Simple enough really. Limit one per customer. Quality fruit of the loom T-shirts with proper printed logos (you won’t see any iron-on transfers used here!). It will feature this logo on the front. Just so you know what you’ll be getting, they are white T-shirts available in small, medium & large sizes. Either short or long sleeve - and when they’re gone, they’re gone!
We deliver rental bikes anywhere in Tenerife. Since early February this year, we have been trialling a totally FREE island-wide delivery service!
This applies to all bike rentals with a 3-day minimum hire period. Delivery of bikes to the La Orotava / Puerto de la Cruz area is totally free of charge, all year round (and there is no minimum number of days required).
Please keep in mind that we are based in the North of Tenerife, approximately one hour’s drive away from Las Americas. For deliveries to the South of Tenerife during the low season (May through September), a delivery charge may be applicable in order to cover our basic running costs; the delivery fee for Los Cristianos, Las Americas and Los Gigantes is €36 (pickup included). The delivery/pickup charge to Santa Cruz, La Laguna and Icod will remain at €26.
I’ve had enough enquiries lately about full suspension bikes so I decided a few weeks ago to act. I just bought three lovely frames from Mountain Cycle. They are a small company that really lead the way in big-travel suspensions bikes way back in the nineties. They’ve now been around for 22 years, which is an eternity in the MTBing world. If you’re in your thirties like I am now, you’ll definitely know who they are… they were the whackos who insisted on 100mm+ travel bikes and dual hydraulic disc brakes to complete the package. Somewhat amazingly, that has virtually become standard now. I ask people if they’ve heard of Moutain Cycle now and the answer is resounding ‘no’. Visionaries!
This is the model they call ‘fury’ and we will have small, medium & large examples of each. The aluminium frame is anodised black and has up to 5″ or 130mm of rear wheel travel, with Rock Shox Ario air shock & remote lockout included. The remaining bike spec is to be advised. Rest assured it will be good!
The good news is that I’m planning to drop the price of the existing Merida hardtails into the budget price bracket, so you’ll save 30% on the standard web-based prices by hiring one of those.
Dear Leslie,
I am travelling to Los Gigantes in mid-August and am interested in doing some cycling during my 10 day stay. I have only recently got back into cycling from being a child and currently commute daily to work within London - so the thought of having some open space cycling is very inviting! My enquiry is what you think would be available to me given my location and relative lack of experience. I really like the thought of a full day’s cycling around the volcano tracks as the pictures look incredible - and am not overly keen on the thought of hairpin alpine like extreme hills.
Thanks for your help,
Katy
Hi,
If you’re talking about MTBing, the best thing would be to head to Chinyero / Arenas Negras. There are lots of offroad tracks around there…
The main climb to get there is tough, so I would consider alternative arrangements (taxi, bus, hire car)
Thanks,
Les
Yes, we can now finally accept credit cards wherever there is mobile phone coverage in Tenerife (most places on the island except Teide National Park). So you can pay directly with your Visa or Mastercard when the bike is delivered. Bike reservation deposits are also more easily paid via this method (you can either telephone or email your card details to us). Other convenient forms of payment are IBAN bank transfer, paypal and Euros cash.
If you can’t be bothered reading this, the short answer is ‘no’.
Inititally, all I did was guided road rides leaving straight from the hotel, but from the very beginning most of our potential customers had something different in mind (meaning they wanted to be picked up, taken on a shorter ride and dropped off at the hotel - not so much about the training but more of a sight-seeing tour for the wealthier folk). For a while I started to do a few guided MTB rides in my spare time (which I also enjoyed doing moreso than onroad), but I think we have greater competition in that area; that alone was never enough to pay all the bills. There’s technically even more chance for offroad accidents due to the steep descents invloved.
Basically we have had to look at who we are, what we are about and where we want to take the business in future. (more…)
Hi-I am so excited I found your site and service. I will be traveling to Tenerife for a work conference on 1/27 and want to do some serious riding and exploring from around 1/29-2/1.
I am not certain whether I want to go roadie (my preference) or offroad (because the terrain looks unbelievable). At this point it looks like I’ll be traveling solo. I ride a 54 cm in road and 16/medium for offroad.
Can you give me some insight that will help me make a decision about road v. offroad rental? For road riding, I love hills and epic routes. For offroad, although I am in very good shape and enjoy hills, my technical mt. bike skills are not at the same level, so I guess I’d be looking for more cross-country type routes.
I am really looking fwd to it…. not into laying on the beach or shopping, and I most definitely want to spend my vacation riding.
Pls let me know your thoughts as soon as possible, as I want to make sure there will be a bike available.
Many thanks.
/erin kenneally
Thanks,
Well I am both a MTBer and a roadie so I know all about these kinds of “decisions decisions”.
The road climb to Teide is definitely an epic route, preferably starting from either La Orotava in the North, La Eperanza in the East or Granadilla de Abona in the South. Where else can you climb constantly from a sea level resort to 2300m (7000 feet) in one ride???!
The bummer with road bikes seems to be traffic around the coastal resorts. However, the local drivers here are extremely considerate when overtaking etc.
To make your descision that much harder, some of the firetrails that criss-cross the upper La Orotava valley are probably the flattest roads (either on or offroad) to be found on the whole island. They are connected by a series of perpendicular “downhill runs”. Yes it is possible to get 1 bus to drop you off at the base of Mt Teide so you can ride back down various ways—
There are no jumps and things of that nature. The main obstacles are rocky volcanic boulders and further down, slippery pine needles… so it’s easy for your font tyre to lose its line if you brake and corner at the same time.
Getting back to the road bikes… our road bikes cost basically twice the MTBs because they don’t seem to get abused as much. So we have a beautiful new Pro Lite 54.5cm Cuneo road bike (or 2); one has just been built up last week with the new Ultegra carbon levers! It’s so new I haven’t even had a chance to photograph it yet.
Hope that is of some help.
-Leslie
Hi Leslie
If you have the time would very much appreciate your advice. My wife, myself and very young son are coming to Tenerife from Feb 27 until Mar 6. I’ll be training up for a cyclosportif in France so will be very keen to ride whilst there. I actually do quite a lot of road cycling (I have a Cervelo Soloist it’s either a 56 or 68 cm) and mountain biking (I ride a lapierre x-control 510 51 cm).
I know very little about Teneriffe and would welcome your views on a good area to stay my wife wants sun but I really don’t want to be near any trashy resorts (I have heard that part of the island has a few of these).
I’d also look to rent a bike I’d appreciate your advice here also. Although the sportif is on the road if you think Tenerife mountain biking outweighs the road cycling I’d be happy to do that. Just want to keep the legs kicking over. And of course do you have anything available for that time (I also have a friend coming who will be looking for something
commensurate he’s the same size as me).Chrs
Ian Edwards
Hello Ian,
I’d be happy to offer some advice on places/locations to stay.
Firstly, if you don’t want to stay near a trashy resort, stay away from
Los Cristianos & Las Americas. There is another side of Tenerife…
Have a look at places like Barcelo Varadero in Los Gigantes, Riu Garoe in
Puerto de la Cruz. Give me some further info & we can narrow things down a
lot. Do you want to stay in a hotel, apartment or quiet villa? What about
beach access, or you don’t care? Proximity to restaurants?
Well now’s an ideal time to start thinking about the bike reservations, as
the best bikes always get snapped up first. We already have some bookings
around then… MTBs are always more fun, but then if you’re like me, you
tend to get lazy and just go downhill more. If you’re serious about
training, I’d go with a road bike, but that’s just me.
