NARRATOR: Nestled along the Mediterranean Sea
lies one of Spain's best kept secrets, the Costa Blanca.
In the summer, tourists flock to its sandy beaches in droves,
but during the winter, much of the town
slips into hibernation.
And a different sort of visitor arrives.
Two of the world's best professional cycling teams,
Astana and Omega Pharma-Quick Step,
have arrived for the start of training camp and performance
testing with Specialized Racing.
MARK CAVENDISH: It's not that much fun,
but it means-- it's good for training camp.
You got nothing else to do except to ride your bike,
and it gets you in a structured environment away from home.
TANEL KANGERT: I think the day will show us
where are we exactly, So far, I've been training here alone,
so I have no idea how bad am I, really.
NARRATOR: The deserted roads and surrounding hills
make this an ideal place to begin training.
TOM BOONEN: Riding here is very good.
I like it a lot.
Maybe it's because I've been coming here
already for 15 years and doing my preparations for the season.
So I know the roads pretty good.
NARRATOR: The hallmark of team Astana
is Tour de France front-runner, Vincenzo Nibali.
Considered by many to be one of the strongest stage
racers in the peloton, the Italian
punctuated a dominate season last year
by winning the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
A victory at the Tour de France this year
would complete his grand tour treble, a feat only five riders
have ever accomplished.
VINCENZO NIBALI: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
NARRATOR: For OPQS, all eyes are on UK sprinter Mark Cavendish.
Cavendish's specialty is simple, sheer speed.
Originally a track cyclist, Cavendish prides himself
on being the fastest man on two wheels.
And with 25 Tour de France stage wins under his belt,
he has the record to back it up.
MARK CAVENDISH: Fundamentally, everything's built around
training.
Now if you look at it like Formula 1 or MotoGP,
like testing, it's kind of the same,
except we're testing our engines, our bodies.
NARRATOR: In less than seven months,
both teams will be competing in the most prestigious race
in the world, the Tour de France.
Over 23 days they will be pushed to the brink,
riding 3,200 kilometers, in one of the most
grueling endurance events on the planet.
From this point on, every ounce of food consumed and kilometer
will be tracked to make sure they'll be in optimum shape
for the start of the race.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR: The start of any season begins with the basics.
This includes evaluating the physical capabilities
of each rider.
for team Astana, the first test is often
the most taxing, and telling.
EVAN HUFFMAN: We did some blood lactate testing on a climb
to establish everyone's threshold powers
to set the training zones from there for the rest of the year.
VINCENZO NIBALI: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
NARRATOR: The human body can only withstand a high intensity
workload for a limited amount of time
before the body's lactate levels rise
to a point that will cause it to shut down.
The work done here will give a value
to set workouts for the rest of the year.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
NARRATOR: In cycling, two things are certain.
Aerodynamics are everything, and a 10th of a second
could be the difference between someone winning and someone
losing.
In order to ensure a rider is achieving maximum speed,
Specialized Racing has built a state of the art wind tunnel
to test this.
Another Tour de France hopeful, Alberto Contador,
is hoping his time here will help him decrease energy output
and increase speed.
MARK CAVENDISH: I think that the aerodynamic at this moment
is where you can work more.
Now here in the wind tunnel, it's small things that
the other people haven't.
And for me, this is very important.
NARRATOR: Hailing from Spain, El Pistolero
is one of the five riders to have won all three grand tours.
His career has been marked with triumphs and setbacks.
But with his target set on donning the yellow jersey
for a third time, preparation like this is everything.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR: Back in Spain, teams Astana and Omega Pharma Quick
Step enter a controlled environment
for more extensive testing.
SIMONE TOCCAFONDI: When you have to go to the next speed,
you take the entire lap to go up to speed.
Because we want to avoid spikes.
NARRATOR: Here, specialists can study even
the most minute details, like a rider's seating position,
and quantify how the slightest changes made
can reap maximum gains for the rider.
MARK CAVENDISH: He would do aerodynamic testing.
Different positions on the time trial bike.
You got the telemetry systems up.
They put stress gages on the power meters on the bike.
And measure airflow or pressure against the bike
to get how aerodynamic the position is.
NARRATOR: Using science, along with cutting edge technology,
Specialized Racing gives its riders the equipment and data
they need to succeed.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
VINCENZO NIBALI: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
SIMONE TOCCAFONDI: Our main goal is performance.
We have to identify the needs of our teams
and our individual athlete.
So Specialized Racing is in charge
of providing this and making sure
that these achievements are always
the best that the athlete can get.
MARK CAVENDISH: Specialized Racing
is like no other bike company in the world.
To simply, not just make these fast bikes
and give them a sponsored team, but to make
the individual riders go faster.
NARRATOR: Like the bicycles they rely on,
winning an event as demanding as the Tour de France involves
a vast multitude of moving parts working together
in perfect synchronization.
Rider and team must learn to work as one, as they prepare
for the daunting task that lies ahead.
The irony, however, is inescapable.
As important as the team is, when the race begins
on July 5th, winning or losing will ultimately
sit on the shoulders of a few.
MARK CAVENDISH: The Tour de France
is like no other bike race in the world.
It's one of the top four sporting events on the planet.
It's watched by nearly everyone, even
people who aren't into cycling.
VINCENZO NIBALI: [SPEAKING ITALIAN]
ALBERTO CONTADOR: Training hard for the Tour,
to fight for the victory.
MARK CAVENDISH: It's so much faster.
The emotions are bigger of everything.
It's an emotional road.
A person could be disappointed, but it can also mean elation.
[MUSIC PLAYING]