Category Archives: Cycling

Etape du Dales 2016

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The Etape du Dales sportive is an event I have wanted to do for a long time, I have cycled many times in the Yorkshire Dales and knew the route well but have never previously linked it all up. This year the omens were lining up nicely, the race date coincided with my weekend off and more importantly the legs were in reasonably good shape from all the training we had been doing for the Mallorca 312 event at the end of April, so after a quick check online to see if spaces were still available, I entered. The Etape is 110 miles long and has about 3500m of climbing in it. According to Wikipedia the Etape was started as an alternative to the regularly oversubscribed Fred Whitton Challenge (112 miles, 3950m climbing) over in the Lake District and while it may lack the horror of being faced with a climb as steep and gnarly as Hardknott Pass after already cycling a hilly 100 miles, the Etape is still a significant challenge for most cyclists, with several long, tough, climbs. The ride features 8 climbs.

  1. Fleet Moss
  2. Buttertubs
  3. Turf Moor
  4. Tan Hill
  5. Mallerstang
  6. The Coal Road
  7. Dent Head viaduct
  8. Dale Head

imageThe event starts at Wharfedale Rugby Club in Threshfield, very close to Grassington. I drove over here late on Saturday afternoon, the day before the event, to register and to get familiar with the layout and then had a wander around the attractive cobbled village square in Grassington with its numerous cafes, pubs and shops. After this I drove over to Kilnsey and had a meal in the Tennants Arms Pub, the barman recommended a special on the fish and chips, he said it was quite substantial and he wasn’t kidding, the fish must have been at least 18 inches long, even a couple of locals kept glancing over to see how I was getting on. The plan had been to find a campsite nearby but it was such a pleasant and calm evening I decided to find a quiet bivi spot instead and sleep out in the open. Once the sun went down it did get chilly, down to 1 or 2 degrees but tucked up in a warm sleeping bag inside a gore-tex bivi bag I was comfortable and was treated to a calm starry night. After a restless night (I never seem to sleep well before big events) I was up at 5.00am for a breakfast of muesli and coffee before packing all the gear away and then driving the 10 minutes or so to the start of the event, the marshals were already in place directing the cars into adjacent fields for parking. After reassembling the bike from the car and attaching the race number with its integrated timing chip, the next major decision was what to wear….. It was still rather chilly but everyone seemed to agree that the weather was going to be ok, dry with light winds and sunny, so I set off with a gillet, arm-warmers and gloves and crossed over the starting line, which made a reassuringly large beep sound, at about 6.40am. You can start the challenge at anytime between 6.30am and 9.30am and with over 1000 entrants it’s a good way of spreading the cyclists evenly over the sometimes narrow country roads. The first few miles up to Buckden are quite flat and a good opportunity to find a group of cyclists going at your own pace, at Buckden you turn off left to Hubberholme and Yockenthwaite along a beautiful valley and today the cyclists had it all to ourselves as the road was closed to vehicles as they were repairing the damaged road from the previous severe winter. It’s a gentle climb mostly until you reach Oughtershaw, there the first test of the day starts, the climb of Fleet Moss, even though this is from the “easy side” it’s still a long tough climb. About half way up i came across a cyclist who had snapped his chain and was asking passing cyclists if they had a chain tool, as it happened i did so i loaned it to him and carried on hoping to be reacquainted with it someday! From the top of Fleet Moss it a terrifyingly fast descent down to Hawes and you could certainly break your personal speed record down here, as well as your neck probably if you came off, I like to keep it below 40mph though and keep the wheel wobbles under control. After passing through Hawes main street you turn left on the Sedbusk road and arrive at the first feed station (22.5 miles).image Feeling good at this point and with plenty of fluid in my bottle I didn’t stop for food and just passed over the timing mat and continued up the road heading for the next big obstacle, the climb over Buttertubs, going in the same direction as the Tour de France riders went back in 2014, this is the easiest direction but the 17% climb up to the cattle grid certainly gets the heart rate soaring, once over the grid however it’s a steady climb and not too bad and I was treated to lovely weather, beautiful views and another blistering descent towards Swaledale where the route turns right and it’s a fast run down to Gunnerside and onto Low Row, here you turn left onto a steep side road that links Swaledale with Arkengarthdale. This small side road is the start of the climb of Turf Moor and it was the only section of the route that i hadn’t done before (the bit leading up to the ford). From the main Swaledale road I have often glanced up when passing and thinking, crikey that looks a bit steep, and once on it, it didn’t disappoint, it has just recently been resurfaced with loose stone chippings which made things interesting, once past the cattle grid it eases off a little but is still quite tough. Eventually you drop down to the infamous ford at Surrender Bridge, where a small stream, maybe 2 metres wide and a few centimetres deep, crosses the road, the problem is that the surface underneath the stream is covered in very slippery green moss, I had done a mountain bike route up here previously with a friend and we tried to ride through it and before we knew what was happening we were both lying in the water, so today i unclipped and used the little footbridge to the right. Apparently during last years event there were about 20 bathers…. After a steep but thankfully short climb away from the ford it’s a fast downhill section to Arkengarthdale where the route turns left and heads north-west for about 8 miles to the pub at Tan Hill, it’s a steady climb most of the way but the road is very exposed to the elements and if there is a head wind it can be a tortuous section. The second feed station was located outside this iconic pub (47 miles completed) and was well stocked with energy drinks, sandwiches, fruit cakes, bananas and boiled potatoes, all of which went down a treat. The route then turns left and it is another fast descent down Stonesdale Moor with a couple of technical hairpin bends at the bottom to keep you on your toes before you turn right on the undulating road through Birkdale which eventually climbs up to the border between the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria before yet another blisteringly fast descent all the way down to Nateby. Here you turn left and begin the long drag up Mallerstang past Pendragon Castle and up past the viaduct at Ais Gill, the high point on the Settle to Carlisle railway line, before eventually you swoop down to the third feed station at the Moorcock Inn (69 miles). imageI had been feeling pretty good on this ride so far and had been pushing quite hard on the climbs but on that last climb up to Ais Gill, while standing up on the pedals I started to get little twinges of cramp in the front of my thighs, this seemed to go away when I sat down again but I was worried because I knew full well what was coming next….the crux of the whole ride, the long steep climb of the Coal Road. From the Moorcock Inn you turn right along the B road through Garsdale then turn off left and climb steeply past the railway station of Garsdale Station, from here the road curves to the right and gets even steeper through the plantation, I was in serious trouble here, because as soon as I stood up on the pedals I got painful cramps in the front of my thighs so was forced to sit and slowly grind away but I could feel the energy slowly draining away but I was determined to keep pedalling and get past the steepest bit, at last the gradient eased a little and I tried standing up again to stretch my aching legs out but again I got cramps straight away, so I was forced into more slow, painful, grinding all the way to the very top, what a relief it was when the road finally flattened out and I began the long technical descent past Dent Station and the hairpin bends to the t-junction at the end. Here the route turns left and follows the stream for a while as it flows over great slabs of limestone, the road then starts to ramp up as it approaches the Dent Head Viaduct and then gets even steeper and turns into quite a vicious little climb which had me zig-zagging across the road and I was mightily relieved to get past it and I knew that once back on the B road the next few miles down to Horton in Ribblesdale, via the Ribblehead Viaduct, would be a lot easier and fast, even with my tired legs I made good progress. imageAfter Horton the route continues down to Stainforth where you turn left and is the location for the fourth and final feed station at 90 miles completed. Straight out of the village you are on to the final big climb of the day up Silverdale to Dale Head, the hardest bit is at the bottom where the road ramps straight up, levels off, then goes up again, once over this I found, much to my surprise, the rest of the climb was ok and as you draw level with Pen-y-Ghent on your left all major difficulties on this ride are over and the last few miles are a pure joy, you are on a narrow strip of Tarmac going through some stunning scenery, the last descent is another fast one down to Halton Gill where you turn right and can zip along the narrow lanes of Littondale at a cracking pace, through Arncliffe to join the B road that goes past Kilnsey Crag and into Threshfield, here a couple of left turns take you back to the pot-holed lane that leads down to the Rugby Club and the Finishing line. All the riders were entitled to a free meal in the rugby club house, I went for the pork pie and mushy peas and a cup of coffee all of which tasted delicious, in the mean time my finishing certificate was being printed off with my times through all the feed stations printed on it. My time for the ride was 7 hours 38 minutes which considering the difficulties I was having from 70 miles onwards I’m pleased with, with hindsight I now realise that I was pushing too hard on the Buttertubs, Turf Moor and Tan Hill sections and paid the price later on, maybe a more even pace/effort strategy would have got me closer to that much sought after gold standard, especially as the conditions on the day were almost ideal, with a new course record being set by Thomas Denwood from Harrogate Nova, beating Malcolm Elliot’s 2010 time and stopping the clock at a very impressive 5 hrs 40mins 32 seconds.

