I lived in boulder for a year - thats pretty popular

I just moved to Provence - 30 mins in from Cannes at 270m.

Out my door in 4.5 miles i get to 600m. No traffic.

In 64km i could get 2k m of elevation

I have a 50m out door pool 5 mins from the house.

I can trail run

The only downside is mosquitos, but given the number of professional cyclists that live in relative close proximity i think i have picked the best place

N.b. our move was not driven by aspirations of professional like training but by quality of life during our mid-life-crisis gap year

All the dopers train in Girona. Sooo.
I'd go there. ;)

I spent a week in Nice; was amazing and got to see the Sky boys on their local loops
Its very hilly though - you can see what its Mecca for Pro road riders. Not sure about Triathlon?
Are there any flatter sections for a Tri bike?

Heidelberg

Cannes - mougins - moans sartoux up to peymeinade then rolling out to lac st casien in the var is flat to rolling

Climbs from nice are epic. Cols; vence, eze, ecre, brouis, escargoles (spelling), to sospel. The riding is just beautiful and all year round is doable

In the U.S. I'd say Boulder or Colorado Springs in the summer and Clermont Florida in the Winter.

This for the win.

Can we close this thread now?

In the US, there are four areas that seem to be recommended: around Tucson, az, around boulder, co, around san Diego, ca and around san Francisco specificly in Marin county north of sf. i would add new England and northern New York in the summers.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

My reckons - Byron Bay.

Tim Reed is based there, and it doesn't seem to do him any harm. Beautiful warm (but not hot) days, even in winter, excellent roads and trails, fresh open water, a good pool, and stunning beauty. It's a relaxed town unlike any other, and about two hours from Brisbane Airport.

You could also do Noosa or Wollongong, but they're just not quite as nice to live in, in my opinion.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

Kenya seems to work well for Mo Farah

Its obvious its not necessary to move to be fast. There are many fast people in the cold white north, urban environments and other areas not naturally suited for training

We could have gone almost anywhere for the move. Certainly anywhere in europe.

I wanted my kids to have access to; good schools, swimming, skiing, being outdoors and i wanted to ride a bike outside after 7.5 years indoors

Friends who grew up in CO have told me the urban environment in the front range has changed with increased traffic in last 15 years.

Boulder was amazing when i lived there for all the same reasons i find provence amazing

I suspect if i was more familiar with the areas, como, garda and northern italy would be great but not year round. Same for annecy.

The Med offers it all the time

Andrew - am fascinated by this
I have left UK and we are spending a year in Dordogne as we have family here and know the area well
The aim is we use this year to get used to Europe living for a year and then we strike out on our own next year after having better researched the other regions
Currently looking at Nice; Girona, San Sebastian, Annecy and Mallorca

What are the Nice area schools like?

We are not in Nice. We are in Grasse.

There is the international school in mougins or sophia which is very 90210 - daddys 200 foot yacht is in antibes harbour

We have fenlon which is one of the best schools in france. Fee paying, but fees are literally a gesture. Not like public schools in UK

Our kids are 3 and 1. At present 3 year old is down to attend local public school in sept whilst i sort some things out.

Originally i wanted an apartment in Nice but my wife wasnt having any of it and she wanted a garden.

Our choice was much better, house, edge or national park, good schools,great outdoor activities etc

I was also certain i wanted to be in france. I did not want to be in annecy. I have an apt in chamonix and annecy is not a year round cycling venue. You can but the alps in the spring can be very wet and in winter very cold

I am 45 mins nearest skiing, 2 hours from proper skiing, 4 hours from big big skiing and i can mostly ride outside all the time.

Thanks for all answers! Do you reckon any places in Italy?

Phuket with the Zack Attack!

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My race site: https://racesandplaces.wixsite.com/racesandplaces

I am certain there are people much faster than me training in far worse environments.

I think there are places in every country; my parents live in the south downs nat park. Theres the peak but with both you have english weather

My issues with spain and italy were primarily real estate risk related (aside from the fact i wanted to live in france)

Climate wise almost anywhere geographically south of turin on the coast might have ticked the box - probably the amalfi or finale have great riding - no idea about pools

I also know nothing about the italian education system where as here i have simply through luck some really good connections

I guess it depends what you want, are you going to work? Age of kids? Whats your priorities? Etc

Thanks for all your reply. The reason why I am asking all this is because I want to take a year "off" and dedicate myself to triathlon for a year. I just love it and want to enjoy it. I am 29y old, no kids and a little money. I come from the south of France actually, so I know it is a great place to train. But I'd like to spend a year somewhere else in Europe. Use that city as a base and then travel for races around for 70.3 races. My only req are
- A pool
- A Gym
- Good quiet roads
- Not too far from an airport
- Cheap cost of living and rent. We all know triathlon is an expensive sport and I wouldn't want to spend it all on rent. I currently live in London and I know what expensive cost of living means. I am done with that.


Thanks All!

New Paltz, New York.

Spring, Summer and early Fall.

Ron W.

Where in the south?

I'd go italy or spain then. Girona is obvious choice in spain - good coffee

Italy - no idea, tuscany?

Very interesting. What do you like about New Paltz? Wondering if it's worth a weekend trip up!

Great bike rides....Plenty of serious hills.

Running the Rail Trail can't be beat, perfect for long runs. Shaded the entire length (20 miles) with hard dirt/gravel surface.

An ok town pool plus one private.

Afterwords try the Gilded Otter for good brews and food.

Ron W.

Adelaide Australia a hidden cycling gem.

Which tail trail are you referring to and where can I park? Thanks!

It's called the Walkill River Rail Trail, bring up New Paltz in Google Maps and keep expanding the map untill you see a brown dotted line running through town. Numerous places to park all along the trail, stop in one one of the downtown bike shops for more info.

