These Next-Gen Fitness Retreats Let You Train With Olympians, World Champions, and Tour de France Winners

A few years ago, I signed up for Ride the Fjords, a 250-mile cycling trip led by a former professional cyclist through Norway’s dramatic fjordlands. Ahead of my departure, I received a call from the tour operator behind the adventure, 62°Nord, reminding me to bring my pedals and cleats. That’s when it hit me: I hadn’t done nearly enough training. As luck would have it, I was heading to the Peligoni Club in Zakynthos, Greece, two weeks before. There, I would have the chance to cycle with one of the U.K.’s most decorated Olympians, Sir Chris Hoy. If anything could whip me into shape at short notice, it was training alongside one of cycling’s greatest champions.

Sporting legends such as Hoy are increasingly offering their expertise to wellness retreats around the world, sharing with travelers the mental strategies and training wisdom that brought them to the podium.

Hotels and retreats are taking note of the evolving trend, unveiling state-of-the-art sports facilities and programs led by some of the biggest names in sport. In 2024, Aman announced tennis legend Novak Djokovic as the brand’s first Global Wellness Advisor. His curated programs are now available across seven of the group’s properties. According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism is projected to grow annually by 9 percent, reaching approximately $1.38 billion by 2029, driven by travelers seeking experiences that challenge and transform them.

So whether you’re looking to row on a Portuguese reservoir at dawn, swim in the Ionian Sea alongside a gold medalist or, like me, learn what it takes to build the mental resilience of an Olympian cyclist, these six retreats offer the chance to train with the help of world-class athletes.

Courtesy of The Peligoni Club

Choose your own fitness adventure in Greece

Bookending Europe’s summer season in May and October, the five-day feel-good Pace program held at the Peligoni Club in Zakynthos, Greece, balances fitness and mindfulness with nutritional feasts, creative workshops, and social gatherings. While the Peligoni Club operates year-round as a beach club—requiring travelers to book a villa and pay for membership during their stay—offering water sports and daily workouts, during Pace week, the energy shifts as world-class athletes and wellness experts converge on the Greek island.

Headliners for 2026 include four U.K.-based Olympic greats: Sir Chris Hoy and Becky North (née Becky James) will guide cycling groups through the Greek hills, while swimmers Keri-anne Payne and Dan Wallace will host both open-water and pool training sessions. With an opt-in, opt-out schedule of multidisciplinary classes, including plenty of restorative options, guests can move at their own rate.

Photo by Andrew Grant

Cycle around the world with LeBlanq

Amateur cyclists can ride shoulder to shoulder with icons of the sport on LeBlanq’s globe-trotting bike programs. The cycling operator’s “Signature Weekends” pair a legendary cyclist with a celebrated chef, treating travelers to a long weekend of memorable rides and world-class cuisine. In 2025, LeBlanq partnered with hoteliers 62°Nord—the organizers of my Norwegian cycling adventure—for a trip that saw me tackling the Trollstigen road’s 11 hairpin bends, switchbacks snaking beneath Europe’s tallest vertical rock face.

Organized trips in 2026 include multi-day Joyride Festivals on the tiny Isle of Wight in the U.K. in June, and Ibiza, Spain, in October. These two-wheeled celebrations will feature rides with athletes such as Tour de France stage winner Wout van Aert and Olympic gold medalists Greg Van Avermaet and Dani Rowe, and menus designed by Michelin-starred chefs. Travelers are advised to bring their own cycling gear and road bikes on LeBlanq trips (although local hires are available) but will be provided with branded jersey and cap.

Courtesy of BodyHoliday

Learn to sprint in St. Lucia

For more than three decades, luxury wellness resort BodyHoliday on St. Lucia’s northwestern coast has attracted fitness-focused travelers with an extraordinary series of expert-led programs hosted by Olympic champions, world-class athletes, and wellness specialists. In 2025, that schedule included sailing experiences with former Team GB Olympians James Peters and Luke Patience and a specially curated retreat for solo travelers led by retired American Olympic swimmer Breeja Larson and former NFL player Desmond Clark.

In 2026, St. Lucia’s first Olympic gold medalist, sprinter Julien Alfred, will return to the BodyHoliday resort, offering guests a week of beachside speed and strength training. Beyond physical work, she will share what it takes to build the mental resilience that carried her to becoming one of the fastest women in the world.

Courtesy of Mind Body Row

Row the Maranhão reservoir in Portugal

Held twice a year in May and October, Mind Body Row is a week-long rowing retreat led by double Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion Alex Gregory and Olympian Jacob Dawson. Together they deliver on-water coaching and rowing-machine master classes in the state-of-the-art gym at Herdade da Cortesia hotel. Set on the banks of the Maranhão reservoir in Portugal’s Alentejo region, the boutique hotel’s facilities, designed by former Portuguese rower Luis Ahrens and architect Pedro Alte da Veiga, are also used to train national rowing teams throughout the year.

For ordinary travelers, the Mind Body Row retreats also bring in Kara Wirt, founder of Yoga for Rowers, to lead daily yoga, mobility, and breath work sessions that support recovery and help guests move more fluidly on the water. No previous rowing experience is required for the retreats—whether you’re completely new to the sport or a seasoned rower looking to improve your stroke, the retreat caters to all abilities.

Photo by NateleeCocks (L); courtesy of Siro (R)

Maintain your fitness regiment in Dubai

Fitness-focused hospitality group Siro has designed hotels specifically for travelers who see training as part of their vacation, not as something to pause while away. Alongside advanced fitness and recovery spaces that go well beyond traditional hotel gyms, Siro has collaborated with elite athletes to develop programs enabling visitors to train and recover with the same intentionality as professional sports players. Ambassadors include Olympic British Somali boxer Ramla Ali and the AC Milan Italian soccer team, whose Serie A players and technicians have shaped football-focused fitness plans and recovery protocols, helping travelers balance high-level training with restorative rest.

Photo by Grupo Puntacana

Grand slam practice with Lux Tennis

Partnering with global resorts, Lux Tennis offers on-court training experiences for travelers looking to improve their racquet skills under the guidance of ATP and WTA professional athletes. That includes some of the sport’s biggest talents, such as Spanish Grand Slam champion, and current men’s world number one tennis player, Carlos Alcaraz. Last December, Alcaraz headlined a Lux Tennis event at COMO Parrot Cay, a private-island resort in the Turks and Caicos, where guests had the rare opportunity to play on court with him, as well as join group clinics. Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek brought similar programming to the One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius. The next Lux tennis retreat is a three-day masterclass in March at the St. Regis Maldives, hosted by former women’s world number one Angelique Kerber.