I take it you are both around 180cm tall?
Looking forward to your reply,
Thanks,
Leslie
Hi Leslie,
If you can think of any regular or irregular group rides out of Puerto de la Cruz, let me know. I don’t care what language they speak! Otherwise, I’ll be doing a lot of exploring on my own.
Hello,
The local cyclists meet at the Shell petrol station at Las Arenas, point
“A” on the following google map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=&geocode=FaZRsQEd0IID_w&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=28.407256,-16.539402&sspn=0.055414,0.076818&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=28.404311,-16.535368&spn=0.055415,0.076818&z=14
I’m told that they usually meet on weekends at 8:00am
Hope this heps—
Hi
me and my wife are hoping to come out to tenerife, me for some good road training and my wife for the sun.
can you reccommend a quiet resort or villa with pool that is away from the night clubs and package destinations we like to relax in percefull surroundings.
yours
Lyndon and Teana
Hi there,
I’d be only too happy to recommend some places to stay…
It really depends on your budget and how far away you want to be from
restaurants, etc. Are you looking for something like a rural villa, or do
you prefer a resort hotel in a quieter zone but still close to one of the
main resorts?
I’d generally steer clear of Las Americas.
I personally would stay in any one of the following:
* Casablanca, if you want convenient, affordable self-catering apartments
within walking distance to the centre of Puerto de la Cruz.
* Hotel Riu Garoe, in the “La Paz” (means “the peace”) zone of Puerto de
la Cruz for a 5-star resort. Restaurants in the Botanico region are a 5
minute walk away.
* La Quinta Roja in Garachico… a boutique hotel in a jewel of a town.
* Hotel Rural El Patio between Icod & Los Gigantes. Again, just look at
the photos of the location on their website… probably some of the best
rides from around here too!!
* Hotel Alhambra in the old town of La Orotava. Only a few rooms, but
absolutely a marvelous place and possibly the best value for your dollar.
* Luxury Villa? Look no futher than Villa Preciosa in El Rincon. I’ve been
there and it’s really “no expense spared”.
* Abama, for a 5 star resort all on its own isolated turf (but not if you
don’t like golfers… it’s the furthest resort from us, on the other side
of the island)
* Hotel Barcelo Santiago in Los Gigantes, just because a lot of people
overlook the area around Los Gigantes, Playa Arena Puerto Santiago… I
think this one is the classiest places to stay?
As far as getting away from things even further, go to one of the rural
villas/fincas owned by locals… the closest ones I can recommend are
Villa caya and La Abejera just about a mile away from us, although the
pools won’t be as nice as the aforementioned places as they are generally
at 500m altitude and a lot smaller/cosier.
Please let me know if you need help finding the websites or we can narrow
it down further in the next email…
Thanks,
Leslie
Hello Leslie,
I will be coming to Tenerife for a week in mid January. I will be bringing my own bike.
I am usually a self explorer, make my own mistakes kind of guy. But your knowledge and expertise is evident and I really appreciate that.
I don’t like hand holding and do like riding at my own pace especially on unfamiliar roads. But I might be up for a day or two of you showing some of your local roads.
It wasn’t clear to me if you are still doing road rides or not. I will be in Tenerife from the 15th to the 24th. Let me know what the current situation is.
Are there good local maps readily available? I found some here (USA), but may not be able to get them to me in time for my departure.
Thanks,
Rich
The current situation is that the bike hire side of things is probably twenty times more poplular than the guided rides ever were. For the time being I won’t be doing them (guiding people onroad) as I have to deal with about 50 simultaneous bike hire bookings…
Regarding the maps, yes they are available here from most tourist/newsagent type of shops usually selling suncream, etc. Here’s what the best maps look like:
You can always contact me closer to your arrival to see if I am freed up enough for a ride…
Thanks,
Leslie
www.Tenerife-Training.net
+34 922 33 1191 (home)
+34 605 56 2020 (mobile)
Hello Leslie,
First of all, I would like to tell you that you have a fantastic website !
I suppose you know that anyway as a lot or people will be congratulating
you.We plan to go to Tenerife for a cycling holiday (2 pax) from 2nd to 10th
Jan 2010. As there are no organized rides, is there a way to get in
contact with other cyclists in Tenerife in order to plan group rides ?I signed in the forum on your website, but need to wait an e-mail from the
administrator before I can log in.Thank you for your help if you have the time and any suggestion.
We do not need bike hire as we travel with our own bikes.
Kind regards,
Flora
Hello Flora & thanks for signing up.
Also a big thanks for your kind praise regarding the website.
As you can see, the forum is not very active, but don’t give up hope for an answer… We generally get over 1000 visitors daily on the site! The whole idea of setting up the forum was for cyclo-tourists to hook up with eachother. I suspect with time, more people will join up and use it for its original purpose… so I definitely encourage you to make a few more posts. At the very least I myself will respond within a few days (I tend to let other members reply first now).
There are almost 100 members, most of them are lurkers and so not all of them active. But it takes time to develop the level of trust & input needed for a forum to work.
You might try contacting some of the clubs in this list:
http://www.tenerife-training.net/Foro-Ciclismo/viewtopic.php?t=55
Most of them speak Spanish though…
Thanks,
Leslie
www.Tenerife-Training.net
+34 922 33 1191 (home)
+34 605 56 2020 (mobile)
Hi Leslie,
Seasons greetings hope you have had a good one. As you know we are going to based in the south of the island, with this in mind do you have cycling route maps for the area or recommend routes to us. We plan to ride between 3 and 6 hours a day, are there any organised rides near us?
Cheers
Hello,
Yes thanks, we had a traditional spanish dinner on the 24th. Presents aren’t given until the 6th of January here. 
There are no planned rides in the South. There isn’t much organisation w.r.t cycling in Tenerife, hence my website. I’ve also started a new cycling forum here (feel free to sign up & post something, you might just get the ball rolling…hehehe). One aim of my forum is for cyclists to be able to meet up on holiday and ride together (even if they’re not hiring one of my bikes).
I can suggest the ride from Granadilla de Abona via Vilaflor through to the base of Mt Teide, and as far as you dare to go in the direction of La Esperanza. That’s an awesome ride.
Thanks very much,
Les.
All sounds good! thanks for the advice, price is reasonable and the 12th is fine for delivery since i’ll need the 11th to settle in!
I can hardly belive im gonna do something that was just an idea in my head 2 days ago, training in the dark and rain was driving me to dispair! Im going out 2marrow for the club run at its going to be 7-8°C, its gonna rain and theirs a 14mph wind, but compared to the turbo trainer its tolerable.
Cya in a few days.
Hi,
Well that sounds pretty miserable weather you’ve been having…
So you know, Tenerife experiences even better weather than Mallorca, so the Canary Islands are truly a year-round cycling destination.
Still I can’t guarantee that it won’t rain here though… we almost never have a solid week of rain [apart from the 2009 Winter season that is]. Whenever it does rain, it usually just sprinkles. Usually one or two days every winter we have a massive wind storm that puts snow on Mount Teide.
Since you’re new to the sport, be aware that although it’s Tenerife, it is Winter, and so it is already quite chilly up there above 1000m. *Definitely* bring a windproof jacket, arm + leg warmers and preferably long windproof gloves, if only used for the descents. Lengthy ascents will require single layer clothing, short or long sleeve depending on your tolerance to cold weather. Look here for coastal weather forecasts; looks like local temps of 17-23°C!! It’s never too cold to cycling here!
