I had the pleasure of visiting the Sunsport Velo training hub at Cafe Velo Espresso  on Saturday where two of the teams young charges were being put through their paces by team co-owner and coach Stuart Percival.

The squads youngest two recruits, Rosie Walsh and Felicity Gledhill were undergoing physiological testing on Sunsports state of the art equipment in readiness for the coming season a service which Sunsports riders have the great advantage of being provided with in  the bid to give the team an edge

The opportunity was also taken to work on strategies for the coming season including a development of the communications and social media aspect that is so vital in the digital age and also to analyse equipment and clothing and to discuss the race calendar as it starts to take shape

Team manager Jerry Ricketts rode his bike in setting a fine example to be followed on two wheels by Phil Jones, the MD of Brother, who are the main sponsor of the team for the coming season. Phil got to witness this cutting edge technology employed by Stuart and his team that should give Sunsport a vital edge over their lesser equipped rivals once the gloves are off.

Over the coming weeks all of the riders will coninue with the physical assessments which will be coupled with nutrional advice and analysis by Allie Boot. Coupling this with a tailored training plan all adds to the professional ethos within the squad.

The teams first race is now just a few weeks away and the anticipation is building. There is still plenty of work to be done but it is clear at this stage that Sunsport Velo are well placed to make a good impact on the peloton in 2017. The social media presence is ramping up rapidly as is the training and there is a genuine buzz of excitement around HQ.