All of our training weeks and weekends are based in our chalet in Bozel, near Courchevel in the French Alps.
Included in the price of a training camp is shared accommodation with the possibility of paying a single occupancy supplement, breakfast, dinner for 6 nights of your stay and lunch on days when we can't stop in a local town or village.
We lead the rides and training and for longer rides out of the valley a support vehicle follows the group, bringing food, drink, extra clothing and a few spares in case of technical difficulties.
Triathlon Training.
Switchback’s triathlon training camps cater for athletes of every level, and for every discipline.
The dates of training camps and the routes chosen for training are scheduled to help you peak for many of the major triathlon events around Europe.
We make the most of our fantastic location, nestled in the Courchevel Valley to provide unbeatable training:
Cycling: famous routes through the French Alps
Our triathlon training weeks tend to focus on cycling. The mixture of Tour de France climbs and flat time trial style rides will give you plenty of time to build strength, stamina and speed. And you can get some serious miles into your legs on quiet roads while enjoying the breathtaking alpine scenery.
Swimming: open water and a purpose-built lake
For your swimming training sessions we have the choice of the village’s purpose built (filtered) swimming lake, a local pool complex or open water swimming in Lake Annecy. The lake in the village is also perfect for relaxing tired legs and recovering after a long day in the saddle.
Running: road runs, trails and track
Your running sessions will alternate between track sessions, running on local trails and quiet roads, sometimes driving up to altitude for optimum training effect.
What's your distance?
For 70.3 and Olympic distance training, the training still involves all three disciplines but with routes geared more towards these slightly shorter distances.
Ironman weeks involve greater volume and longer training sessions in all three disciplines.
Local triathlon tasters
Depending on the local triathlon calendar we also offer race weeks or long weekends to allow you to sample the local triathlon scene. One of the highlights of the summer is the Annecy Olympic distance triathlon with a notoriously challenging bike leg taking in 1000 metres of climbing over just 43 kms!
Races typically form the start of a week’s training, followed by an easier recovery day before we ramp up the volume again for the rest of the week.
Cycling: classic Tour de France climbs
For cyclists wishing to enjoy (or endure) riding some of the classic Tour de France climbs the possibilities are endless.
From our base in Bozel, near Courchevel in the French Alps, rides that are easily accessible include:
- the Col de la Madeleine
- the Cormet de Roselend
- the Col de L’Iseran
- the Col de Petit St Bernard
- The Courchevel Altiport
- Les Menuires, Val Thorens
- the Col de Tamié
- the Col de la Forclaz
Travelling further afield, we can take a time trial effort up to Alpe d’Huez. For a gentler day we can take a spin around Lake Annecy, following the course of the 2009 Tour de France time trial.
Training for a particular cycling event?
If your group are training for a particular event we'll use our knowledge of the local area to design a week that replicates the course and conditions that you will encounter on race day. We run weeks to train for the Etape Du Tour and the Marmotte as well as weeks taking on a selection of the climbs in the area made famous by the Tour and also a few of our own favourites.
The Alps are steeped in cycling history and cycling here is something that anyone serious about their riding should do at some point in their lives. We live and train here because we love the challenges that cycling here brings. The scenery is beautiful and inspiring and the views of the surrounding mountains spur you on during notoriously hard climbs.
For more information please get in touch using our contact page