BotanyBay said:
OK, "culturally" absurd. For the stars who generally only ride the larger tours, there's no reason that they need to live in Spain for long periods of time. A place where few speak English (compared to other places to the North). They can easily train in Colorado, NC, California, etc. That part of Spain is a place that an American "tolerates" not "welcomes". I'm sure they're there more for the pharmacy access and lax controls than the logistical advantages of Northeastern Spain.
Outside of 2 or 3 guys, I don't know any riders who just ride the grand tours?
Training in the US makes absolutely no sense for a European-based rider. It's 2-3 days of training lost, each way, with the travel. So, there's nothing "easy" about training in Cali if you're racing in Europe. In the winter, sure, but not when the season starts.
I know plenty of the Girona guys, and to a man they really don't like it, and spend as much time stateside as they can. Still, when the racing season starts, they spend a lot of time there.
As far as "why Girona" for the Garmin guys, it's actually pretty simple. Lots of good training, lots of training partners, close to an airport, reasonably safe roads once you get out of town, and the biggest reason; there's already an infrastructure of riders/housing/team management there.
I'm sure you can find dope anywhere if you want it.