In preparation for the 2026 Tour de France, which began with a team time trial in Barcelona, many of the world’s top cyclists gathered in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Spain for altitude training. The region, known primarily as a ski resort, transforms in May into a quiet training ground where riders focus on building endurance and conditioning in the thin air at over 7,600 feet above sea level.
The Sierra Nevada hosts the Centro de Alto Rendimiento, or Center of High Performance, a facility equipped with Europe’s highest soccer field, athletics track, and Olympic-size swimming pool. This center and surrounding accommodations become home to much of the Tour peloton each spring. Riders including Spain’s Juan Ayuso, Slovenia’s four-time Tour winner Tadej Pogacar, France’s Paul Seixas, and Belgium’s Wout van Aert train together but compete fiercely on the road.
Altitude training has become a fundamental part of preparation for major cycling tours. The practice dates back to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where athletes who acclimated to high elevation performed better. Modern sports science shows that spending two to three weeks at altitudes between roughly 6,500 and 8,200 feet stimulates red blood cell production and increases natural levels of erythropoietin (EPO), improving oxygen delivery to muscles and enhancing endurance.
Cyclists live and train under careful supervision, with daily monitoring of variables such as heart rate variability, oxygen saturation, and fatigue levels to manage the additional physical stresses caused by thinner air. Riders typically complete long, demanding routes through varying terrain including significant elevation gains, performing interval tests to evaluate performance.
The conditions can be challenging. Riders describe the initial days as notably more difficult, with everything feeling twice as hard. The isolated mountain environment offers few distractions; some cyclists spend downtime playing video games or engaging in light recreational activities such as flying model airplanes. However, the focus remains on maximizing fitness ahead of the summer racing season.
While the town is largely deserted outside the training period, the cyclists’ routines are intense. Injuries or health issues can complicate training at altitude. For example, Ayuso, who had previously withdrawn from a grand tour due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting, experienced a minor bee sting during training, prompting adjustments to his planned activities to avoid excessive physiological stress.
Coaches emphasize that altitude training is no longer optional but a necessity for competitive success, with many teams committing multiple altitude camps annually. The combination of favorable weather, diverse road profiles, and elite facilities makes Sierra Nevada a preferred destination. Riders report clear benefits, including weight loss, improved climbing performance, and enhanced focus.
As the cyclists descend from their high-altitude training grounds to begin the Tour de France, the physical adaptations and conditioning developed in Sierra Nevada are viewed as crucial elements shaping the race outcomes. The rigorous, solitary preparation contrasts sharply with the spotlight and crowds that will soon follow as the sport’s top athletes compete on the world stage.