Ride with us in Spain this Spring

Sa Calobra, the most challenging climb on the island of Majorca.

This coming Spring, we are offering three trips to Spain: two trips to Majorca and one to Girona.

The first trip, March 6 – 14, is a Performance training camp in Majorca. This is for the cyclist who trains and/or races at a competitive regional level and wants to optimize their time in Majorca with structured training miles that will set themselves up for a successful season. Competitive paces will be set on rides with short breaks for refueling and regrouping. Performance monitoring and testing will be conducted throughout the week. This Camp needs a minimum of 6 guests.

The second trip, April 10 – 18, is a Touring camp in Girona. This camp is limited to 15 guests.

The third trip, April 17 – 25, is a Touring camp in Majorca. This camp is limited to 25 guests.

The two Touring camps are back-to-back, whereas you can choose to join us on either trip, or both. We will be transferring from Girona to Majorca on Saturday April 18.

Please note that the first and last dates of each trips are travel days.

Feel free to contact Paul with any questions, concerns or funny stories from past trips: (212) 706-0025 or paul@signaturecycles.com.

To register for any of these trips, please use the booking form at GPM10’s website: http://gpm.studiofivedesign.com/signature-cycles-booking-form/.


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Majorca Performance Training Camp, March 6th - 14th

The week will be about improving performance and will include tests and drills to develop a power profile for each cyclist. We will have a professional sports scientist present who will provide individual consultation and feedback. The rides will be structured and include new routes that will get progressively more difficult through the week with the final 3 days averaging 145km each day in the mountains. Total distance for the week will be 800Km.

Please contact Paul at paul@signaturecycles.com for pricing details.

The trip includes the following:

Private airport transfers from Palma based on the scheduled pick up times
Four star hotel accommodation for seven nights including breakfast and evening meals
Seven days of riding led by professional guides with top-level race experience
Constant vehicle support
A professional mechanic to maintain the bikes for the duration of the trip, as well as to assist with assembly and packing
A packed lunch on the ride days
A range of quality sports nutrition products

This trip requires a minimum of six cyclists.

…click here to hide this trip’s details…


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Girona, April 10th - 18th

Riding in Girona:

There are a good variety of routes for all levels and Girona itself is a beautiful city to explore off the bike with wide a variety of Cafes and restaurants. The ride terrain out from Girona offers smooth roads with rolling hills and a number of longer climbs with gentler gradients. There is also a stunning Mediterranean coast road and high mountains with access to the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees. The roads are mostly traffic free and the drivers are considerate to cyclists. There are approximately 70 professional cyclists based year round in Girona, which says a lot about the quality of the riding and training there. The ride distance for each day will range from 110km to 150km and comprise of a number of the established training routes and include the climbs of Els Angels , Mare de Deu del Mont (14km, average 5% with sections of 12%), Rocacorba (13.8km, average 5.6% with sections of 10.5% and Ryder Hesjedal holds the record of 27mins and 45 seconds) and Sant Hilari (26km average 3.5%)

The Hotel is yet to be determined. Last year we stayed at the AC Hotel and we want to get something in the town, without the climb back up to the hotel.

The price per person is $3900 including:

  • Private airport transfers from Barcelona based on the scheduled pick up times (TBC).

  • Four star hotel accommodation with a single room for seven nights including breakfast and four evening meals.
  • Three evening meals at select local restaurants.
  • Seven days of riding led by professional guides with top-level race experience
  • Constant vehicle support.
  • A professional mechanic to maintain the bikes for the duration of the trip, as well as to assist with assembly and packing.
  • Lunch on the ride days with coffee stops.
  • A range of quality sports nutrition products.
  • Signature Cycles/GPM10 Jersey.
  • Airport transfers are from Barcelona and the transfer time to Girona is approximately 90 minutes.
Girona sample ride schedule:

Day 1 – Els Angels – 40Km, 400m
Late afternoon ride to check bikes which include a 10km climb (average 3%) before we descend to Madremanya. We continue back towards north Girona and return to the hotel via the old town.

Day 2 – Tossa-Sant Grau – 118km, 1800m From our hotel overlooking Girona, we descend into the town itself where we pick up the road south towards Llagostera. The terrain is flat here, and at times you would be forgiven for thinking it was a sunny day in Belgium due to the concrete road surface and surrounding traditional farmland. However, at Llagostera the scenery changes dramatically as we cross a small range of hills that separate the interior from the coast. This culminates with an 8km descent to the seaside town of Tossa de Mar which boasts the only remaining fortified medieval town still standing on the Catalan coast, the Vila Vella enceinte. We stop for coffee here before heading to Saint Felui de Guíxols on the coast road.