  • Gold : less than 7 hours.
  • Silver : less than 8 hours.
  • Bronze : finishing inside the cut-off time.

 

 

 

 

Mallorca 312, April 30th 2016

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imageThe Mallorca 312 cycle sportive is an annual event that starts in the north-east of the island at Playa de Muro near to Alcudia. The route goes anti-clockwise around the circumference of the island passing through the beautiful Tramuntana mountains to Andratx then onto Palma, Colonia Sant Jordi, Porto Cristo, Arta and finally back to Playa de Muro, a total of 312 km. Or at least this is what we expected the route to be when me and my friend Brian entered the event and booked flights and hotels six months prior to the event. In April however, all the entrants got a surprise email outlining a big change to the route, it would now be confined to the mountainous northern part of the island and there would now also be a choice of three routes, 167km, 232km and 312km. Also the event would now take place on roads closed to other traffic. This was to be the 7th edition of the event, it was first held back in 2010 when a total of 199 riders set off round the island, this years entry was 4400 (with several hundred more on a waiting list). In a way the event has become a victim of its own success, with the organisers coming under pressure from the Police and authorities to make it easier to control and safer for the riders involved, hence the unexpected late changes to the route. We flew in 5 days prior to the event, which was enough time to get some good rides in and explore the island without exhausting ourselves before the big day.

Mon 25th April  An early flight into Palma airport gave us lots of time after the transfer to our hotel in Port d’Alcudia. Our hire bikes were ready and waiting, we both opted for a Canondale Synapse, I chose the version with disc brakes and electronic Di2 gears and Brian opted for one with standard mechanical shifters and brakes. After setting the bikes up we headed out for the traditional first day out ride, to Cap de Formentor, ” the lighthouse ride” a very scenic road along a peninsula with stunning sea views and one of the best rides on the island. 60km ride.

imageTues 26th April  A big day out. We pre-booked places on the Mallorca Cycle Shuttle that leaves from Port de Pollenca and takes cyclists and their bikes to either Soller or in our case Andratx, leaving them free to cycle back to our hotel along the beautiful Ma-10 road through the mountains and along the coast line back to Pollenca. We needed an early start to grab some breakfast and cycle the 8km or so to meet the bus at 7.30am and we were treated to a beautiful sunrise as we rode along Pollenca Bay road. The shuttle bus takes about 90 minutes, along the motorway towards Palma and through the busy early morning rush hour traffic before dropping us all off in a quiet back street in Andratx, right next to the Ma-10. The weather was good all day and we got to see this beautiful route at its best, the climbs are never that steep but are long at times and care is needed on the fast twisty descents. We made a small detour to visit the beautiful bay of Port de Soller, had a coffee and mentally prepared ourselves for what was coming next…. The 13.9km climb up to the Monnaber tunnel on Puig Major, the longest climb on the island. From this high point Port de Pollenca is about 40km away and most of it is downhill with only a couple of shortish climbs to slow you down, at the Port we called into Tollo’s bar and restaurant for a beer and had a look at Wiggo’s world time trial and Tour de France race bikes which hang from the ceiling. We finally got back to our hotel at 7.00pm tired but happy. 142 km ride.

Wed 27th April  After a short lie in to recover from yesterday’s hilly ride we had a look at the map and decided to do the last 80km section of the Mallorca 312 route from Playa de Muro that makes a loop to Arta before heading back to the finish at Playa de Muro. We stopped off in Arta for some lunch in one of the restaurants in the pleasant town square, it took us a while to locate the square through all the narrow alley ways and one way systems but it was with the effort. On the way back we checked out the beautiful beaches and sea front at Can Picafort.

imageThurs 28th April  We awoke to the sound of steady rain and a chill in the air, so after a relaxed breakfast we decided to check the hotel gym out for an hour and done some gentle weights and rowing, followed by a few lengths in the outside swimming pool, an experience that can be best summed up as bracing. After an early lunch the weather was much improved and we headed out for a ride along the Ma-3433 to Sa Pobla, Muro and from Santa Margalida picked up the Ma-3400 to join the Arta road that headed back to Alcudia, about 50km or so. The expo for the Mallorca 312 event was already up and running at Playa de Muro and we called in hoping to pickup our race pack and event race shirt, but there were big queues for everything so we went back to the hotel instead. Later on that night we got the bus back to the expo and got our packs no problem, even the race shirts fitted. We celebrated with an “Indurain” burger (recommended) at the Bike Point Cafe next door.