Like I always say though, at an altitude of ~2000m, frost appears in the morning. Add 30mph wind chill factor onto that plus the fact that you’re not pedalling as much going down hill for an hour and you have a recipe for disaster if you only bring a short sleeve jersey and nothing else.
Last January/February [2008], during the coldest period in Tenerife, we had another guy from Northern Ireland (from Dromara cycling club, pictured on the testimonials webpage) who froze when we ascended past 1500-2000m altitude… he even had a lycra head warmer, vest & toe covers… so it can still get cold.
Thanks very much & look forward to seeing you then.
Leslie
I was recently asked about “cycling on the big island”, and I shot off a reply about the best routes in Tenerife. Anyway, it turns out the person was referring to Gran Canaria. Oh dear. This was more or less my reply:
Sorry I was a little confused there about which island you meant.
Here, at least when I think of “Gran Canaria”, I think of the complete name somewhat like when you say “windscreen wipers” or “babysitter”. You tend not to think of them as separate words anymore. Your brain just processes the entire concept all as one thing.
Tenerife is actually the biggest island with 2,034 km² surface area according to wikipedia. Gran Canaria has 1,560 km². Like I care, because I am Australian, and Australia has 7,617,930 km²). The highest point of Tenerife, Mt Teide at 3718m, is also much higher than the highest point on Gran Canaria (only 1950 metres hehehe). I think this is where part of the resentment comes from…
The thing is, if you read the local Spanish paper El Día, both sides continually debate the use of the term “Gran” in Gran Canaria. They reproduce historic maps of varying antiquity with and without the “Gran” in front. Then the other side counter-attacks by reproducing a quote from a hitherto unpublished source. You see, in Spanish, Gran doesn’t just mean ‘big’, it means ‘great’. So the TV show “big brother” is actually wrongly translated as “gran hermano”. Anyway.
I can sort of see where they are coming from. I mean look at the map to the left right here - ironically the “gran” pretext is written in small caps! And on some maps it is missing altogether.
But seriously, you would have thought that the locals have better things to debate about… I’ve come to the conclusion that some Canariones have an inferiority complex.
And it’s funny how the English and Spanish versions of Gran Canaria differ in wikipedia. No mention of the debate at all.
Glad I could help you out with the links. Back when I started Tenerife-Training in 2005, there wasn’t much info online at all w.r.t. cycling in the Canaries.
Anyway, seeya round mate!
Hi Leslie, I’m looking to go to Tenerife for a week either in Dec or Jan, depending on work commitments it will either be Dec 6th-13th or else for a week early in Jan. I’m 6ft and my own bike is 56cm frame although a taller one would suit fine as well. I won’t know the exact dates for a couple of days, but just sending a preliminary email to get the ball rolling,
thanks,
Hello Ivan,
At this stage, from next week isn’t too busy and neither is the first week in January….. click here to see what bikes are still available.
But those two small windows of opportunity are closing rather rapidly! After mid December, I’m pretty booked out from the christmas period right through to March… it’d be great if you could get back to me regarding the bike rental and I’ll squeeze you in…
Thanks a million,
Leslie.
Wear Rate:
I bought these tyres on sale at Decathlon some time last year and they have not lasted long. In fact after only a few months use, one potential client looked at the tread and rather cheekily told me “this tyre is no good for me”. It was at that point I realised these tyres have worn considerably fast. I won’t be buying them again for my rental bikes because they are just too costly. My own bikes are a different story… (more…)
The Autumn season is finally here! Thanks to all those that are coming to cycle Tenerife! I finally had time to take new photos of the bikes for the webpage, so you can see exactly what you are getting.
All of us here at Tenerife-Training have been anticipating a busy Winter season for quite some time. There are now several current bookings up as far ahead as December, January and even February 2010, so if you are interested in renting a bike with us during that time, please consider booking early!
Things are going good,
So im flying over on tuesday the 11th Tenerif south, then im gonna take a coach up. Just can’t fly to the north from N.Ireland.
and back again on the 18th December.Im staying in the Masaru Apartment, their december offer is very good. Be nice to have a bike for most of that time 12th-17th would be good.
My frame is a Ridley Boreas 52cm. However i have the seatpost and headset up a bit, so chances are a 54 would still be fine. Its a 50-34 compact crank with a 27-12 gears on the back, so i probably would need a triple in a normal bike. I have SPD clipless shoes.
Been cycling since may this year, so im a beginner, but ive trained hard and im the best hill climber in my club athough the highest ive been up is a 500m climb:) and 100km. but that was back in Sept, and im a bit fitter now. In feburary i was 103kg and now im 79kg, yeah bit to go yet but working hard at it.
So from the info on the website probably a easy-moderate route is gonna be challanging for me. My average speed over a 25 mile run was 18mph. mostly flat, and i run a 10k in 50 mins dead if that helps you reccomend the best route for me. The furtherest ive been on a bike is 100km and the the furtherest ive run is 13km.
Thats all i can think off at the moment.
You’ve been a great help and is much appreciated.
Hello,
Well I can say that the “flattest” route is along the coast to Garachico & back via El Tanque. It undulates as it goes past some spectacular green sea cliffs. Most of the locals do that run, but the trafic is getting worse. The good news is they’re very polite towards cyclists & there is a cycling lane most of the way….
With a triple crank setup you can go just about anywhere, and things only start to get difficult on steeep climbs. The 52cm Mrazek has 30/39/53 - 12/25 gearing, which makes the easiest gear 5% lower than what you’ve got now!
I think if you can cycle 100km, you should now class yourself as an enthusiast and not a beginner. 
If I were you, I’d take either the 345 or 348 bus straight up to Aguamansa (1000m), and then start the climb to the base of Mt. Teide (2300m) from there (I can explain it further upon bike delivery). That way you can avoid any traffic, and get to see the more scenic parts as well. Try to at least get to the next rest stop “El Portillo”; marvel at the horrible coffee and equally horrible service Then simply ride 35km back down hill !!!!!
You’ve lost a lot of weight, so you’re to be congratulated. For the first time in my life, I’ve actually put on close to 5kg this summer. I’m scared to weigh myself. I dare not.
You’ve got the bike for your requested dates. 6 days’ rental comes to €140. I can throw on a set of SPD pedals too. Delivery on the morning of the 12th will be best for me. At this stage, I’ll set the delivery time to 8:30am, OK?
Masaru is a great place; I’ve stayed there with my partner, a great new place with good service and you can’t beat it for value either.
Cheers,
Leslie
Not so much a review, this is just my first riding impressions of SRAM’s new Rival shifters for 2009. Several things bugged be enough to write this article:
Ergonomics:
Overall, the shifters feel great. The carbon levers have a relatively large section to hold on to when braking and the shift paddle is big enough. I’ve never liked shimano’s combined gear/brake lever, so that’s the primary reason I bought this set. My one single gripe is that there seems to be a soft spot just inside the levers where the double-tap mechanism is housed. It’s like the soft spot on a baby’s head… you know it’s only temporary… because this is not how the final grown up version is meant to be. Peel back the inside of the rubber hoods and you realise there is nothing but a big hollow section underneath with no support. (more…)
These new disc brakes for 2009 represent excellent value for money. They use the commonly available XTR pad shape so you can easily get both sintered and organic brake pads… in fact these are really the old LX calipers with a totally new levers sporting radial master cyclinders.
If you use rotors which are large enough for your intended application, the total available power is good. I used a 203mm front rotor and 180mm rear rotor for this review. With this setup, I felt that the action of the rear brake caliper was quite a bit mushier than the front and I put this down to the length of the rear brake line (both are non-braided hydraulic housing).