The coast road is the highlight of the ride and it winds its north through a series of natural harbors and coves for about 25km. The road surface is perfectly smooth, the climbs rarely very steep, and the views are always stunning. Once we reach Saint Felui, we turn inland again and tackle the longest climb of the day to the village of Romanyà de la Selva. The climb is about 6km and averages around 5%. From the summit at about the 80km mark, we ride back to Llagostera and return to Girona.

Day 3 – The Volcanoes – 110Km, 1050m
After a detour through the old town of Girona where we pass the fortified door to the apartments where Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton once lived, we ride north out of town on the C-66. Bizarrely, all the local professional riders pass this way when riding north, despite the fact that it is a dual carriageway. During the season, Team Garmin can often be seen practicing for the team time trial along this stretch of road. We leave the C-66 after around 10km and begin to ride further inland towards Banloyes. The road is essentially traffic free and climbs steadily into the Parc Natural Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa. This natural park is made up of around forty extinct volcanoes, the distinctive craters of which can still clearly been seen from the air today.

We stop in the medieval town of Santa Pau for coffee before a fast descent then brings us to Olot on the 55km mark. From here we commence the return leg of the ride, skirting the southern edge of the natural park and ascending a final climb that begins in Les Planes de Hosteles. The climb continues for around 3.5km at 4%. From the summit there remains about 30km, and the road is predominantly a steady false flat descent, allowing us to maintain a quick pace all the way back to Girona.

Day 4 – Mare de Déu del Mont – 130km, 1750m
The ride takes us to the foothills of la Mare de Déu del Mont, a magnificent mountain that stands above the rest. We’ll go around its base with steep but short ups and downs. It is one of the hard climbs the pros do from Girona and is really difficult! It can be optional, but expect a 14 km climb that peaks around 17%

Day 5 – rest day
Vist to Garmin Service Course. The group will also need to arrange and pack for check out on Thursday morning – Luggage and will be transferred to the Hotel La Placa where we will be based Thursday and Friday night.

Day 6 -Costa Brava North – Begur and Medieval Empordà – 125km, 1340m
Climbs of Romanya and els Angels on the way back. Riding part of Costa Brava and through Medieval Villages.

Day 7 – Rocacorba -120km, 1430m
Depart Girona in the direction of Lake Banyoles to ride the famous Rocacorba climb (13.8km, average 5.6% with sections of 10.5%). “Rocacorba is a beautiful mountain, rising up out of the gentle rolling Catalunya landscape surrounding Girona. “The road that snakes up it is brutal, at times bringing the best climbers in the world to grapple with their bikes. To reach the top of Rocacorba offers a sense of achievement few mountains can match. Climbing for climbing’s sake; that’s what Rocacorba is about“ – David Millar

GPX files of the routes can be provided if you would like them.

…click here to hide this trip’s details…

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Majorca, April 17th - 25th

We are offering another epic week in Majorca. Last year’s trip was spectacular; we had 7 straight days of sunshine. We had a wonderful time and came back with plenty of miles in our legs to kick off our season and flatten any hill in the NY area.

This year’s trip promises to be a week of steady climbing, rolling hills through olive groves, beautiful switch back descents, more food than one can eat, and endless laughs and sunshine.

The itinerary for the week and details of what you will be receiving are below.

Price per person is $3000, which includes:

  • Private airport transfers from Palma based on the scheduled pick up times (TBC).
  • Four star hotel accommodation at Club Pollentia with a single room for seven nights including breakfast and four evening meals.
  • Three meals per day, plus two evening meals and one lunch at select restaurants serving excellent local cuisine.
  • Seven days of riding led by professional guides with top-level race experience.
  • Two separate groups professionally guided by two experienced cyclists and each group with a dedicated support vehicle.
  • A professional mechanic to maintain the bikes for the duration of the trip, as well as to assist with assembly and packing.
  • Lunch on the ride days with coffee stops.
  • A range of quality sports nutrition products.
  • Professional photographer to record the trip.
  • Two Signature Cycles/GPM10 jerseys.
Majorca Sample ride schedule:

Day 1 – Arrival day (Saturday). Relaxed ride out to Cap de Formentor, 2-3 hours.‘This is a beautiful but hilly route out to the lighthouse at Cap Formentor, and a great ride to do late in the afternoon’

Day 2 – San Salvador (150km – 6 hours) A fairly flat route inland to San Salvador Monastery – 1 significant climb (7k + poss. bonus climb) ‘The is a long day but a plenty of time to chat as we will mostly stay as a bunch out to San Salvador after which it is every man for himself for the climb to the Monastery. There are grand views from the top and across the island with a nice cafe to have lunch before the ride back’

Day 3 – Sa Calobra (85km) First day in the mountains – Sa Calobra via Selva – ‘the most spectacular descent on the island with a 9km (700m) climb back up from sea level’

