Before jetting off to Australia for the first round of the World Supersport championship Eugene Laverty and his brother Michael have traded in snow, wind and their turbo trainers for a week cycling on the roads of Mallorca.

For months Eugene has been stuck in his gym on his turbo trainer in Northern Ireland. Now armed with all the kit, his full carbon Massi bike, his new Garmin Forerunner 305 and enough Assos chamois cream to last months, we caught up with him on his First day out to see how he was getting on:

“I arrived in Mallorca on February 3 for a week's training before I head off to Australia for the first round of the season. Joining me on the trip is my brother Michael and his friend Simon.

"Chaz Davies was booked to come as well but he hasn't been able to make it over. I flew into London last weekend as I had a few things on then hooked up with the other two to catch a flight to Mallorca. Unfortunately that meant I wasn't able to bring my Ridley bike with me so I've had to hire one from Pro Cycle Hire which is based just off the seafront in Puerto Pollensa.

"Our apartment is within walking distance of the shop so it's pretty convenient. I've never heard of the manufacturer before it's a full carbon Massi. I chose it over a Giant as the Massi has compact gearing, much easier for the climbs. ”

“The Tour of Mallorca begins on Sunday so we've been seeing a few of the pros out and about on the road this week, just today we seen the Milram team. I don't think I'm quite ready to grab onto their shirttails just yet though!

It's nice to be able to rack up the miles outdoors this week as I've been on the turbo trainer all winter. The weather back home is depressing during the winter months so it'll make a nice change to cycle under sunshine in February!

Riding here feels like more of a reward for all those winter turbo miles than it does training. We're racking up around 100 kilometres per day only stopping to grab some lunch. So we're certainly not here on a jolly.

I'm looking forward to tackling a few of the climbs I've seen on www.majorcacycling.com  which look good. I've got my eye on the Orient-Route and the Randa-Route. I enjoy the flats as much as anything though; I don't really need to be a climber to ride a CBR600!”

How will cycling improve your fitness for racing?
“The weather allows me to put in a lot of hours in a weeks riding here so I want to further lower my working heart rate. Already I bought it down by 15bpm on the turbo over the winter so that will equate to a lower effort when racing my Honda.”

What similarities do they have?
“The riding position is quite similar, and on descents we have a good feel for the limit of the tyre grip. Also the work effort on training rides is similar to motorcycling.”

What do you enjoy most about cycling?
“I enjoy the winding picturesque mountain roads, they were amazing in Granada. In professional cycling it's fascinating how much goes on that we don't see at home. The guys at the top are analytical; Armstrong and Cavendish are ultimate perfectionists. “