Avoid the trail after a rainstorm, stay on the trail, poison ivy lurks along the sides.

Ron W.

been for 3 consecutive years, under Christmas-New Year in Las Playitas in Fuerteventura.
I can't imagine a better place for triathlete but this year I will go trying the triathlon centre in Lanzarote, they say very competitive with Fuerte

In Italy, the only place is Poggio All'Agnello, in Toscana
http://www.poggioallagnello.it/...g-camp-tuscany-italy
I have never been there but I heard good reviews from italian friends.
Riding in Italy though, in my opinion, is not as safe as in Fuerte or Lanza, where traffic is really minimal and roads quality is excellent!

well, i currently live in sierra leone and i can honestly say it's a pretty terrible place to train. torrential rains, brutal heat, not much food . . . i manage to run, and do some dryland, and that's it. i surf and swim a bit when i go to the coast, but that's not often enough.

previously i lived in kenya, in the high rift valley. as running goes, it might be the best place on earth - altitude, good roads, trails and tracks, better food options, and the company of literally the best runners on the planet. on the other hand, almost no swimming, and cycling is basically suicidal.

my permanent home base is zurich, switzerland, and for me it's the best i've ever had. a 25m indoor pool about a 4-minute walk from my house, a 400m mondo track about a 5-minute run from my house, and the best road cycling of my life at my door. i've got hills, flats, rollers, trails . . . you name it. courteous drivers, good competition, and all the races and resources you could need. downside is cost, no doubt.

on that front the 'best' might be the place where you've got a free couch to crash on or something. it also has to be said that 'best' is relative: i lived for 2 years in edmonton. no OWS options, limited road riding in the city, and a long and incredibly cold winter. but i was in the best shape of my life there, because i hung out with really fast people, commuted by bike, skied nordic all winter, and had a lot of time to train.

so . . . it depends.

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Hell yes. Not the cheapest place to live, but perfect weather every day and hills, hills, hills.
I remember starting my runs at 4am to avoid the heat though.

What about Vitoria-Gasteiz?

There's a big tri there every year and I seem to recall it being the Europe training base of a few ITU squads over the years.

that's my main problem with tuscany - very narrow roads and completely insane (and dangerous) drivers. i was just there 3 weeks ago and got in a couple of runs and rides. it was beautiful, of course, but i was reminded how dodgy it can be. i'm generally a confident cyclist but at a few moments i felt pretty anxious.

on the other hand, tuscany beats almost everywhere else on earth for the food!

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

1. The French Alps
2. Gran Canaria
3. Tenerife

Italian drivers are by and large arseholes.....even when you are in a car

it's something, isn't it? as stereotypes go, it holds pretty true. in the space of a few days my wife and i nearly died at least twice and found ourselves shaking our fists and screaming WTF! about two dozen more.

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

apparently we live in the same city :-)

I did a summer program in Nice when in law school. I exchanged an apartment with a girl from Villenueve Loubet (so a little outside the city) doing a summer program at UCLA. Spent all summer cycling everywhere that I could on her crappy mountain bike, and running on whatever trails I could find (never bothered to try and find a pool). This makes me long to go back and live there again, except this time I would take my bike and appreciate it even more!

I think another part of this thread should be what's the best affordable place to train. A lot of these places, including Boulder, seems like you have to go "full dentist" to afford a three month stay.

I'd like to see some actual prices of what you can rent for 1-3 months, fees for a pool and such.

The OP did say "Cheap cost of living and rent." and he did mention a Europe location.

I have heard the Algarve region of Portugal might fit this perfectly. Relatively cheap by Euro standards, 300 days of sunshine, great riding and running, good OWS. Don't know much about pool time there.

Too much traffic, smog for riding.

I was in Boulder on and off at the beginning of summer and never experienced smog. I'll give you the nod on traffic though. It's amazing how much Boulder has changed in just the three years I've been going there.


Summit County CO would be my next choice for summer training but there's really nowhere good to swim.

for a combination of cost and climate within europe, yes - spain or portugal would be tops for me.

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Anyone as feedback with living/training in Portugal? I am looking at the the Faro/Algarve region to go live there for a couple months, but I need to keep costs down!

Any feedback, tips, welcome!

Been on holiday in Algarve - seemed a great place to train
Great roads, and if you live 'locally' and stay away from touristy hotels etc it would be very cheap indeed

Franklin, TN. obviously more resources in Colorado and the ability to gain benefits from altitude but as a place where you can balance more than just training.

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USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

Medellín, COLOMBIA


???!!!


It's 2017, so all the infamy now broadcast by TV series and movies was decades ago.


Perfect weather 360 days a year. Moderate, 4,900 feet elevation. Some of the best road bike cycling in the world among the green mountains that ring the city. (International professional teams train there). Plus you can take public transportation (modern, secure elevated train and then gondolas--seriously) up above the city to a flat, mountaintop mesa nature reserve for trail running. First class gyms with indoor pools all over the place. Bike shops and mechanics galore.


Beautiful city with modern everything and lots of international tourists and bilingual Colombian English speakers.


No kidding.

Medellín/Le Ceja, Colombia should be given some consideration.

I can't imagine why anyone would ever voluntarily choose to train in Middle TN, having lived here all my life. The summer weather is diabolical (dewpoints have been 73-74 for most of the last month), Nashville traffic is quickly becoming some of the worst in the southeast and there's seemingly NO forward thinking infrastructure being developed, and drivers are getting more and more jaded with anything that isn't them.

I personally wouldn't pick TN at all, but if forced to, the outer parts of Chattanooga would be the only place I'd ever have any desire to live for training and life.