From today until Friday December 20, Team Polti Kometa gathers in full at the usual location on the southern Spanish coast: the Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort. Over these ten days, the group starts rebuilding team spirit and officially begins preparing for the upcoming season, with races scheduled to begin at the end of January following a second training camp.

Let’s focus on this first training camp: the twenty riders (14 confirmed and 6 new) and the entire staff arrive in Oliva after completing their medical examinations and VO2 Max tests between last Thursday and this morning. These tests were carried out at the Department of Sports and Exercise Medicine at the Careggi University Hospital in Florence, which has renewed its partnership with the team. “They also support us throughout the year for any needs we might have,” emphasizes Dr. Giulio Tempesti, Team Polti Kometa’s physician.

In a way, this is the most eagerly awaited camp. As Sports Director Stefano Zanatta explains, “There’s a strong desire to get back into the groove and curiosity about the new signings. Today feels like the first day of school: starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a routine of indoor training and rides on the beautiful Spanish roads with our AURUM MAGMA bikes, technical meetings, preliminary calendar planning and equipment testing.”

These will also be the final rides under the current team name, which will officially change to Polti Visit Malta on January 1. What won’t change is the long-standing relationship with the Oliva resort, which has hosted Ivan Basso and the Contador brothers’ ProTeam since its days as a Continental team in 2019. The resort offers everything a cycling squad needs: an ideal location with a pleasant climate, excellent facilities, all the necessary spaces for activities such as gyms, staff work areas and meeting rooms for laying the foundation for the upcoming year.

Last but not least, this training camp is also a crucial opportunity for discussions with sponsors, who gain firsthand insight into the team they have chosen to support. For technical partners, it’s a chance to evaluate and contribute to product development. The 2025 season begins… in December 2024!