Morocco

Looking for a training camp location that’s truly left-field? You can’t get much more out-there than Morocco.

With the High Atlas mountains within striking distance of Marrakech, there’s plenty of tough riding to keep the legs working and the mind in a perpetual state of ‘this is awesome’ wonderment.

Then there’s the coastal paradise of Taghazout, which offers access to smaller, but no-less wondrous foothills of the Atlas, as well as spellbinding coastal roads.

Riding in Morocco has the added bonus of average temperatures that never dip below 13°C, meaning you can leave the fleece-lined bib shorts at home where they belong.

Cyclists are a relative rarity, compared with the busy roads of Calpe and Mallorca, but reports from riders out there give the impression of a considerate, if slightly bemused car-driving public.

Northern Spain

While we’ve all heard of (and probably been on) training camps in the pro-team hotspots of Spain – Mallorca, Alicante, Denia and Girona – what about the oft-overlooked northern regions?

Cantabria and particularly Asturias are blessed with some punchy long climbs, weather that is far better than Britain (if not quite sweltering all-year round) and stunning scenery.

The Picos de Europa National Park comprises plenty of tough ascents to test your mettle, many of which have been featured in the Vuelta in recent years.

Then of course there is the fabled Alto de l’Angliru, with its reputation as the toughest climb in professional road cycling. If doing that every day before breakfast doesn’t get you ready for the season, nothing will.

The Lake District

Home of Coleridge, Wordsworth and Southey, the Lake District is world-renowned for its wild and haunting beauty.

People from every corner of the globe travel here to experience it and we’re incredibly fortunate to have it on our (relative) doorsteps.

What most tourists who come for a trip around the Lake District won’t do, however, is turn a pedal in anger while they’re here. That’s because as far as terrain to ride bikes on goes, the north-western corner of England couldn’t be more challenging.

There’s simply no let up in the action when riding in the Lakes and that means your legs will be in incredible shape after an intensive week of training here. No sooner have you safely negotiated a precipitous descent than you’re pointing up another climb with gradients in excess of 20 per cent.

Of course, the Lake District’s weather is as notorious as its beauty is famous, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from coming to take it all in. Just make sure you pack your waterproofs. And possibly your snorkel.

Colombia

A country that produces top-class climbers at the same rate Mr Kipling produces Cherry Bakewells, Colombia is the place to go if you are really serious about training at altitude.

The nation’s capital, Bogota, sits at an elevation of 2,600m above sea level. That’s the same as the summit of the Galibier.

Then, if you head north-east into the Boyaca region, you’re in the home province of Nairo Quintana, while if you head north-west it’s not long before you reach the Antioquia region, home to the Heñao brothers of Team Sky and Cannondale’s Rigoberto Uran.

There’s even a story of the great Italian campionissimo Fausto Coppi being laid low by the altitude in Antioquia, so riding here is certainly not for the faint of heart.

Oman

It’s always tempting to do as the pros do, so what better way to tune up the legs for the season than by visiting the Gulf region?

With much of the early season’s racing action taking place in the consistently warm and (usually) rain-free climes of the Persian Gulf, there’s no reason why your training camp shouldn’t do the same.

Oman is a beautiful country, with its own professional race and a wealth of interesting routes to ride, but amateur road cycling here, as with many of the countries in the region is still very much nascent.

We say go now and enjoy it, before everyone else arrives to ruin it.