Fri 29th April  The day before our event so no heroics on the bike today, instead we had a very relaxed ride out in the warm spring sunshine. We headed along the Ma-3433 to Sa Pobla again but this time followed the signs to Buger along lovely quiet lanes and onto Campanet. Here we turned right and headed down to the very old and beautiful church of Sant Miguel and made a short detour to have a look inside and chat with a woman who was a guide or guardian of the church. Back on the bike we headed down the quiet pot-holed country lane and were amazed by the hundreds of cyclists constantly coming the other way, probably heading for the Coll de sa Batalla and beyond. We turned left along the much busier Ma-2200 and followed this all the way to Port de Pollenca where we found a nice quiet bay front restaurant and filled ourselves with pasta, after this feast we crossed over the road on to the beach and relaxed on the sand for an hour, before completing our ride along the bay road back to our hotel in Port d’Alcudia. 60km ride approx.

imageSat 30th April   Mallorca 312 day!   The alarm went off at 5.00am, giving us plenty of time for a good breakfast as it was going to be a long day. All the weather forecasts seemed to vary in details but one thing was certain there would be rain and sure enough as we cycled the 20 minutes or so to the start outside the Iberostar Hotel in Playa de Muro we felt the first drops, cyclists were appearing from everywhere and hundreds were already lined up at the start a good 45 mins before the official start at 7.00 am. The rain got heavier as we waited and there was an air of excitement and anticipation as we chatted and watched the clock tick down. It was good to get moving and the wide closed roads at the start allowed people to quickly find their own space and tempo. The first obstacle of the day was the Coll de Femenia, then up to the aqueduct and the tunnel that leads to Gorg Blau, the blue lake, where the first watering station was located, more climbing leads to the Monnaber tunnel and the start of almost 14km of fast downhill road. In the dry and especially with closed roads, this would be a blast, but today the roads were very wet and at times the mist was quite thick. I found this to be a nervous descent and I saw one guy getting tended too at the side of the road with his head covered in blood. It was a relief to finally hit the outskirts of Soller and begin the climb up to the Coll de ca’n Bleda, however just over the top of this climb as we started to go down again I came off. There were three of us in a line, the first guy went down braking on a slight bend, the second guy squeezed his brakes to avoid him and he came off too and as soon as I braked I was off too, the road was really greasy in the wet.image Physically I was ok, just cuts and bruises down my left hand side, (plus a hole in my new bib-shorts!) but the impact on the bike was on the left hand brake hood and I soon found out that I was unable to shift from the small chain ring to the large one (the hire bike had Di2 gearing – so I guess a wire or contact had come loose in the crash). I was gutted at the time and thought that this would really slow me down but in reality the route was so hilly it didn’t have such a big impact and it was only at the end when the roads flattened out a little that I felt I was being held back by the lack of faster gears. The first feed station was after 94km at Nova Valldemossa but when I got there I was told they had ran out of food…..Just drinks and oranges left! After a couple of minutes chomping on orange segments, Brian pulled in and he told me he had also come off his bike in a similar incident to mine. He was going downhill following someone, they braked and slid off and as soon as Bri touched his brakes he came off too. Fortunately he was ok but now we both had matching holes in our shorts. Conditions however were improving rapidly and the roads were drying out quickly and the rain jackets and arm warmers were stashed away for the rest of the day and we could enjoy fully the fantastic sea views on this elevated roller-coaster of a road. We dropped down to Andratx and started heading back to the finish direction over a series of long hill climbs, never that steep but a lot of them were several kilometres long. The next feed station was after 143km at Galilea and thankfully there was plenty of food this time and we got our fill here. The last long climb was over the Coll des Grau and after this the terrain got noticeable easier and faster and we managed to tag onto the end of a peloton and the kilometres were starting to go by much quicker but just as we were closing in at the feedstation at Biniamar at about 190km, Brian had a major problem with his gears, he was the unable to shift the chain up the cassette and was stuck in the smallest sprocket and with tired legs was reduced to walking up anything remotely steep. imageWith the cut-off time of 5.30pm getting nearer I pressed on hoping to be able to do the full 312km and i teamed up with a couple of others hoping to do the same, but time was against us and we rolled into the Playa de Muro finish line with the way to Arta blocked off, I had missed the cut-off. Initially I was disappointed, I had wanted to do the full 312km but that feeling didn’t last long, it had been a long eventful day which I had greatly enjoyed. I grabbed a free beer and tried phoning Brian to see how he was getting on but got no answer but then a few minutes later I saw him near the finish line, he had battled on gamely with his now single-speed bike and finished the 232km route in good style. As we stood chatting near the finish line a camera crew approached us, the interviewer asked Brian to sum up the event in one word and after a couple of seconds thought and with a flourish he said “Magnifico!” And that sort of perfectly summed up not just our day or even our week but the also the preceding 6 months, because the Mallorca 312 had been our motivation to get out on the bike early on a Sunday morning, sometimes in not so good weather, to get some miles in the legs and prepare properly for this demanding event, it’s good to have something to train for…… We may just have to come back next year and complete it…. The organisers even put Brian on the official you tube video!

Calpe – Cycling in the Spanish Costa Blanca

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Calpe beach and the Penon de Ifach rock

Calpe on the Spanish Costa Blanca is a great location for a cycling winter training camp. While Northern Europe endures harsh winters, the climate here seems to be always spring or summer with temperatures ranging from 15 to 20 degrees celsius. Also, apart from the busy coastal roads linking the big resorts, once you turn inland the roads become very quiet and mountainous without being too steep or too long. Having a large international airport at Alicante (about 50 miles away) is very useful too, as is the plentiful supply of cheap, good quality hotels and restaurants, add to this mix the frequently spectacular mountain and coastal scenery and it is easy to see why this area has become so popular with the professional cycling teams and amateurs alike. I stayed at the Hotel Porto Calpe located as the name suggests right next to the fishing port and harbour and very close to the impressive Penon de Ifach – the huge limestone rock outcrop which is a symbol of the whole Costa Blanca region.

Mon 8th Feb  After an early breakfast i got my cycling kit on and took a 20 min brisk walk along the very pleasant sea front promenade right into central Calpe to pick my hire bike up from SolyBike , a carbon framed Orbea Orca. After filling in the paperwork and setting the bike up, I set off on my ride, I thought I was heading for Guadalest,  in fact I was on the right road but going in the wrong direction and ended up in Benissa instead, here I was helped on my way by a very pleasant Dutch cycling couple who suggested turning left and heading for the Coll de Rates instead, which turned out to be an ideal first ride. The Coll de Rates is probably the Costa Blanca’s most famous climb and once I got near the start cyclists started appearing from all directions. At the top of the Coll there is a good restaurant with spectacular views from the terrace of the surrounding area, it was here that I got chatting to a Belgium cyclist called Steven and we agreed to team up together for a ride tomorrow. (46 mile ride).

