PFEIFFER GEORGI THREE WEEKS ON MARS

This week's article comes to you from a Spanish cottage in the National Park of Teide, where my current view is consumed by an active volcano, and a few lizards. This is my third time on a high-altitude camp, but first time here in Tenerife, so I'm very much enjoying the novelty of the Martian landscape and the tranquillity that comes with it.

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I'm on camp with my two team-mates Francesca [Barale] and Marta [Cavalli], as well as three of the guys from the men’s team. We are very fortunate to have a chef, as well as a following car to refill bottles and carry clothes, meaning our job is very simple: suffer on the bike and then recover well.

The first week of camp is all about acclimatisation, as initially your blood oxygen saturation drops, so it’s important not to go too hard while your body is adapting. The second week is where the efforts start to creep in, before a painful combination of high intensity and longer rides in the third week.