Cycling in the Canaries

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
island girl
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Which Canary Island ?

Post by island girl »

Plan to visit Canary Islands for some road biking, in February, but which island ? Have heard Lanzarote is too windy, Tenerife too hilly, Gran Canaria is maybe the one. Looking for a mixture of rolling hills with some hills, category 3. Any ideas.
mnichols
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by mnichols »

A friend of mine did some island hopping on a bike. I have got a ferry between a few of them. Some of them are quite small so not ideal for touring but you could string a few together.
island girl
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by island girl »

Thank you, but not wanting to tour. Just want to find a good quality B&B on the most suitable Island and cycle for about 5 days.
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TrevA
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by TrevA »

We've cycled in Fuerte Ventura but it is also windy. The prevailing wind is from the NW, so if you stay in the south of the island, then you will get a tailwind back. We stayed at Caleta de Fuste which is in the middle on the east coast. The coast road is busy but roads are fine once you go inland. There are plenty of places hiring road bikes out, we got ours from Lifecycles in Coralejo. They deliver and pick up from your hotel. We rode for 6 days out of 7 and did around 300 miles. It's hilly on the western side but they are not massive mountains like Tenerife. There are plenty of cafes in the small towns to stop for lunch and we found an excellent coffee shop in Antigua, which we visited almost every day on our way out or back from a ride.

An excellent holiday. The weather was warm enough for shorts and short sleeved jersey in late Feb. We are thinking of going again in Feb/March this year.
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mjr
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by mjr »

I've visited La Palma. I didn't cycle because arranging hire was too much of a nuisance and lots of the roads were steep enough that I would have been walking both up and down. I walked quite a lot that holiday and that road was tough enough without pushing a bike. There were quite a few people cycling but MTBs were the norm and I suspect they were more picky about where their accommodation was.
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ChrisF
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by ChrisF »

I've cycled in Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria, all within the last 2 years (some island-hopping involved).My sumamry as follows:

Tenerife: the flattish roads (nearer the coast ) are generally busy. There are some great scenic but steep rides in the NW and NE corners, and of course up Teide if you like a long climg (not steeep though). A good variation of scenery across the island.

Lanzarote: not as hilly as Tenerife, not so many roads to chose from, not as interesting for riding either. Great if you just want to do lots of fast miles in good weather and aren't particularly interested in scenery.

Fuerteventura: similar to Lanzarote, just as windy (or not, depending on the day). More sparsely populated. Unless you have an MTB, don't go to the SW end; hardly any roads (just one really and it's busy).

Gran Canaria: I didn't do so much here; I was in the area around the capital and found it busy. There were plenty of little roads ideal for cycling away from the city but I found it less interesting than Tenerife. It's very difficult to cycling in/out of the airport, since the only way in (apart from a hard-to-find muddy track) is via a motorway junction.

I've also stayed in La Palma and did some walking. Wouldn't consider going there for cycling; far too hilly; steep everywhere!

If I was to go back to the Canaries (and probably will, it's an ideal destination in the winter) I'd choose Tenerife because I'm more interested in touring/nice scenery than just fast miles.

Hope this helps.
Chris F, Cornwall
rualexander
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by rualexander »

Not the Canaries, but the main island of the Azores looks good for a few days riding, from an article in the latest Cyclist magazine.
Maybe slightly cooler than Canaries though.
bohrsatom
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by bohrsatom »

I am in Lanzarote right now. We are here to relax but hope to do some cycling as well.

It seems to be a popular place to cycle but I’d give the following advice:

  • the roads are great quality, drivers very accommodating to cyclists and there are no especially steep climbs (with a couple of exceptions). It’s not flat either though: plenty of long ascents to test your legs
  • you don’t have to ride far to find somewhere to stop for some refreshments
  • it’s warm, even in January. In the sunshine it’s definitely in the high 20s C
  • there are a lot of flat/undulating plains. The wind can be very strong and you might find yourself riding into a tough headwind for several hours
  • the scenery is quite barren/bleak. This may be to your liking however it means there is virtually nowhere to find shade outside a town or village
island girl
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by island girl »

Thanks to everyone who responded. I have decided on Tenerife and go there this February for a fortnight. I know it will be hilly but will give it a go, do what I can do and just enjoy being on the bike.
ianrobo
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by ianrobo »

where about are you staying ?

I just did some days out there and it is hilly and thats because everything on the South side leads up to Teide ...

Here are the rides I did for you to look at

https://www.strava.com/activities/1351890099
https://www.strava.com/activities/1353172558
https://www.strava.com/activities/1355006341
https://www.strava.com/activities/1356589015

if you are not interested in getting to the top of Teide then plenty of shorter climbs

a bit of a video here for you and can I say I adore Tenerife as go there most summers !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oFZkTSNgwU

If you wish to hire a bike then I really would recommend

http://www.bike4youtenerife.com

We used them and whilst not the fancy name bikes of others, their customer service, their delivery and the state of the bikes were magnificent !! I am not linked in any way to the firs BTW !!
island girl
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by island girl »

Thanks Ianrobbo, I have organised our trip through Lovevelo staying in Costa Adeje, bikes are from Free T3 Motion. We usually go to Mallorca and have done most of the major rides there so looking forward to Tenerife for a change. Will have a look at your rides. Many thanks for the info.
ianrobo
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by ianrobo »

island girl wrote:Thanks Ianrobbo, I have organised our trip through Lovevelo staying in Costa Adeje, bikes are from Free T3 Motion. We usually go to Mallorca and have done most of the major rides there so looking forward to Tenerife for a change. Will have a look at your rides. Many thanks for the info.


Adeje is great !! lovely place you will enjoy it for sure but the lower slopes are the steepest, eases up the further you go up Teide
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cyclemad
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by cyclemad »

my vote goes first to Lanzarote - Try UGA or YAZA...near to TIMANFAYA national park.

Second - anywhere on Fuerteventura


and if I had to vote as the last place on earth I would go - TENERIFE...pity because it was lovely 30 years ago.
ianrobo
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by ianrobo »

whats wrong with Tenerife, I totally love it, Ok Las Americas is a bit trashy but Adeje and Los Gigantes (where I stay) is lovely !
Hedgemonkey
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Re: Which Canary Island ?

Post by Hedgemonkey »

I'm on Fuerteventura at the moment and its not a day to be out, a lot more Windy than normal. But it's a stunning place to ride, good climbs too with awesome views and polite drivers.
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