Guadalest

Tues 9th Feb  After an early breakfast in the hotel again I rode up to the busy coast road (N-332) and met Steven outside of the place he was staying. We were heading for Finestrat to do the Guadalest loop. We went through Altea and kept on the N-332 to more or less opposite Benidorm, then turned right to Finestrat, from now on the roads were very quiet but also started heading uphill, steeply at first before settling down to 4 or 5% average. We passed through Sella and after a long climb, up to the highest point of the day – Puerto Tudons at 1020 m high before descending rapidly to Alcolecha where we stopped off at the cafe for a meal. The next high point was Puerto Confrides (966m) followed by mile after mile of spectacular mountain roads down to Guadalest and beyond. We stayed on the CV-755 passing through Collosa until we hit the busy coast road again for the climb back up to Calpe. (74 mile ride).

Wed 10th Feb   An easier ride today after yesterday’s mountain adventure, headed north on the coast road in the direction of Moraira before turning left for Benissa, I wasn’t expecting such a long climb going this way before dropping down to the town of Benissa and carrying onto Senija and Lliber where I tried to find the road that heads up the Bernia Coll, however I couldn’t find the right road (my map was a bit vague on detail). Eventually I gave up looking and doubled back to Benissa and headed back to Calpe via Teulada, Benitachell and Morairi. (42 mile ride)

 

Beautiful roads heading for Vall d`Ebo

Thurs 11th Feb   Met Steven again on the coast road at 9.00am for another big ride in the mountains. We climbed up the N-332 main road to just before Benissa and turned off left to Jalon, Alcalali and Parcent for the steady climb up smooth roads to Castell de Castells alongside the dried up river bed down below us, we then had a restaurant stop in Facheca. before joining the beautiful CV-712 road that headed for Vall d’Ebo and climbed up to the high point before the wonderful hairpin-laden descent with great views all the way down to outskirts of Pego, here we turned right to Sagra, then through Orba and back to Parcent. We had a coffee and cake here and sheltered from a brief rain shower before the ride back to Calpe via Benissa. (78 mile ride).

 

Almond trees and mountains

Fri 12 th Feb   Rode up the Benissa road again, just before the town i turned left and headed up to Pinos and continued up to the Bernia Coll which was a lovely quiet road, quite rough in places but very scenic too. The gradient was quite gradual for first half but certainly ramped up quite a bit for the top section. At the top I turned right and it was another stunning descent all the way down to Jalon. Turned left here for Alcalali and Parcent and climbed up to the Coll de Rates again and stopped off at the cafe for soup and coffee. From the Coll I continued on the road descending and climbing up to the small village of Tarbena and turned right here for the lovely road that goes to Castell de Castells. I turned right here and managed to tag onto the back of a passing peloton for a very fast 12km back to Parcent, then back to Calpe via Benissa again. (67 mile ride).

Sat 13th Feb   Had to get the bike back to the shop for 2.00pm today (early closing day), which  was good because the legs were starting to feel it by now, so headed north on the coast road to Morairi, Benitachell and onward to Javea in windy conditions before heading back to Calpe. (37 mile ride).

Roadtripping Calpe  is a great website which captures the beauty and excitement of cycling around Calpe with some stunning photos and some great insights and a good video at the end.

Cycling locations is another very useful source of advice and information about cycling in the Costa Blanca.

Mallorca Oct 2015 and the TransTramuntana 4500

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The TransTramuntana 4500 route map

Mallorca and the TransTramuntana route

This was my second trip to Mallorca this year and this time I stayed at the Viva Blue Hotel  in Playa de Muro, situated on the narrow strip of land between Alcudia Bay and the Albufera Natural Park. The Viva Blue is well set up to cater for sports type holidays, especially cycling and triathlons, it has a six lane 25m heated outdoor swimming pool, a good gym and in the basement a large bike store and hire centre capable of holding hundreds of bikes. The bike I hired was a Canondale Synapse with a 58 cm carbon frame, electronic Di2 gears and disc brakes, a very nice bike. I didn’t book any meals at the hotel in advance as I wanted the flexibility to eat out in the evenings, but  most mornings I paid for a buffet style breakfast which had a great selection to choose from. I booked this trip at short notice and it was intended as a gentle end of season cycling holiday but a few days before I flew out I discovered that the TransTramuntana 4500 event was being held on the day before I was due to fly back….. I entered online straightaway ! The mountains on Mallorca are concentrated in the north of the island and are called the Tramuntana. The famous and very scenic Ma-10 road which starts in Pollenca and ends in Andratx practically runs the full length of this mountain range, the TransTramuntana 4500 ride starts in Port de Pollenca and follows the Ma-10 all the way to Andratx before looping back to Soller via Galilea, Esporles and Palmanyola. From Soller it’s then a big climb back up to the Monnaber Tunnel near the top of Puig Major and a very fast descent back along the Ma-10 back to the finish in Port de Pollenca, a distance of 235km (143 miles) and 4500m of climbing, hence the name of the event – the TransTramuntana 4500. There is also a shorter event the TransTramuntana 3000, which runs at the same time but is still a very tough ride.

  • Cala Rajada marina

    Cala Rajada marina

    Day1    After an early breakfast I went to pick my bike up from Xavi in the bike store and set it up for the week ahead and then headed off east along the Arta road (Ma-12) the weather was dull but dry (for now…..) and about 19/20c. just before Arta I turned off left to Ermita de Betlem a lovely quiet dead-end road with great views that climbs up to a col and then drops down to a monastery, it was then back to Arta and had a spot of lunch in the very pleasant town square. Fully refreshed I carried on east to Capdepera and Cala Rajada with its bustling marina. I tried to find the road that went to the lighthouse at Punta Capdepra but couldn’t locate it. I then headed south on the Son Severa road climbing the small but traffic free Coll des Vidrier (Motor traffic uses the tunnel) and rode into the scenic town of Portocristo for more refreshments. Manacor was next via the Ma-4020, once I reached here the weather took a turn for the worse, it got decidedly dark and heavy rain started to fall, I didn’t enjoy the section to Santa Margalida at all, once here though the weather relented and the Ma-3410 back to Can Picafort was much better.  138km ride.

  • Formentor Lighthouse ride

    Formentor Lighthouse ride

    Day 2    A shorter ride today but a very popular classic – the ride to Cap de Formentor lighthouse. The route from the hotel follows the main road past all the hotels and shops that line the edge of Alcudia Bay, then up into the old town of Alcudia itself before turning off right to follow the cycle way on the edge of Pollenca Bay with great views of the jagged hills that lead to the light house. It pays to do this ride early in the day as it does get very busy later on, it is actually quite a tough ride with lots of ups and downs, it has recently been resurfaced and is very smooth most of the way. When I done it there were a lot of roller skiers out doing it too and I was surprised how fast some of them were moving. 70km ride.