Day 4 – Deia and Valldemossa (140km) Mountain and costal ride via Lluc – Coll de Puig Major -Deia – Banyalbufar – Coll d’ es Pi – Coll de sa Gremola. ‘We ran this ride for the first time two years ago, which everyone thought, was very tough but worth it for the long descent off the Coll de Puig Majo into Soller. Deia is beautiful but the coastal road to Valdemossa is very hilly… if there is southerly wind the ride back across the island will be testing’

Day 5 – Rest day – ‘Nice gentle spin in the morning then do you own thing or relax by the pool’

Day 6 – The Classic mountain loop (160KM) The Longest Day’ – 160km, 7+hrs Major Mountain Day!! – 3 major climbs (25-30k). ‘This is the classic mountain loop and used by many pro teams on training camps and always features as the BIG mountain stage in the UCI Tour of Mallorca’

Day 7 – Coastal ride to Arta 100km – Bunch ride out to Arta and back ‘Once we reach Arta there is a technical climb and descent to a remote monastery followed by a nice lunch stop before heading back’.


…click here to hide this trip’s details…

Winter: An argument for the “All-Road” bicycle

Sunday Ride at Lake Welch
Let’s face it, this winter is never-ending!
I feel I can safely speak for everyone when I say, I’m ready for Spring.
Here at Signature, our road bikes are either collecting dust in the corner of our homes, or the look like they’ve been dragged through a war zone, covered in mud and salt.

Our beautiful Parlees, Passonis, and Gurus are sitting on the sidelines, like high-performance sports cars, garaged because of this weather. So what are we left with to ride? Well, that’s an interesting question, lets introduce our “other” bikes.

This past year, Justin and I decided to go “outside of the box” with our next builds, and began to explore all the interesting technologies the industry had to offer; including disc brakes, hydraulic options, electronic shifting, and more. The result; two bikes that didn’t quite fit the mold, however turned out to be everything we could ask for in this winter weather.
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The Easiest (and cheapest) Performance Upgrade

How many times have you heard someone say “take a deep breath and relax”?

I would hazard a guess that most people (not just athletes) truly understand that deep, controlled breathing is the best way to calm the mind and relax the body. This is true if you’re stressed at work, stressed while you’re sitting in traffic on the highway, or stressed because you’re pummeling yourself to keep up with the rest of the group out on your bike.

I can’t tell you how many times, whether it’s in a race or on a group ride, that I’ve heard people around me taking quick, shallow breaths while they’re working to get over the hill we’re climbing or someone’s acceleration at the front of the group. Continue reading

Functional Hip Mobility for Cyclists with Michael Conlon

Tuesday, March 6th, 6:30 pm
Signature Cycles of Manhattan
RSVP to Blake Bedoya:
blake@signaturecycles.com or (212) 706-0025

Physical therapist Michael Conlon, owner of Finish Line Physical Therapy and a three-time Ironman triathlete, will join Signature Cycles for a special presentation on “Functional” hip mobility for cyclists. Michael will discuss the benefits of three-dimensional functional flexibility, and how building and maintaining proper mobility and stability in your hips will help in overall performance enhancement, injury prevention, and rehabilitation if injury does occur.

Finish Line PT

Dr. Max Testa on Muscle Coordination Training

Here is part four of our series of videos from Dr. Max Testa’s talk at our Greenwich Studio’s Passoni Bicycles introduction event. In this portion of Dr. Testa’s talk, he covers muscle coordination and pedaling efficiency, and how outright muscular strength is not such a great thing if those muscles are not coordinated in their firing sequence.

Dr. Max Testa on Muscle Coordination Training from Signature Cycles on Vimeo.

Dr. Max Testa on the Performance Secret of Mitochondria

On December 5th and 6th, 2011, Dr. Max Testa visited us for the introduction of Passoni Bicycles to Signature Cycles. We were treated to an amazing talk about his long history in the Pro peloton, his training techniques and methodologies, his current work, and hilarious stories about Pro cyclists past and present.

This is the first video in a series which we will release over the coming week in which Dr. Testa discusses how important cellular mitochondria are to athletic performance (and everyday life!).

Powering Into 2012: An Evening with SRM

“A power meter allows you to quantitatively track your fitness changes, more easily define your weaknesses, and then refocus your training based on those weaknesses.  It can be the impetus for change in your training program.  Using a power meter can take your training to a new level.”

Hunter Allen & Andrew Coggan, PhD, authors of
Training and Racing with a Power Meter

Signature Cycles is proud to present two events which will highlight the ongoing partnership between SRM Power Meters and Signature Cycles. For the past two years, Signature Cycles has been the top “brick and mortar” dealer of SRM Training Systems in North America. Our depth and breadth of experience with all powermeters, and with SRM specifically, allows us to offer exceptional service to our clients when it comes to on-bike training data.

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