Regardless, modulation is spot on and I really like the adjustable reach levers. When it’s this easy to change the reach, it’s amazing how much you use this single feature. (more…)
Confession: I have been using worn out tyres for quite some time now. You know the old story - they’re too good to throw in the bin but they won’t last 2 more weeks. I had half a dozen tyres like this, so on my training bike they went - until they all finally wore out one by one! Cornering at any kind of decent speed with squared-off tyres is noticeably poor (unpredictable) and several of my training partners were leaving me for dead. So with the last tyre well and truly gone, I recently decided to treat myself to a pair of Michelin Pro 3 Grip tyres.
Quite the opposite of their “Race” siblings which come in every conceivable colour combination, with the “Grip” versions, you can have any colour you like so long as it’s dark grey. I don’t mind that, because the only tyres I ever buy are either dark grey and/or black. (more…)
1) If they don’t stop pedalling. This might sound simple enough, but most recreational cyclists stop pedalling for vast periods of time to rest their legs. Meanwhile, cyclists on a misson keep their cadence constant the whole time.
2) They are riding a bike with double chainrings and not a triple chainring or compact crankset.
3) One way to estimate distance that someone has cycled is by looking at the amount of water they’re carrying. Two 750ml bottles and they’re out for a few hours. Two 750ml bottles + a 2L camelback, and they’re doing some serious training mileage. How can I be so certain? ‘Cause no one carries that extra weight unless they need to.
4) They’ve shaved or waxed their legs. A lot of good cyclists do this for many reasons. Foremost, because it looks good. Second, because it feels good. Third, because if you crash, you don’t create a very painful composite (human hair fibres in a blood matrix). If they’re really good they’ll shave their arms too!
5) They’ve left their leg hairs grow proudly. (that’s right, the presence of leg hairs is never a true indication of the fitness of an individual)
6) They’ve got mis-matched tyres. Why? Because it means they can’t be fussed with th look of their bike. They’d rather be out cycling than waiting or looking around for a new pair of same-brand tires.
7) A far better way to tell if they are a decent rider is to see if they use genuine cycling socks… white for road, black for MTB.
They’re out cycle-training in Tenerife… because there are no easy rides here.
9) They’ve got tattoos. Because everyone knows that tats are associated with drug-use and they’re probably taking EPO.
10) They’re passing you as you note all of the above.
With 276 km² and more than 10000 inhabitants, El Hierro is the smallest island of the Canary archipelago ( Spain ). The island has its own electricity grid; it is totally isolated as the significant sea depths make any interconnection impossible. Till a little time ago , the electricity demand, which accounts for about 65% of the internal energy consumption, was mainly covered by a conventional thermal power station (10MW diesel-fired system). The contribution of renewable energies to the electricity grid was
less than 5% and came from two wind turbines installed close to the main town (100 kW and 180 kW).
El Hierro, the smallest island of the Canaries, is staging one of the most ambitious island projects regarding energy self-sufficiency through the use of renewable energies. In a few years, El Hierro will become one of the first islands in the world to meet its energy demand using RES (Renewable Energy Sources). Considered as one of the most audacious actions of the strategy established in the European Commission White Paper on Renewable Energies, the project is already a reference for other islands, such as Crete and Madeira…
If you’re truly open to another culture, then once you move out, you’ll never look at your homeland the same way again. Because you’ll soon be able to recognise the faults or flaws that exist in your own country. You also won’t be so quick to take for granted many things that you might have done before. Be prepared to literally become a different person. If you have always felt like you don’t fit into your own society and secretly wanting to expand your horizons, that’s the best reason to distance yourself from it.
On the other hand, if you’re a stubborn person not open to change, then you probably won’t gain much by living somewhere else. Moving to a place because it has sunny blue sky is a pretty shallow reason to settle in another country, especially if it means you have no incentive to integrate. Really question your motives for moving to another culture. If you have no interest in learning Spanish or any other foreign language and your only intention is to take advantage of the local people, then you’ll only find deep-rooted resentment amongst them.
One problem expatriates persistently face is that you can never really experience both places at the same time. You’re either in the one place or the other, living one of two different “life modes”. It’s commonly believed that you can look at everything with two alternative yet opposite perspectives: optimistism and pessimism. It is my belief that living in another country amplifies the bipolar nature of this thinking pattern. What happens first is that you’ll constantly be comparing your new home and your old one and then asking yourself if your decision was the right one. You can either look at the big move as something positive or negative. (more…)
I’ve had this draft here lying around for too long so I thought I’d share it. I believe these are not my own words, but I think being aware of several current theories about stress is interesting in light of one of my other posts.
Hans Selye , one of the foremost stress scientists, found that stress uses “adaptation energy” that depletes us of our resources. He also found that, in general, stress is good but that it turns against us when it is uninterrupted.Alvin Toffler , a sociologist, found that in our present society many suffer from over-stimulation, too many changes, cognitive overload and decision overload, while our classical means of coping are not adequate for these conditions.
Rosenmann & Friedman , MD’s, studied their patients personality and the incidence of their heart attacks and found that an ambitious (type A) personality had seven times the chance to have a heart attack than the more easygoing (type B). (The only problem with the B’s is that they may be disaster prone). It can be said that stress is caused by poor timing of external changes in combination with an exaggerated internal perception.
Holmes, a psychologist, related illnesses to changes that took place in his patients before the illness. From this he developed his “Stress scale”, which lists changes in order of resulting stress. Then he concluded that change is not random, but a combination of fate and choice; therefore, change mangement is possible.
More than a year ago, a topic about Tenerife and the environment came up on the Sun4Free forum. I’ve had this article lying around as draft version, so I thought rather than delete it, I’d publish “as is”.
Lets assume that you’re absolutely correct in your statements. What do you suggest that we do to stop the emissions of CO2 in Tenerife? Stop encouraging visitors to the Island? Ban all tourism? BIG savings on emissions with no aircraft coming in. Stop all unnecessary activity on the Island? No pleasure trips by car, bus motorcycle or bicycle?
Here’s what I managed to dig up:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates aviation contributes just 3% to total global emissions of CO2, compared with the 25% pumped out by power stations.
So since I was asked directly, here is what I would introduce:
In the short term (6 - 18 months)
offer small loans & grants
In the medium term (2 - 3 years)
In the long term (5 years +)
In this short article, I’ve estimated the amount of Carbon dioxide emissions from the maufacture of a standard aluminium bicycle frame weighing 1 kg. This is in an attempt to answer the question: “how far would I have to cycle [as opposed to driving a car] to offset the manufacture of my alloy bike frame?”
Alcan Aluminium states in one of their reports that:
14.9kW/hr per kg of aluminium produced.
6.8 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of Al.
1.8 tonnes of perfluorocarbons per tonne of Al.
= 6.8kg of CO2 per kg of Al.
~ 3786 litres of CO2 gas produced for a one-kilogram bicycle frame.
I have previously calculated that 1L of petrol produces 2.28kg of CO2, therefore 3L of petrol yields 6.8kg of CO2. A typical small car consumes 6L/100km. So you would only have to cycle 50km or so instead of driving a car, and you’ve already “offset” your frame.