  • Views from near Alaro

    Views from near Alaro

    Day 3   A windy, cool start to the day with some rain mixed in too but set off hopeful on the Ma-3433 to Sa Pobla then onto Campanet, Moscari, Selva and dropped down to Caimari which is one of the gateways to the Tramuntana Mountains. Caimari is the start of the Coll de sa Batalla climb which is very popular with cyclists and has a good restaurant at the top, after a brief stop here I pressed on up the Ma-10 to the aqueduct and continued straight on up to the first tunnel and past the two lakes then into the Monnaber tunnel which marks the high point on Puig Major for road users. From the other side of the tunnel the only way is down and lots of it, I think it’s about 14km of sweeping, fast as you dare, hairpin curves all the way down to Soller, once on the flat again I headed for the lovely bay of Port de Soller for a beer and some spaghetti bolognese. Fully refreshed I headed south on the Palma road (Ma-11) for a few km once the tunnel is reached most of the traffic disappears into it, leaving the old road on the left very quiet with its numerous hairpins bends leading up to the Coll de Soller. It’s fast again down the other side before joining briefly the Ma-11 before turning off to Bunyola and then climbing up to the Coll d’Honor heading for Alaro, Lloseta, Biniamar and back into Selva. Moscato, Campanet, Buger, Sa Poblar and the Ma-3433 finished the ride off. 147km ride.

  • Sa Colobra

    Sa Colobra

    Day 4   Perhaps the most famous climb on Mallorca is Sa Calobra and is unusual in the fact that you have to climb over a couple of cols first and then descend it to a dead-end port before you can turn around and climb back out. I cycled into Alcudia and past the big church as usual and explored the quiet lanes that lead to the Ma-2201 and onto Pollenca and joined the start of Ma-10 into the Tramantuna mountains, the road rises gently for a few km before the climb up to the Col de Fermina kicks in. I called in at the restaurant at the top of the Col de sa Batalla for a coffee and a baguette before tackling the roller coaster section leading up to the aqueduct, here the road splits and I turned right for the climb up to the Col de Cal Reis and the top of Sa Calobra. This is another climb, or descent in this case, where it pays to get here early, I had been passed on the way up by a couple of tourist coaches and I could see them down below me negotiating the tortuous hairpin bends as the road snakes down to the small port below, I took it very steadily but even so the descent gives you a real buzz as you enjoy the curves and the accelerations out of the bends but it also requires your best concentration as the consequences of a miscalculation could be very nasty indeed! At the bottom there a few restaurants where you can relax and enjoy the surrounding for a while before facing the long climb back up to the Coll de Cal Reis, once at the top though you have a fantastic fast descent most of the way back to Pollensa with only a few short climbs to slow you down. 135km ride.

  • Ermita de la Victoria ride

    Ermita de la Victoria ride

    Day 5   The day before the TransTramuntana event so no big rides today. Started off with a swim in the lovely hotel pool, followed by half an hour in the gym before heading off to register at 3.00pm for the event at the Hotel Hoposa Uyal in Port de Pollenca, which is also the start of the race the next day. I had plenty to time so decided to explore the road which goes along the peninsula which forms the southern end of Pollenca Bay, it is the road to Mal Pas and further on to the Ermita de la Victoria. It is a quiet and very scenic dead-end road with quite a lot of climbing involved, especially if you go up to the church first. The road ends at a metal gate at the entrance to a tunnel, it is military access only after that. The sea views are probably even better on the way back and this would be a great ride to combine with the lighthouse ride to Formentor. I continued on to Port de Pollenca and had some lunch at a sea front restaurant, followed by an hour lying on the beach in the warm sun waiting for registration to open, which went smoothly and I rode back to  my hotel with my registration pack wearing the event Santini race shirt to prepare everything for an early start tomorrow. 47km ride.

  • 8.00am sharp and we are off...(photo: Margalida Ferrer)

    The start in Port de Pollenca (photo: Margalida Ferrer)

    Day 6   Transmuntana 4500 day. The event would start at 8.00am at Port de Pollenca which was about 15km away so an early start was needed and it was quite eerie cycling along the quiet streets in the pitch black, I got there with 20 mins to spare enough time to capture some of the atmosphere and to witness a stunning sunrise out over Pollensa Bay. Closed roads and a police escort saw the peloton of about 450 riders quickly reach the Ma-10 and it was soon apparent that this was to be no leisurely sportive event, the leading group were setting a cracking pace and I was unable to match it so settled into my own pace but with only 11 hours of sunlight at this time of year and 235km to cover I knew it was going to be a hard day. The weather was just about ideal with warm sunshine, light winds and good visibility all day really. I was relieved to finally reach the Monnaber Tunnel and the fast descent into Soller seemed to go on forever. At the turn off for Deia I was on roads I’d never been on before and it was great passing through places I had only studied on a map before and what a road it is, up and down all the way with stunning views along the jagged coast line. At the feed station at Can Costa, just before Valldemossa, I think the race was neutralised for a while as it was getting too strung out, the organisers had a police car with flashing lights at the head of the race all the time and an event support van which looked like an ambulance following the main group, I felt sorry for the car drivers stuck behind us on these narrow twisty roads unable to get past us.

    Great sea views on the road to Andratx

    Great sea views on the road to Andratx

    Shortly after leaving Can Costa was where the race split up, with the shorter event people turning left and longer event turning right heading for Andratx along a beautiful high road over looking the sea, again it was up and down all the way but it was a great relief psychologically to finally reach the feed station at Sa Coma near Andratx because after here we would be heading back, however I barely had time to refill my water bottle and grab a sandwich before the police car had fired it lights up again and the peloton was off straight into the next series of cols, I found this 28km section quite tough as fatigue was starting to set in now and judging by the faces around me I wasn’t the only one suffering. The feed station at Sa Granga just before Esporles was a welcome sight, the whole peloton of riders seemed to be assembled here and I had the luxury of a full 5 minutes to down some Coke and grab a bite to eat before the police car again fired its lights up and we were off again and it was a very fast pace along the flattish roads leading to Palmanyola, I kept up for as long as I could before the elastic finally broke and I watched the peloton disappear up the Ma-11 heading for the almost traffic free ascent of the Coll de Soller, I caught a few of the tailenders going up here and although I was obviously tired by now I was enjoying it again as I knew I was going to make it, I grabbed a quick drink and some food at the top of the col and set off on the impressive hairpin laden descent, (there has got to be near 50 of them!) re-joining the Ma-11 again to swoop down into Soller and the right turn for the start of the last big challenge of the ride – the ascent of Puig Major.

