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/eDc8gUwb84
— Jasper Stuyven (@Jasperstuyven) January 18, 2017
And elsewhere in Europe, organisers of the Critérium du Dauphiné were having to deal with tricky conditions as they surveyed the race route for 2017.
❄️⛄️ Reconnaissances du @dauphine…..@martinfkde nous fait la trace ❄️⛄️/ ❄️⛄️Heavy snow during the recon of the @dauphine ❄️⛄️ pic.twitter.com/Y6UhBGOJnu
— Critérium Dauphiné (@dauphine) January 18, 2017
In northern Europe the roads looked clear, although Tom Dumoulin and Laurens Ten Dam decided to stick to their mountain bikes, fuelled by a big slice of apple pie.
Freezing cold and realized how hard it is to build the character in that conditions towards season 2017 #-5*C #gettingsoft pic.twitter.com/5GkiNMVQLG
— Andre Greipel (@AndreGreipel) January 17, 2017
Nice to have @laurenstendam in town again for a few days! MTB rides to 'Hijgend Hert' every day haha! pic.twitter.com/wYqLklKgby
— Tom Dumoulin (@tom_dumoulin) January 18, 2017