Imagine training for a cycling race at an altitude where the air is thin, the sun is scorching, and wild condors soar overhead. That’s exactly what Tom Pidcock and the Pinarello-Q36.5 team are doing in a groundbreaking 25-day training camp in the Andes Mountains of Chile. But here’s where it gets controversial—while altitude camps in South America aren’t entirely new for European teams, Chile is far from the usual choice. Back in the 2000s, riders often flocked to South Africa for off-season training, but this shift to the Andes at 2,780 meters above sea level raises questions: Is this the future of high-altitude training, or just a bold experiment? And this is the part most people miss—the team isn’t just battling the elements; they’re also sharing their experiences in a series of first-person accounts published by Het Laatste Nieuws. Belgian riders Quinten Hermans, Xandro Meurisse, and Brent Van Moer offer a raw, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to train in such extreme conditions. From wild horses roaming the trails to temperatures hitting 36°C in January, their stories are as captivating as they are grueling. Pidcock, meanwhile, will soon swap these rugged landscapes for more familiar roads, kicking off his racing season with the Vuelta a Murcia on February 13, followed by the Clásica Jaén, Vuelta a Andalucia, and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Here’s the bold question: Could this unconventional training camp give Pidcock and his teammates an edge, or is it a risky gamble? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—do you think extreme training environments like this are the key to success, or just a passing trend?