So I would say that the humble bicycle is probably the only thing that I can think of that benefits the environment, if only because it’s more energy efficient than walking. I’ll save that calculation for another day…
In recent news, we received a package from Pro Lite yesterday (well 7 actually). Included in this shipment are two new road framesets in 56cm and 60.5cm sizes as well as one 19.5″ hardtail MTB frame. These are manufactured from 7046 aluminium alloy and the weight of the 54.5cm alloy road frame is a respectable 1258 grams! They definitely look like they are worth the money. (more…)
When is the best time to ride in Spain?
Tenerife is a year-round cycling destination, so any time of year is good to ride.
But don’t assume that the earlier you can get out riding the better it will be. 7:00 to 9:00am is often peak hour during the busiest Winter months; it can in actual fact be quieter in the afternoon, just after lunch from 3:00 to 5:00pm when the retail shops are closed for their siesta time.
The best actual time and day of the week to ride is by far Sunday mornings (just like any place really). Sunday mornings are practically deserted compared to normal traffic patterns; even quieter than they should be. (more…)
Do hotels generally mind you keeping your bike in your room overnight?
I wouldn’t store my bike in any hotel garage. Too dark & deserted for my liking.
I usually recommend my clients to store their bikes in the hotel’s luggage room. It’s is much more appropriate & safer place. They’ll usually be fine with you locking it up to something in there, and the room is often under lock and key anyway. (more…)
Hi Leslie. I am having trouble with my paypal account. Is it okay when you deliver the bikes I leave you a deposit on my Visa? This would be easier for us Canadians. Thanks
Until I get a mobile credit/debit card reader, cash is the preferred payment method.
You’re welcome to leave the deposit in your own currency though because it saves you having spare Euros at the end of your stay (Canadian / American / Australian dollars and UK pounds are accepted).
[you can also pay upfront with Paypal - credit card payments are accepted through Paypal - I absorb all transaction fees]
Hi Leslie,
I found you on the net as I am looking for a company who offer bike hire, bike route expertise and passion about what they do…and your company seems to fit the bill.
We are a small company just about to launch our site Going Tenerife (hopefully a working copy by the end of this week!) which mainly offers all types of accommodation to tourists, but our angle is to make sure that our customers get to see the real Tenerife while they are here, which is why we are trying to hook up with horse riding stables, yachting schools, expert walkers, tennis coaches, astronomers, wine experts etc, that all have a passion for what they do.
Would you be interested in discussing a potential link up of our companies, so that your services are on offer to our customers?
Look forward to your response.
Kind regards
Hello,
Yes I am one of the most passionate about biking on the island! I do also speak Spanish fluently.
I am usally happy to do link exchanges with other websites for people provided they are relavant and contain useful information, preferably with a good design layout. I can say that at this point in time, I’m not taking/giving any percentages for referrals, etc. Mainly because it has never worked for me in the past.
The thing is, most bike riders who plan to cycle in Tenerife will already find me quite easily on the web before their plane even lands here. Some potential clients might not have thought to cycle here until they arrive. They generally hire a bike for just one day and I’ve found they’re generally not fit enough because of the terrain. Those sort of instant referrals don’t even account for 1% of my business.
Finding cyclists [and paying customers] that want to train here is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. What I’m trying to say is that it is a niche market and I have adapted to fill that tiny little void.
Seeya,
Leslie.
Hi Leslie!
Great video! I know it is great cycling in Tenerife. I have never been there, but in december 2005 I cycled at Gran Canaria during one week and I loved the scenery and weather.
It might be a coincidence but I was just thinking about what to do next Winter. Last winter I was four months and the South of Spain cycling and studying the Spanish language,… entonces ahora hablo Espanol y en el proximo invierno quiero practicarlo en una zona donde hablan Espanol… I was already thinking about going some weeks to Tenerife. Then I can provide you some more detailed profiles of climbs of Tenerife.
Are you guiding cyclists yourself or do you hire people? In the latter case you could ask me because I have some experience of guiding cyclists.
Regards,
Hello,
I don’t do many guided road rides now, because everything is pretty well signposted and most people just want to hire the bikes and explore the island on their own. That way they can also go at their own pace, etc.
In the future I will offer guided rides again, when I have more clients and people wish to explore the lesser-known regions of Tenerife. Times are pretty tough at the moment due to the global financial crisis and everything, so I am not looking for employees. I would certainly appreciate more altitude profiles and ride descriptions of the South of Tenerife though.
I certainly hope you can come to Tenerife to train with your bike and to practise speaking (and listening to) Spanish this Winter!
Yo también hablo español… tuve que aprender porque vivo con una familia canaria… Has visto mi foro de ciclismo en Tenerife? Si quieres aprender un poco más, podrías registrarte…
If you would like to hire a bike while you are here, please let me know, OK?
Thanks, Leslie.
Hi,
I’m not yet sure where we would stay. I like the area around Garachico and Puerto de la Cruz, but with small children and limited budget, I’ll probably end up nearer to the south. My wife will be able to provide vehicle support and I’ll keep a phone and local taxi numbers to hand, just in case. Again, even if stay in the south, I’ll take the bus to pick up the bike and ride back.
Incidentally, last time I was on the island I looked for professional bike support and couldn’t really find anything, so glad to see that someone is looking at this now. That was five years ago.
Thanks
Hello,
W.r.t the bikes and website, I do try my best. When I searched for cycling Tenerife a few years back, info was practically non-existant. I try to fill that void wherever possible… I’ve slowly expanded the website & my fleet of bikes, although it has not been an easy journey.
It’s great to have some sort of backup I agree… quite apart from mechanical failures though - do take care riding in Tenerife as there are a few blind corners to watch out for which can catch you unawares. It’s also fairly normal for oncoming vehicles (buses & trucks) to cross over the line when going round hairpin bends.
Hi. I am travelling to Tenerife on December 18th and I am interested in renting a high end road bike 59 or 60 cm for 3 weeks. Is this possible? Thanks
Hello,
3 weeks eh? Yes of course it is certainly possible. Just be aware that the ultegra-equipped / carbon bikes will be in very high demand at that time so you may miss out unless of course you book now.
But most people find that hiring one of the premium bikes for more than two weeks is a little too cost prohibitive and sometimes end up bringing their own. Best to rent one of the economy rental bikes instead - the price of the budget rental bikes will be around €11-12 / day. They come with alloy frame, integrated shifters, low gearing suitable for mountainous terrain, dual-pivot caliper brakes, and good wheels. All our bikes are of excellent quality, and they’re maintained to the highest standards. I can always provide full bike specs if you are interested.
We have a new booking form here. It’s best if you can fill out that so I have your details on file.
If there’s anything you’d like to know, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Business is really picking up, so it’s best to get your reservation in early!
Thanks very much,
-Leslie
[note to other cyclists - a cheaper option is to purchase an ex-rental bike instead, assuming they are available…]
I don’t speak Spanish..is that going to be a problem if I ride in Spain??
Anyway, it’s no problem. Within El Puerto, it’s not a big problem if you don’t speak Spanish, no. Outside El Puerto, it sure helps. It means you don’t have to point at food items & things and feel like an idiot. But I wouldn’t let that discourage you! It’s all part of the adventure!!!
Hi,
I am looking to book a one week family holiday in Tenerife in September. Are road bike hire and route support still available at that time? I’d only be looking for two or three days, hopefully including an ascent of Mt Teide.
I’ve never ridden at altitude, so would need to take some advice on this.
Regards,
Hello,
Road bike hire is certainly available… guided rides may or may not be available, but I can certainly advise you on routes if you’ll be hiring a bike with us.