    Tired but happy at the end of the day

    Tired but happy at the end of the day

    The climbing starts within a few hundred meters and its best to settle into a comfortable pace as for most people it’s about an hour of solid climbing and it just seems to go on and on, eventually however the high point at the Monnaber Tunnel looms into view and signals the end of all major difficulties on the ride from now on its mainly all downhill and fast. I could see a large group of riders ahead in the distance with the lights of the police car in front and tried to join them but cars in the tail back  behind them were slowing my progress down, eventually however I picked the cars off and just where the Ma-10 starts to straighten out with about 14 km to go I finally joined the peloton of about 25 riders and noticed straightaway how much easier it is to cycle in a large group. I think for me this last section was the highlight of the whole ride, the police car in front now had its sirens going as well as the flashing lights and motor bikes were blocking the traffic at roundabouts so we had a clear run into Pollensa and we were flying along down to the Port and to the right hand turn along the sea front, to the finish outside the Hotel Hoposa Uyal, it was a great way to finish a memorable ride! I had a finishers medal placed around my neck and was pointed in the direction of the free pasta, Coke and beer which went down a treat, after that it was back on the bike for the 15 km ride in the dusk, back to the hotel at Playa de Muro- just what I needed!  265km ride.

My time for the event was 10 hrs, 18 mins , 28 secs (22.8km/hr).

There was also a king of the mountain timed section on the big climb of Puig Major and my time for this was 1 hr, 3 mins, 20 secs (13km/ hr).

The TT4500 was a great event and I must say a word of thanks to the organisers and volunteers who put in a lot of work to make this event happen, thank you all!  It was a special end to another enjoyable week cycling in Mallorca and we are already booked up to come back in the spring for the equally challenging cycling event – the Mallorca312  which is a ride around the circumference of the island ( 312 km or 193 miles) with a time limit of 14 hours.

 

 

 

New Mountain Bike Wheels!

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MTB wheel set

My Specialized Rockhopper SL Pro mountain bike is over 5 years old now, I try to look after it as much as I can and during this time it has had several chains, cassettes, bottom brackets and brake pads fitted and early on this year I replaced the chain rings. Recently however I have been having problems with the rear wheel, the freehub has been sticking and the cassette which sits on the freehub seems to be moving slightly, causing the gears to slip in certain positions …….so the time has come to get some new wheels…..

Selecting wheels from bike websites has become more complicated in recent years. Traditionally mountain bike wheels were all 26 inch diameter but then came the introduction of 29 inch wheels and then the intermediate size of 27.5 inches. Also the axle sizes can vary from the traditional quick release skewers to various bolt through designs. My bike uses traditional 26 inch wheels with normal quick release skewers.

Yellow rim tape

Yellow rim tape

A further variable to consider is the type of mountain bike riding you do. Is it predominately cross-country? trails? enduro type riding? or downhill?  This will determine what type of rim you need on the wheel with stronger normally meaning heavier. Armed with this information I had a look at Merlin Cycles website where I get a lot of my spares from, the prices are good and the customer service spot on too. They do a hand-built wheel service where you can specify the components you want. I chose Hope Pro 2 Evo hubs, ZTR Arch EX rims and DT Competition stainless steel spokes. Also ordered some new brake rotors and some Hope quick release skewers.

The rims I bought can take the usual inner tube and tyre combination but the rims are designed with a tubeless setup in mind. I have been curious about this for a while so decided to set the wheels up tubeless. With these rims all you need is some Stans Yellow Tape around the rim, this tape is airtight and seals the holes where the spokes are, you also need a tubeless type valve which has a screw out core and a bottle of Stans Tyre Sealant. I also bought a syringe to inject the sealant in the tyre, this came in very handy later.

Tubeless Valve

Tubeless Valve

I have used Panaracer Fire XC Pro tyres for a few years now and find them an excellent tyre, however I had an extremely hard job getting the beads of this tyre to fit over the rims, I was seriously worried about damaging the rims with the tyre levers, I’m not sure how I will ever get them off to be honest! Anyhow, once I got my strength back I inflated the tyres (without the sealant) to see how things were looking. A good tip here is to brush some soapy water over the tyre edge and wheel rim, this greatly helps everything slide into place and once I got the tyre approaching 40 psi the tyres explosively locked into the rims. The soapy water also highlights how porous the tyre walls are too, with lots of bubbles forming all the way round the tyre walls where air was escaping from. To seal the tyre walls you need sealant, so I let the tyres down and screwed the core out of the valves and used the syringe to inject about 3 fluid ounces of sealant into the tyre. some people just take one side of the tyre off and pour sealant in but with the struggle I had getting them on I was very pleased that I bought the syringe. Once the sealant is in the tyre I screwed the valve core back in and brushed the rim and tyre bead with soapy water again and pumped the tyres up, again as they approached 40 psi they banged into place. Next you need to shake the wheel and rotate it to coat the inside of the tyre with sealant to stop it leaking air, then leave it on its side for ten or fifteen minutes, then turn it over and do the same. The secondary job of the sealant is to seal any punctures you may get in the future. A video showing Stan Koziatek, the inventor of the tubeless system, demonstrating what happens when you get a puncture can be found here.

The next day I was relieved to find that the tyres were still hard so they must have sealed ok, so I screwed on the new brake rotors and fitted the new skewers and placed the wheels in the bike, disappointingly this revealed another problem. The new brake rotors being slightly thicker than the old ones were rubbing on the brake pads, so with the bike upside down I removed the brake pads and gently with a large bladed screwdriver tried to lever the brake pistons back into their housing, I may have pressed the brake lever with the bike upside down and I think this has put some air in the hydraulic system, the result is the front brake went very soft …. It needed a bleed to get rid of the air. With Avid type brakes this involves a couple of syringes and some Dot Fluid, stuff I don’t have so the local bike shop had to do this job for me.

Finally, a great source of information about tubeless tyres and some very useful videos can be found on Stans NoTubes website.

Mountain Bike Coast to Coast ride 2015

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MTB C2C by Tim Woodcock

The Coast to Coast by Tim Woodcock

This mountain bike route takes its inspiration from Alfred Wainwright’s famous long distance walk. It is a challenging multi-day ride across three of England’s finest national parks, the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, taking in some of the best off-road riding in the country on the way. The route is described by Tim Woodcock in his excellent little booklet The Coast to Coast. This book is a very useful source of information about the ride but you also need to spend some time plotting the ride onto OS 1:25000 maps to get familiar with the route and ideally also doing some recce rides of sections in the months and weeks leading up to the attempt.

Legally you are not allowed to cycle on footpaths in the countryside so the route uses largely bridleways, cycle paths and quiet roads. The route is 210 miles long and starts at St.Bees Head in Cumbria and finishes at Robin Hoods Bay in Yorkshire. The Lake District section is very tough, taking in Black Sail Pass, Walna Scar and Garburn Pass and passing through some very remote areas to eventually reach Shap. Woodcock in his booklet describes an easier alternative route through the Lakes that goes via Keswick and the old coach road to Matterdale, Pooley Bridge and Bampton to join up with the main route at Shap. I took 8 days to do the route, which gave me plenty of time to explore some of the cafes and pubs and villages along the way with the toughest day being from Ambleside to Kirkby Stephen. Its a ride i would like to do again sometime and knowing the route you could certainly take a few days off my time, depending on how fit you are. Kit-wise you have to think carefully about what you really need to take with you, I rode solo and unsupported and used a lightweight 20 litre rucsac.

