We are currently hanging out in Lanzarote and here now is a gallery of images of some of the people we encountered and spent time with while here.

Till Schenk is a well known race announcer and host and he interviewed Bart Aernouts at the Sands Beach Resort for the Uplace-BMC squad.

Helle Frederiksen is still flying high after that very nice win at Challenge Bahrain.

Marino Vanhoenacker is also on Lanzarote at Sands Beach and is trying to get back in shape after his injuries. He joked that the extra 10kg he has on right now serve him well on the windy island bike rides.

Dirk Bockel is a Uplace-BMC athlete who had a great race in Melbourne last year but then was hampered by injuries.

But there are not only long course athletes training here. ITU athlete Jelle Geens is paying attention to his swim coach.

Belgian Pro Sofie Goos has a bit of fun with the photographer between a swim set.

After a few kilometers in the pool the wetsuit came off for the final 2km.

Bart Aernouts is headed soon to 70.3 South Africa and he looks to be in great shape.

But now it is time to swim for a while.

Swiss Uplace-BMC team mate Ronnie Schildknecht gets ready for a longer ride.

Brit Will Clarke did hill sessions and stayed aero pretty much throughout.

We encountered a very large Danish squad too, and the more senior ones will arrive in the next days.

French lightweight Romain Guillaume is ready for another big season.

Earlier today Sofie Goos rode over from Sands Beach to Club La Santa to cheer on her team mates Bart Aernouts and Ronnie Schildknecht in the Lanzarote International Duathlon.

The field is lined up and ready for the 5k /20k / 2.5k duathlon.

Michelle Versterby is stayin on Lanzarote at Club La Santa until Challenge Dubai, but she did not race here.

The front group in the duathlon contained Bart Aernouts, Ronnie Schidknecht and Stephen Bayliss, and the folks right behind them were not in the race.

When the Uplace-BMC guys came back to the bike-run transition they were alone. In the end Aernouts finally beat Schildknecht in a duathlon.

Stephen Bayliss chased hard and finished on the final podium spot.

German Per Bittner finished 5th and his girlfriend Yvonne Von Vlerken captured the women's race.