Road bike training camp in spring: Start of the season on the Italian Adriatic

Similar to Mallorca, many hotels on the Adriatic coast of Emilia-Romagna and Marche have specialised in racing cyclists. The training camp epicentre stretches from Cesenatico southwards via the seaside resorts of Rimini and Riccione to Gabicce Mare. Beyond the flat, densely populated coastal strip, the hilly, lonely foothills of the Apennines quickly emerge, an area that bears witness to the labour of the people who have inhabited it for centuries, cultivating wine, olives, cereals, fruit and vegetables. The hinterland is criss-crossed by a dense network of roads. Many of them are narrow, have little traffic and are in good condition. However, there is the occasional pothole, so you should take care on descents. If you look back from the hills, you can see the blue strip of the Adriatic Sea in the distance, a mosaic of settlements and fields in the lowlands in front of you, and finally castles, churches and small villages on the rugged, green ridges. For those who don't want to climb so much early in the year, there are also wide valleys that lead into the hinterland and allow tours with fewer metres of elevation gain - but you have to put up with a little more traffic there, although drivers are usually considerate. Not far from Riccione, you can also cycle along the steep coast of the Monte San Bartolo Nature Park through a sparse forest. But there is one mountain you shouldn't miss out on! Former cycling hero Marco Pantani used to train on the 1,415 metre-high Monte Carpegna, which lies on the border between Emilia-Romagna and Le Marche, and always set off from his home town of Cesenatico on the coast into the hinterland to steel himself on the steep ramps for the mountain stages of the Giro and Tour.

Mild temperatures and clear roads: Emilia-Romagna, home of the late professional cyclist Marco Pantani, is the perfect place to kick off the season. Cycling is almost as much a favourite here as good food - Patrick Kunkel, TOUR travel author

Information about the Italian Adriatic

Start of the season: March at the earliest, better from April. Eight days of rain in both months.

Temperatures: 13 degrees (March), 16 degrees (April) are the average maximum temperature on the coast, in the hinterland it can be significantly colder.

Journey: It is 1,000 kilometres by car from Frankfurt am Main via Brenner, Bolzano and Bologna. By train from Munich to Bologna, then by regional train to Rimini, the journey takes nine hours.

Topography: Flat, hilly, mountainous on the Carpegna.

Locations: Along the coast from Cesenatico southwards via Rimini, Riccione to Gabicce Mare, in the hinterland Verucchio, Fratta Terme, Riolo Terme, Faenza and Borgo Massano.

Weekly rate for hotel and guided tours: Instead of cycle tour operators, hotels specialising in racing cyclists organise cycling holidays, such as Italy Bike Hotels, Riccione Bike Hotels, Terrabici and Roadbike Holidays - from around 450 euros, many around 600 euros per person in a double room with half board.

Bike hire: Six days bike hire costs from around 200 euros (carbon frame with Shimano's 105 groupset).

5 more destinations for your road bike training camp in spring

1. Canary Islands
2. Andalusia
3. Côte dAzur
4. Lake Garda
5. Cyprus

Or Mallorca after all

Plus points: That speaks in favour of a road bike training camp on the Italian Adriatic

• Relatively close: travelling by car or train makes sense
• Flat to hilly routes
• Little traffic on narrow roads in the hinterland

Minus points: That speaks against it

• Lots of traffic on the coast
• Season start in February and March only spontaneously depending on weather conditions
• Poor overview of bike hotels regarding hire bikes and prices, details usually have to be requested in a cumbersome manner