MTB C2C Route

MTB C2C Route, red dots are overnight stops

  • Day 1 Took the train to Whitehaven and cycled to St. Bees, then picked up the C2C cycle route for a few miles before turning off right and heading down to Ennerdale Youth Hostel where I stayed the night.
  • Day 2  Continued up the forest track to Black Sail Youth Hostel and then headed right for the long bike carry up to the top of Black Sail Pass, dropped down the other side into Wasdale (more carrying), then up and over past Burnmoor Tarn and dropped down into the hamlet of Boot and stayed the night at the nearby Eskdale Youth Hostel.
  • Day 3 Cycled up the road to the Start of Hardknot Pass proper before turning off right and climbing up the side of Birker Fell and over some very rough boggy ground to Grassguards farm and descended down to the River Duddon stepping-stones, aptly named ” the fickle steps”, which were covered by water, the chain across the river was very handy as I waded across carrying the bike. The climb/push up Walna Scar was next followed by a very rapid descent into Coniston, then up to Tilberthwaite and a very pleasant ride via Elterwater and Loughrigg Terrace to Ambleside, stayed the night at the excellent independent Youth Hostel here.
  • Day 4 From Ambleside rode up through Skelghyll Woods and over to Garburn Pass via the Dubhs road, a very rocky descent down the other side of Garburn pass down to the hamlet of Kentmere (a black run if you ride it all). Coffee break at Maggs Howe bunk barn at Green Quarter, then headed North up Longsleddale, turning off right at the Bridleway over to Mosedale and searched for the bothy there. Took the Wet Sleddale reservoir option to Shap. From here it was quiet roads and farmland tracks to Kirkby Stephen, stayed at the independent youth hostel there, which is an old Methodist Church.
  • Day 5
    Tan Hill Inn

    Tan Hill Inn

    From Kirkby Stephen took the quiet road to Winton and Rookby, the road gradually turns into a track/bridleway just before Wrenside and climbs up to the road leading to the Tan Hill Pub. From here it’s down the Pennine Way into Swaledale crossing the river at Ivelet and heading for Low Houses, turning right here for a very steep push up to the road and heading for the start of the very enjoyable Apedale Road (a track) followed this all the way to the crossroads at Dent Houses and turned left to climb initially,  then a very fast descent over the moors and road, all the way down to Grinton, stayed the night at nearby Reeth, at the Black Bull Pub.

  • Day 6 From Reeth headed Along the quiet road to Marrick Abbey and continued along the bridle way to Marrick itself then Marske (via Nun Cote Nook and Low Oxque farms). Followed the Richmond road to the bridle way that contours below Applegarth Scar then through the woods before dropping into Richmond. Headed for the North York moors next via the flat quiet roads of  the Vale of Mowbray and a short unpleasant main road section to Osmotherly, hoped to stop at the Youth Hostel here but it was fully booked in advance so continued to Raisdale (via Scugdale) and stayed at a B&B about one mile west of Chop Gate.
  • Day 7 A short ride down to Chop Gate and left to Seave Green to pick up a bridleway that climbs up onto the moor plateau turning left at Bloworth Crossing to Burton Howe and dropped down to cross the head of Baysdale Moor following the bridleway across Great Hograh Moor to Westerdale. From here bridleway and road led to the track around the head of Great Fryup Dale then onto the rocky track along Glaisdale Rigg to Glaisdale itself. stayed at a basic but very nice bunk barn about a mile and a half outside the village.
  • Day 8 From Glaisdale the route headed over to Delves via a well hidden lane for a very fast road descent down to Egton Bridge and along the C2C track to Grosmont with its steam trains and railway sheds. From Grosmont there is a very steep and long road climb up to the A169 before turning off for some lovely moorland tracks up to Louven Howe with the early warning station at Fylingdales visible in the distance. The route continues heading east and eventually arriving at the radio beacon at Ravenscar and drops down to the disused railway track which takes you all the way into Robin Hoods Bay.
Port de Soller

Majorca Easter 2015

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The Mediterranean island of Majorca has in recent years become a favourite destination for both professional and amateur cyclists, the combination of a good climate, good roads (both flat and mountainous) and cheap plentiful off-season accommodation has proved irresistible to thousands of cyclists every year. There are also lots of hotels and businesses offering structured training camps for cyclists and triathletes and most of them can hire you a good quality bike, so all you need to do is turn up with your training kit.

I went with my friend Angus who has recently joined the South Shields Velo Cycling Club and they had a group of about 18 members over here for the week. We stayed at Port d`Alcudia in the North of the island about a 50 minute transfer from the airport at Palma at the Viva Tropic and Spa Hotel, a comfortable 4 star hotel near to Alcudia Bay. The hotel is well used to dealing with groups of cyclists and Viva Cycling which is connected to the hotel has a fleet of quality Cannondale bikes for hire at very reasonable rates. The rides we done were :-

  1. Port d`Alcudia to Cap de Formentor – the light house ride. Only about 60km long but a tough ride with lots of up and down and a very scenic ride along the narrow peninsula that forms one side of Pollenca Bay.
  2. Sa Colobra. This route is probably on every adventurous cyclists list who comes to Majorca. You have to climb over a couple of cols to get to it and then descend it because it is a dead-end road that goes down to a sleepy harbour, both the descent and the 10km climb back up again are stunning, check out this Video showing Team IG-Sigma Sport descending it.. Our route to get there was Port de Pollenca, Col de Femenia, the aqueduct Cafe and then the final climb up to the Coll de Cal Reis which is the gateway to Sa Colobra (118km).
  3. Rest Day. Done a short ride with Angus then we came across a nice beach and chilled out there.

    Northern Majorca and the Tramuntana Mountains

    Northern Majorca and the Tramuntana Mountains

  4. Sa Colobra again this time via Caimari and returned to Alcudia via the Col de Femenia (118km).
  5. Sa Pobla, Campanet then Caimari and done the very pleasant climb up the Col de sa Batalla and continued west along the Ma-10 to the Aqueduct Cafe. Returned the same way to Caimari then Inca and Sa Pobla (125km).
  6. Puig Major and Soller – a big day with a lot of climbing. We Headed up the Col de Femenia again following the Ma-10 road and kept on going past two beautiful mountain lakes to the Monnaber Tunnel. From here it is a stunning descent about 9 miles long all the way down to Soller, we continued on to the picturesque bay of Port de Soller for refreshments. We went back the same way for the 9 mile climb up numerous switchbacks to the Monnaber Tunnel – an hour of pain (138km).
  7. A slow ride to the pleasant town of Arta and a meal in the town square, returned the same way to Port d’Alcudia and continued along the coast road to Port de Pollenca to a packed Tolo’s Restaurant to watch the conclusion of the Paris-Roubaix bike race on TV. Bradley Wiggins gets in there now and then when he is training and there are a couple of his bikes hanging off the ceiling, including the one he won the world time trial on in 2014 (82km).

www.mallorcacycling.co.uk/ A comprehensive guide to cycling in Majorca.

www.cyclinglocations.com/mallorca/   Further information and ride suggestions.

http://www.mallorca312.com/   A Challenging one day sportive ride that does a full lap of the island 312km (194 miles).