I imagine that riding at this sort of altitude won’t present any special problems unless you are ashmatic, or have a similar lung condition. [please note that I am not a medical Doctor but a Science Doctor] The highest roads in Tenerife are located at 2300m. You will notice a slight loss of breath, especially evident on steeper sections of roads. Otherwise, if you take it easy it’s okay. It starts to become more noticeable at 3000+ masl. Perhaps more important than oxygen levels are the weather conditions… Septemeber is normally pretty hot. There’s further info throughout the webpage (try using the search function, it works very well). (more…)
Les agradecería me dijeran que me va a costar alquilar una bicicleta de carretera para siete días en que voy a estar aquí en Tenerife y poder subir al Teide ,ya que así no tendría que trasladar la mía desde Barcelona.
He subido tres veces el Pico de las Nieves y necesitaría una bici con tres platos .Estoy Federado y tengo carnet de Cicloturista.Agradecido de antemano les saluda .
Hola,
Sí, tenemos bicis de carretera en todas las medidas y con triple platos. El precio por un día roda 20 Euros (son un poco más barato para los españoles) y son de ALTA calidad. Tendría que saber el seguiente:
¿Que es su medida de cuadro y su estatura?
¿Quando piensa venir?
¿Donde quedara usted? ¿en El Puerto?
Muchísimias Gracias,
Leslie.
Buenos días. Soy un chico que va a pasar un par de días en Puerto de la Cruz, en el hotel Florida. Me gustaría saber si es posible alquilar una de sus bicicletas Merida, para un día. Si hubiese disponibilidad me gustaría alquilarla para el 7 o 8 de Diciembre. Por otra parte me gustaría saber el precio del alquiler de la bicicleta, y el precio del transporte al hotel, si fuese posible. Mi estatura es de 1.78 metros y mi teléfono de contacto el XXX XX-XXXX. Un cordial saludo.
P.D: Para esas fechas es posible subir el Teide en bicicleta o el viento lo haze muy dificultoso?
Hola, buenos días,
Si es posible subir al Teide en solo un día. El viento no es nada fuerte en el Norte. Es decir, no hay viento en El Norte. Hace viento en pocos lugares, por ejemplo: Arico, Punta de Teno y Teno Alto. El desnivel es unos 2300m en ~35km!
El Precio por un solo día es entre €25 y 30. Ese precio incluye transporte al hotel Florida. Alomejor las Merida en tu medida no estará disponible, pero tenemos otras bicis buenas para su estatura.
Por solo €30, viene con todo (casco, pedales y zapatillas)
gracias,
Leslie.
Hola!!
Mi nombre es Dionel, Soy de Argentina y quede asombrado por los videos que tienen en su pagina web.
Yo trabajo en un Gimnasio y tengo muchas ganas de pasar esas filmaciones en las clases de indoor para incentivar más la actividad del ciclismo.
Les estaria muy agredacido si me permiten obtener las filmaciones o alguna de ellas.
Muchas gracias y saludos.
Hola…
Pues muchas gracias Dionel…
Todavía estoy aprendiendo el español, lo siento por los errores:
¿Cual es el video que más te gusta?
Por supuesto puedes usar mis grabacciones. ¡Qualquier para el ciclismo! Solamente te pido una cosita: no cambies nada de los videos y deja mi direccion de mi pagina web en el video, por favor.
Ahora mismo los videos no se pueden descargar porque no están en el servidor- pero si tengo los archivos en formato mpeg en mi disco duro. Normalmente tendrías que esparar un monton de tiempo para descargarlos… especialmente si no tienes banda ancha.
He estado en Buenos Aires en 2005. Me encantó el lugar, especialmente La Avenida Sante Fé. Desafortunadamente, no pude hablar casi nada de español mientres yo estaba allá.
Saludos,
-Leslie.
I have just returned from a sunshine holiday in the south of the island and as a keen cyclist saw the potential for cycling especially in autumn winter and spring.
I would be grateful for any information you can supply me with this in mind.
I look forward to hearing from you
Glad to see you’re interested in a cycling vacation in Tenerife. Feel free to peruse the main website for further information about cycling in Tenerife including ride descriptions. You’ll probably notice there is a heavy bias on rides in the North of Tenerife. There’s two or 3 reasons for that:
1) North = more scenic (ALL the photos & videos were taken in what’s considered the North of Tenerife)
2) Road quality is generally better in the North than in the South.
3) We are based in the North so I don’t have much time to go riding in the South.
I’d love to explore the South further, but I just haven’t had time. Creating an online business is super time-consuming. In an attempt to get over this obvious bias, I’ve recently initiated a cycling in Tenerife forum. It’s a place where you can post questions, photos, ride descriptions, ask questions, contact other riders, etc. For now, it’s not very active, but still, if you like, I can register you + set the board language to English? Otherwise you’d need to know spanish in order to register…
Also remember to use the search function. I have previously written one article on rides departing from Los Cristianos…
Dear Leslie:
Thank you very, very much for your help.
I was wondering whether we would be better off staying in Santa Cruz de Tenerife since we will have a car to get us out of the city and to any of the rides we would be taking. Would the variety of choices for night life and restaurants etc. be worth the hassle of staying in the city ?
We were also thinking of going to Gran Caneria and possibly La Gomera and maybe even La Palma. Do you have any opinions regarding the bicycling and/or nightlife on those islands ? If so we’d really appreciate the benefit of anything you are able to share with us.
Depending upon the baggage allowances and the cost of excess we may opt for not bringing our bikes and instead just bring our saddles, pedals, shoes and aero bars and rent from you. I am in the process of trying to find out the various weight allowance of the various airlines and charges for excess.
If we were there between 23 February and 23 March would you have a 58cm frame available for me and a 53 cm frame available for my wife both in a road configuration ?
Thanks again for all of your help.
Hello,
Great to hear from you again,
Truth be told, I haven’t really fully explored the night life of Santa Cruz. I think if you don’t speak Spanish you might find it a bit awkward outside the main centres with the language difficulty (but that could also be part of the fun!). Firstly, don’t miss Calle Castillo and Avenida 3 de Mayo for shopping in central Santa Cruz. There are quite a few [expensive] places to eat along the sea front between Plaza España and La Rambla. You should also check out the trendy area they call “la Noria” (located towards the lower end of calle Ramon y Cajal).
Regarding cycling, I’ve actually been meaning to include a new ride for cyclists in Santa Cruz on the main website. Santa Cruz has a nice coastal route which is popular among local cyclists since it is totally flat. It’d also be nice to ride along the central part of La Rambla…
The old town of La Laguna is probably a better bet if you’re into Culture + Architecture, etc… although it’s all too easy to get lost walking/cycling around there. The main shopping zone (at least for window shopping) are the two parallel pedestrian-only streets Calle Herradores and Calle Obispo Rey Redondo. If you’re looking for some real night life action, look no further than “El Cuadrilátero” in La Laguna. Right next door to the local University, the density of discos/bars around here is just about higher than anywhere else in the world. Think crazy, young Spanish uni students with absolutely no sense of tomorrow… there’s no such thing as “too late” around the cuadrilátero. It peaks during the summer months just after (and even slightly before) the exam period!
I can’t comment on the life in La Gomera as I’ve only been there (twice) during the day; it looks like an excellent blace for biking though. I haven’t been to La Palma yet, but it’s far less touristy that the other islands. Also fantastic for cycling I imagine - but be warned that the roads are said to be a lot steeper than Tenerife.
