In May and June, when the training for the next season kicks in again, many athletes and teams head to Southern Europe to soak in some sunshine – but also to get the first endurance sessions under their belts; and many times, the bike is their best companion.

June also marks the month of the Olympic Day – this year’s motto is “Let’s Move”: Cycling is for everyone, not just for athletes – it provides you with a great little cardio workout and is one of the most sustainable and cheapest means of travelling from A to B.

So for this year’s World Bike Day, we’ve asked a few athletes and teams to send in some impressions of their late spring camps and their bike trips. Let it inspire you and jump on your bike today as well to visit friends or to fetch the one or two items you forgot during grocery shopping earlier this week.

Norway’s Men and Team Sweden Bike Across Mallorca

The two Scandinavian Biathlon strongholds have set up camp on the Balearic Islands this spring, cycling across Mallorca and enjoying great training conditions to slowly get them into shape.

With a pool and great sunny conditions, the Norwegian Men are making the most of their time in Spain.

(Pictured: Filip Andersen)

Austrian Women on Italian Gravel

The Austrian Women headed to Tuscany to get some kilometers under their belts – even if the weather was a little colder and cloudier than usual, it didn’t spoil the team spirit during their May trip.

Vittozzi’s Giro D’Italia visit

For one day, Lisa Vittozzi swapped places and ended up being the spectator and guest at a sports event rather than the athlete. The Italian joined the tough mountain stage to the Tre Cime De Lavaredo a week ago and was most that impressed.

“It was a marvellous experience to attend a stage of the Giro d’Italia and watch these incredible athletes from such a close distance. I was impressed by their exhaustion at the finish line! It was also really nice to see how such an event works and all that rotates around it.

What I loved the most was seeing all the people that went up hours and hours ahead of the passage of the cyclists and wait with building passion for what would be maybe only 5-10 seconds of their heroes passing in front of them.

This goes to show how much sport can bring passion to everyone’s lives. Maybe it’s me “craving” for such emotions and feelings, but it was so elating for me as well!”

Keep your eyes peeled for more content around the summer trainings on biathlonworld.com – with the first camp report due next week, checking in with Team France in Gap Bayard.

Pictures: Filip Andersen, Emma Hoeglund, Lisa Vittozzi, Joly/NordicFocus