 

Teide National Park on the ride down to EL Portillo

Tenerife 2015

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Tenerife Map

Ankle surgery at the end of 2014 meant that my holiday leave at work had started to pile up and I would have to use it by the end of March. I normally head up to Scotland at this time of year to go mountaineering and ice climbing but with a dodgy ankle that didn’t seem like such a good idea this year, so instead I looked for something a little different and the “Isla de la Eternal Primavera” – the Island of Eternal Spring – started to appeal.

Tenerife is the largest of the seven Canary Islands and lies about 186 miles off the west African coast. The island is about 60 miles long and 30 miles wide tapering to 10 miles and is dominated from the centre by the volcano of Mount Teide which stands at 3718m and is tall enough to effect the climate of the island, the North side being wetter, cloudier and greener and the southern side more arid and dry.

For the first week I was staying with Geoff who runs cyclingtenerife.com and has a villa in San Miguel which is about a 20 min drive from the southern airport at an altitude of 550m, well above the busy roads around Los Christianos and the coastal motorway. I decided to bring my own bike with me but it is possible to hire good quality bikes here too, Bike Point has shops in El Medano and Los Christianos. This was my first visit to Tenerife and I decided to come here at short notice and didn’t really know much about the place, I must admit I was surprised at how tough and seriously hilly the cycling is here, for example the road from Los Christianos up to Mount Teide cable car at 2300m is about 40km long and practically all of it is uphill! If climbing for hours on end is not your thing you can cheat a little….. the local green Titsa coach bus leaves Los Christianos at 9.30 every morning and you can get a bike in where the suitcases normally go, and then enjoy a fantastic descent. The Pro cycling teams use Tenerife a lot and often stay at the Parador hotel in Teide National Park and it easy to see why they come, the climate is great in the winter, the scenery is varied and spectacular and the cycling is challenging and they can choose the altitude they wish to train at (train low, sleep high) and up in the Teide National park once all the tourists go in late afternoon , there is privacy, quiet and no distractions.

El Medano bay

El Medano bay

The second week I was based at El Medano, a charming coastal resort town near to the southern airport and stayed at the cheap and cheerful Casa Grande Surf Hostel. The town has excellent long beaches and has a very laid back atmosphere to it, however it is a notoriously windy place and is a Mecca for sea sports , with people coming from all over the world to go surfing and kite boarding, I contented myself with swimming in the sea which at 18 degrees was chilly to start with but fine once you were in. From the top of the nearby Montana Roja, which is a very pleasant walk from town, you get a great overview of the surrounding area.

I was very impressed with Mount Teide National Park and its stunning natural scenery so I booked online an overnight stay at the Altavista mountain refuge (3279m) . To climb to the top of Teide itself you need a permit (which is free but you need to apply online), however if you stay at the hut it is included in the deal. I got the bus from Los Christianos up to the Parador Hotel where there is a good cafe and information centre and spent sometime exploring the easy trail around the impressive rock formations of the Roques de Garcia and then walked the 4km or so through a desert like landscape to the base of the Teleferico (2356m) and took the last ride up to the top station situated at 3555m, from here it’s a 40 min or so hike down to the Altavista hut which can sleep 51 people though was only about half full when I was there. You can buy water here (expensive!) but you need to bring your own food. The next morning I and a few other set off at 5.20am in total darkness using our head torches to trek back up to the Teleferico top station and then continue on the rocky path up to the cone of Teide itself, past the steaming fumaroles and smell of sulphur, right to the summit itself and we stopped there an hour waiting for the sun to rise. I saw the greener North side and its blanket of clouds, the observatory in the distance and Pico Viejo ( the old volcano) not too far away with some of the other Canary islands seemingly floating in the sea of clouds above it. I walked back down to Parador via the stunning Pico Viejo path (which is quite rough and difficult in places as it crosses a couple of lava flow sections) you can actually go right up to the lip of the old volcano (3135m) and peer down into its crater and Martian like terrain and try to imagine what it must have been like when active.

Looking down on the clouds on the road past the Observatory

Looking down on the clouds on the road past the Observatory

After these few days exploring the beaches of El Medano and Mount Teide Park I returned to stay at Geoff’s place in San Miguel again, as he said he had a challenging ride for me if I fancied it… The route headed north on the TF-565 to La Escolona and turning right to Vilaflor, the highest village in Spain. The road steepens a little as it winds its way through the Coronal pine Forrest, eventually the trees start to thin out and you emerge onto the edge of Mount Teide National Park and drop down to the huge sunken crater with its amazing colours and rock formations and great views of the cone of Teide itself. A steady climb brings you up to the Parador Hotel where there is a good restaurant and information centre, a further deceptively hard drag up brings you to the base station of the Teleferico at about 2300m. This is then followed by a fast section through the lava fields and extensive views of Teide and the surrounding area before swooping down to El Portillo. There is a very nice restaurant here right on the junction of the TF-24 and I stopped here for the dish of the day, not quite realising it was a substantial 3 course meal with wine. The route turns right here and follows the TF-24 up to the Teide Observatory, Geoff described this section as undulating but after that  massive lunch I found it a bit of a struggle! There are great views along this road of the Observatories ahead and looking back to Teide itself before eventually the roads descends and through the forest you need to keep a look out for a right turn, the TF-523 to Arafo and Guimar. This section is an absolutely fantastic descent with mile after mile of sweeping bends and fast straights with hardly any traffic at all, it would be a real struggle coming up this way, it was chilly descending near the top but you could feel the heat rising up as you got nearer the bottom. At Guimar I picked up the TF-28 for the 30 miles or so back to San Miguel, for me this was the toughest part of the ride, firstly there is a longish climb back out of Guimar then the road undulates through Fasnia, Arico and Granadilla, crossing numerous ravines (barrancos) which involves the road cutting inland and descending before crossing the ravine and then climbing back up the other side. Eventually I rolled back into San Miguel at 6.40pm and 95 miles on the clock, it had been a tough tiring day in the saddle.

I really enjoyed my two weeks in Tenerife, the weather was great, the scenery varied, there was some great hiking up in Mount Teide National Park and the cycling was very tough with lots more to do and the beaches were great for relaxing on afterwards. I look forward to coming back sometime and exploring more of the island particularly around Masca and the North side.