I’m not sure why you are so keen to stay in the capital city… Puerto de la Cruz has more restaurants than anywhere in the North which are open until relatively late. Well after 12pm into the night… in fact they’re probably more likely to shut everything sooner in La Laguna & Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is more spread out, and, well, uglier in my opinion. For that reason I find it a bit depressing sometimes, so I tend to stay away. Theft of bikes is also more of a problem in the cities.
I can definitely provide some suitable road bikes then; please send me your heights (or else further frame measurements, eg top tube length) for a better size match. How long where you thinking of hiring the bikes for? I can provide cheaper rates for extended bike rentals…
Hope to hear from you soon,
Best wishes for the new year!
Les.
Dear Dr. Brown:
My wife (57 yeas old) and I (62 years old) are considering a trip to the Canary Islands during the last two weeks of February and the first two weeks of March.
We are both avid cyclists and have ridden in many places all over the world and were planning on bring our bikes. We have older Italian Steel Frame bikes that we have modified by adding a Campy racing triple setup and a range of 50-40-30, in the front chainring and the rear cogset has a 25 on the largest cog. The bikes are further modified with an S & S coupling so that they fit into a suitcase that meets airline regulations. and which will fit into the boot of a car.
We have enjoyed reading your website and blogs about cycling in Tenerife and are a bit concerned as to whether we are actually up to the measure of the riding you have described. We were planning on renting a car and were hoping that there were places on Tenerife to which we could drive and than ride some distance without having to climb in excess of two thousand meters on each ride. We consider a cumulative climb of two thousand meters spread out over the duration of a ride as something enjoyable.
To read some of the blogs of some of the riders who have ridden the various rides sounds like it would be a bit more like punishment for us since neither of us are training for Tour de France or any tour for that matter. Your “Slow-Poke Rodriguez rides sounds like the ideal ride for us and we were hoping to be able to put together more of the same while there. In fact we would be pleased to compensate you for putting together a series of rides that we could do that would fit our criteria (if that is even possible). We have the AA Tenerife Island map with a scale of 1:50,000 and also the Tenerife Bus and Touring Map.
Additionally we do like night-life and very much enjoy dancing and were trying to determine the best place to base ourselves. Santa Cruz de Tenerife was our original thought but we had also considered staying in Puerto de la Cruz. We don’t really want to be in south with all of the “package people”.
Any thoughts that you are able to share with us would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your help.
Hello,
Well I can certainly suggest suitable cycling routes and having the car helps as it will cut out a lot of climbing and shorten the rides considerably. Your bikes sound adequately geared for most climbs although I’d still consider a 26 or 27T rear cog in addition to the triple. This of course depends on where you go… some parts of the island are steeper than others. I think with experience on your side, you’ll both be okay.
You’re in luck because tonight and tomorrow I’m not all that busy & since you’ve asked, I’m happy to suggest some routes for you. I don’t ask for payment, but then I don’t knock it back either ! You can always make a donation with paypal to “cycling@tenerife-training.net”, any money you provide goes straight back into the website itself, running the new cycling forum & blog, or else the actual rental bikes + equipment.
I try to continually improve upon things, but it is a slow process. I’m really the only one running the whole enterprise, and times have been tough but I’m just managing to hang in there financially.
So anyway, on with the rides. The furthest part of Tenerife from the South is Anaga. That’s your best bet for intermediate climbs away from package people. By “intermediate”, I mean that each climb is never higher than 1000m, but some of the roads approach 10% average gradient, that’s why I suggest you find a bigger rear sprocket.
The roads here are truly awesome & there’s suprising little traffic considering how close it is to Santa Cruz. Start from either Las Mercedes or San Andrés. The top part travels along the spine of Anaga and is pretty flat. There’s a lot to explore; unfortunately there are no loop roads but it really doesn’t matter… there aren’t too many places to eat, and they generally don’t serve food until after midday. The difficulty of the climbs is in the following order (easy to hard): batan de abajo, Las Carboneras / Taborno, Afur & finally Taganana. I haven’t cycled up from the Southern San Andres side (only down) but I can say that the road + scenery is fantastic there too.
The Teno range is also great. There you can start from Garachico and head to Buenavista (that section is about as flat as it gets along the North coast), then head over to Punta de Teno and back to Garachico stopping for lunch.
I’ve been meaning to update the rides & I’ll say now that from El Puerto to Garachico is getting too busy with traffic to be super-enjoyable, although that’s where you see the most local cyclists (there is a cycle lane). If you prefer to give that road a miss, start from Los Realejos instead which is actually very close to El Puerto. To avoid the steep roads of Los Realejos while you still have the car, make sure you’ve definitely found the start of road TF-342 and begin there. Head along through Icod el Alto, La Guancha towards Icod and back anyway you please.
Another great ride would be to climb from Garachico, loop around the snakey road to Icod de Los Vinos, and back to Garachico. That might not take very long, so stop at San Marcos beach for lunch that day.
Masca is very steep so if you consider doing the Garachico - Santiago del Teide - Masca - El Palmar - Buenavista Garachico route, do it in that order. If you do it the other way around, you’ll run into a killer 4km climb. You can avoid this by cycling in the aforementioned direction. The 4km climb then becomes a 4km killer descent!
Teide: Start from either Aguamansa or La Esperanza and head up the 5% grade as far as you feel like going, and then simply do a 180° turn and coast back to the start point!
Slow poke Rodriguez is definitely a flatter are than most of Tenerife; if I were you I’d start in El Sauzal or Tacoronte and explore that region (Guamasa, Tejina, Bajamar, Punta de Hidalgo, Tegueste). What I call Slow poke rodriguez is okay I guess, but nothing spectacular (remember: when climbing, you’re usually rewarded with great views!).
I think you’d find El Puerto more interesting that Santa Cruz. While it is a resort, it has a small-scale feel to it. (more…)
hello Les
Can you provide maps of the island or is that something we can pick up easily when we get there?
Regards,
Hello,
Check out this link to download a free online digital map of Tenerife.
I can also provide various paper maps for 4.50 Euros which have enough information for most cyclists. While they show about the same number of roads as the free map, the elevation scales are marked which is really handy. See here for more details. There are several different types and yes they are easy enough to get when you are here.
The really detailed maps cost a lot more (13.50€) and are more difficult to get here. Most of the time I just have my own personal copies.
Thanks, Leslie.
We will be in Tenerife later in the year and are interested in biking on the island. Do you have any single or multiple day tours?
We are staying in Los Silos, and might bring our own bikes (Calfees with couplers) if there are good routes, or we might rent road bikes.
Please advise.
Thank you.
Hello,
Great to see you’re interesting in a cycling in Tenerife!
Sorry for the late response, this last week has been the busiest of the year and your email kinda slipped through the net until now. Yes, there are some good rides around Los Silos. Several rides come to mind:
1) The ride to Punta de Teno (but you’ll need a torch as there is a very dark tunnel along that road)
2) Ride to Garachico and the climb up to El Tanque.
3) Ride to Masca / Teno Alto.
If you’re feeling particularly strong, you might try to tackle the Tierra del Trigo climb which I label “Die another Day” on the website, right on your back doorstep (starts from Los Silos).
The answer is that we mostly do road bike hire these days, not guided road rides, mainly because that’s what people request. That will hopefully change in future, but for now, that’s what we tend to offer most people. We’re also doing MTB hire & occasionally guided offroad rides too. (more…)
Hi,
I’m thinking of getting away from the Irish wind and rain in February and going training somewhere warm for 10 days or so. Its possible i will be on my own and also possible a small group from my club might join me.
I’ve been told Tenerife could be the place to go. Is it true you have one of the hardest climbs in europe on the island?
