Triathlon Training Spotlight on Playitas with Asa Lundstrom

TRIATHLON TRAINING TRAVEL WITH ASA LUNDSTROM IN FUERTEVENTURA

Location: Las Playitas, Fuerteventura

Why do you head here?

The climate is very stable, and generally countable. The winds are strong, and that makes you strong.

The locals are used to having bikers on their roads, so they are very patient and considerate, which makes you feel safe when training.

It is wonderful at Playitas Resort that everything is nearby and very handy. There is a gym, with all the equipment one can ask for, a great outdoor 50m pool, ocean swim with buoys, trails for running – all within a few minutes walk.

The food is great, there are always many fresh and healthy options for both breakfast and dinner, and there are inspirational people around you all the time, loving doing the same thing you do.

And when you are not training, you can just head to the small village nearby, or the pool, and you will feel like you are on a holiday.

 What time of year is best to be here and why?

I prefer the late winter, before the spring has arrived to Scandinavia. This is when motivation for winter training can sometimes be hard, and you feel like the big goals for the season are getting close, but the quality training is limited.

The weather at this time is very stable and perfect for training, and you can get a boost in your training to continue building form from when you come back home,and spring is around the corner.

But any time of the year is really good, since the whether is stable over the year.

Where do you recommend to swim? Both indoor and outdoor?

For indoor swimming, there is not really an option – which is great! Though, there is an outdoor 50m pool, just overlooking the ocean, at the complex, which is great for your quality sessions and drills.

For open water swimming, the bay at Playitas Resort is perfect. There is hardly any marine traffic in the bay, the currents are few and light and the temperature just about perfect for wetsuit training. The water is clear and there are permanent buoys marked to swim around. After the swim, it is only a few minutes walk to the pool, where there are showers and dressing room.

Where do you stay when you’re there? Why would you recommend this place?

I stay at the staff apartments, behind the hotel complex of the resort. It has a small kitchenette, with a fridge, for you to store food and make some basic dishes if wanted. 

Where do you head for tri-related help while there? Any good tri/bike shops to recommend?

There is a bike shop at the complex, just behind the gym. They are very qualified and competent, and very helpful. They always find a way to fix your problem, and they have surprisingly lots of spare parts for your bike. And if they don’t have it, they have connections to get it to you with short notice.

There is a spa facility that offers recovery related treatments: massages, ice bath, Jacuzzi and such.

Where can someone get the best coffee here?

I am not a big coffee drinker, so don’t ask me about different tastes of coffee. But it is very nice to get a cup of coffee in the late afternoon sun, after you ae done with your training, overlooking the complex, the ocean and when the sun is setting behind the mountains.

For a midday coffee I would take my bike, or a €2 bus, to the fishing village Gran Tarajal, and have a coffee and an Italian ice cream on the boardwalk in the village. 

How easy is it to get around here? Would someone need their own car or public transportation is good?

To get to the closest village, Gran Tarajal, there are good public connections, and only costs €2.

To see more of the island, I would recommend a car, to go up in the mountains and visit the small villages. Renting a car at the resort is both cheap and convenient, and you can both pick it up and drop it off just next to your hotel room.

Me and my friends have rented a car for one day a few times, and it’s a great way to see the island, and being able to stop in all the quiet villages that you normally just ride by on the bike.

Where’s your favourite spot to head to treat yourself after a long day of training?

If I am staying at the complex, I like the hotel pool bar, overlooking the ocean and complex. The sun is always very nice in the late afternoon and the bar always plays very laidback, relaxing music.

If I were to go somewhere, I would either go to a very good fish restaurant in the village Las Playitas, just a few minute walk from the complex, where you can get locally catch of the day, just on the water front, while watching the sun sets.

If I have a car, there is a wonderful restaurant in Betancuria, called Casa Santa Maria with a one star in the Michelin Guide, and that is the most charming, price worthy and tasty food on the island!

Any other tips to add if someone was thinking of heading to this location for some training time?

Bring sun screen! With the constant winds it can sometimes be hard to feel the sun burning, but being at the same latitude as the Sahara, it can be quite rough!

Take the time to go for a walk/hike up the mountain behind the aparthotel complex, towards the village Gran Tarajal. There are plenty of trails, and the view from up there is absolutely spectacular.