SD Worx swap bikes for skis on Livigno team camp

Whilst most teams have headed to sunny Spain or Mallorca for their December team camps, SD Worx have shunned sun for snow this winter, and swapped their lycra and bikes for snowsuits and skis, spending a day on the slopes during their Livigno training camp.

For the likes of Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky, a day in the mountains would usually mean riding up some challenging ascents, but the team have found the time to ski down them instead in Italy.

Read more: SD Worx Team Talk: How can the dominant force in women's cycling get any better?

Livigno, a resort in the Italian Alps near the Swiss border, is a popular summer training destination for the pros, thanks to its abundance of climbs and 1,800m altitude. In the winter, though, it transforms into a popular ski resort.

A relatively high-risk sport, skiing doesn’t stand out as an obvious cross-training choice for cyclists, but is in fact fairly popular, especially among those living in popular spots like Andorra or Colorado. The likes of Sepp Kuss, Anna Henderson and Anton Palzer all notably have backgrounds in skiing.

Read more: Anton Palzer: If Chris Froome or Primož Roglič tried my SkiMo times, I'm sure they wouldn't survive this

SD Worx also join the long list of riders and teams who are doing anything but cycling this off-season, as the benefits of balancing on-bike training and other activities become clear. Several pros have turned to running, whose knock-on endurance benefits are obvious, but plenty are opting for less traditional sports and activities too.

There is also a growing trend of teams focusing their camps around not just training, but team building, too. The Uno-X women’s team have recently wrapped up their now-annual ‘kick off’ camp with a camping trip in snowy Norway, whilst Canyon-SRAM are in the United States tackling a team bikepacking trip.

Read more: From sold-out shows to survival skills: The unexpected things pros are doing this off-season

Where teamwork and cooperation are becoming increasingly influential in the women’s sport, which was once more individualistic, these off-bike efforts and bonding are more and more important for teams. As well as the riders, both sports director Anna van der Breggen and team manager Danny Stam were pictured on the slopes.

The photo shared by the team also appears to confirm that Elena Cecchini will stay on the squad, though her contract extension has not been formally announced, whilst Chantal van den Broek-Blaak is back on training camp after giving birth to her first child.