Can you tell me if the weather is suitable for training in the Tenerife mountains in february? Also how much is your bike hire and guided training spins?
All the best,
Hello,
Firstly, sorry for the delay, I was inundated with bike rental queries this last week. I’m normally not that slow with email.
Great to see you’re interested in cycle-training here during the winter!
Difficulty is a subjective thing. The main differences are the cumulative ascent and the gradient. Obviously none of the climbs in the Alps start at sealevel, so the climbs in Tenerife and Gran Canaria can be much longer. European climbs often start at anywhere between 500 and 1500 m altitude and go up to 2000 or 2500 m or so.
In Tenerife, there are two places which reach 2350 m altitude (Izaña and the Teleférico), so if you start on the coast they’re instant 2350 metre climbs -greater height difference than some of the biggest European cols!
There are four or 5 different onroad ascents to Mt Teide as well as many offroad routes. Each one is hard in its own way. The Southern approaches are hot during Summer months and are psychologically difficult at the top especially when you can see a long straight road ahead with no shade (dry, harsh volcanic terrain above 2000m altitude). The North approach from La Orotava is steeper and you will see the same “3km winding road” signs about 7 times.
Puerto de la Cruz to Izaña via Aguamansa, 0 to 2360m in 41.5km = 5.7% average.
Candelaria to Izaña via Arafo, 0 to 2360m in 41.2km = 5.7% average (steeper in places because it is not a constant climb).
Bajamar to Izaña via La Esperanza, 0 to 2360m in 54.2 = 4.4% average.
Los Cristianos - Las Cañadas, 0 to 2356m in 48.2km (4.9% average)
Los Gigantes - Las Cañadas 0 to 2356m in 50.9km (4.6%)
Almáciga / Taganana to Anaga, 0 to 620m in 5.8km (10.7% average)
Afur to Anaga, 225 to 765m in 6.7km (8.1% average)
Of course those are actual roads, but you can easily find much steeper streets approaching 15-25% average gradient!
For comparison:
Mon Ventoux starts at 300 m and peaks at 1912 m (7.4% average gradient)
Alpe d’Huez starts at 700 or 750 m and finishes at 1815 m (4.9 to 8.1% gradient depending on the route you take)
Col de la Madeleine starts at 500 m and peaks at 1990 m (5.5 to 8.0% gradient depending on the route)
Col du Galibier goes from 1400m to 2640 m (6.9% average slope)
Col du Tourmalet (Pyrenees) begins at 1260-1400 m and climbs to 2,115 m (7.4% average gradient) (more…)
Having looked at a map of Tenerife (for almost the first time) its larger that I thought, also you appear to be about 45km away (I’m down in Golf Del Sur). I don’t think everyone else I’ll be with would be very happy if I pinched the car for a whole day, so I’ll probably hire a moped and shoot over - I assume I can hire one near where I’m staying ?
If I bring my camelbak and gloves, will you supply everything else ie helmet, inner tubes, etc ?
Hello,
That sounds like fun… be aware that by spanish law, mopeds smaller than 125cc [I think] aren’t allowed on TF1, TF2 and TF5, so you’ll have to come up over Teide via TF21, or else around the other way instead (via Santiago del Teide & Icod) -this might be better- ’cause then you’ll see more of the island!
Yes it’s quite a hike, that’s why I have to charge 18€ for the delivery service, but as you can see, it ain’t worth delivering a bike for just 1 day. (18€ for 3 to 4 hours’ driving!)
It isn’t like Italy which is inundated with scooters, but you should be able to locate something in the South easily enough. The overwhelming majority of rental vehicles are cars, and the rates are very, very cheap. Motorbikes & scooters are another kettle of fish. After a pretty extensive google search in English, Spanish and German, I managed to find several places that rent mopeds, scooters as well as motorbikes.
I haven’t been there before, but keep in mind that Golf del Sur is a pretty isolated resort complex, so you might find it more difficult than you think to rent a scooter. I’d ring up the place where you are staying and ask them about moped
availability — in spain mopeds/scooters are called “ciclomotores”.
For €30/day I can supply everything (helmet, shoes, pedals, tools, innertubes, bottles, etc.)
I don’t supply cycling clothing yet, but I will eventually sell stuff like lycra shorts, arm warmers, etc when I have a dedicated shopfront. Be aware that it is already quite chilly up there above 1000m. *Definitely* bring a windproof jacket, arm + leg warmers and gloves, if only for the descents.
Thanks very much & hope to see you soon in Tenerife!
-Les.
I may also want to do some mountain biking - perhaps exchange last 2 or 3 days of the road bike for a full sus MTB? Let me know
Hello,
For now I don’t rent DH/Freeride bikes out without a guided ride because there is more tendancy for stupid riding behaviour when I’m not around. I realise that they’re built to have fun and everything, but I think a high probablility of component failures is associated with that style of riding. When they do get broken, it just isn’t very economical for a business to charge 30€ per day and then have to fork out more than that for repairs 50% of the time. I’ve seen broken derailleurs, broken frames, not to mention the fork rebuilds required, etc.
The other possibility is to do a guided 2000m+ downhill MTB ride with me, in which case you could get to use the dualie the entire time. It has DH-specific rims, 8″ hydraulic brakes + sintered pads, 130mm of front travel & 100mm in the rear. In that case, you’d have to get yourself over to this side of the island (El Puerto) by 8:00am.
Hope you understand, Les.
Im really starting to admire this place [Tenerife] compared to Northern Ireland where im from in terms how cyclists are treated on the road. Ive give a few examples of what is regular at home.
Being passed by articulated lorries with less than 60 cms of room, on a corner because they cannot be bothered to slow down and wait 20 seconds till the road opens up a bit. I was that annoyed i rang the haulage company and got a lecture about how long it takes for lorries to accelerate again after slowing down for cyclists that should not be on road… and the multitude of gear changes and breaking required for a lorry to wait.. behind.
Ive been passed by mad drivers in very small cars with very loud exhausts at speeds of excess of 100kph on single lane roads.
Ive had drivers in white vans throw bottles at me, shouting tosser.
Many times ive had drivers ahead of me at busy junctions without their indicators on.Many drivers will also wait for ages getting onto a junction while im behind breathing their lovely disel fumes while they are fixing their hair or playing with their phone.
We do have cycle lanes in some towns, and as a rule i dont use em, because pedestians walking their dogs and children are playing there (they just divide the pavement into 2) and then you have to use a pedestrian crossing to cross a road.
and yet, for 3 months solid before the weather just got totally appauling i cycled the 11km to work and back 5 days a week. I picked one day in the week were id go all out and max my speed treating it like a time trial. Then a longer club run of 50-60km on sunday. I started with a hybrid bike and switched to my ridley one in sept.
cya later
Hey mate glad to hear from ya!
I must say that I really look forward to your latest ride reports… I’ve been pretty busy organising all the bookings lately.
Yes, I’m glad you notice that drivers are extremely patient here in the Canary Islands. In 3 years of riding in Tenerife I’ve never had a problem. Amazing! But I do always try to get out of other vehicle’s paths wherever possible.
You might be interested in reading this article about why car drivers treat cyclists with a lot of respect here (it’s quite long, but it explains a lot).
They’re even nicer in Holland and other places I’m told… and probably any European country like Denmark, France, etc with a strong cycling culture. I have a had a few Germans and Finnish tell me that the car drivers are nicer here than where they live.
Back in Australia where I used to live, I’ve even had firecrackers thrown at me! (more…)
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