A Cyclist’s Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

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.

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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.

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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…]

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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!!!

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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…)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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.

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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…)

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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.

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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…)

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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…)

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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.

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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.

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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…)

Tags: The Bike Guru // 1 Comment »

Hi,

I hope you can help with some info and links. I want to know how possible it is to make a trip to Tenerife for a mountain bike trip in February.

I have never been to the Canary islands before so am a bit ignorant. Are there any specialist tour operators for mtb trips?
Any help would be cool.

Regards

Hello,

Yes of course… Tenerife is a fantastic place for mountainbiking; the best place for MTB is probably in the North. Generally the mountainbike trails are wide, rocky and hilly. We can arrange guided MTB tours from Puerto de la Cruz for you… mostly descending through the La Orotova valley (because riding offroad inside Mt. Teide national park is prohibited).

We can also arrange mountainbike hire… we have some great quality bikes in many sizes & they can be delivered anywhere in Tenerife (there is a minimum of 3 days’ rental for delivery to the South). Delivery to Puerto de la Cruz area is free…

If you are interested, please get back to me with the following information:
-your accommodation details
-will you bring your own bike & equipment or do need to rent a MTB from us?

One last thing, February is one of the busiest months for bike rentals, so you will need to book early…
Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks very much
-Leslie

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Do you have a full set of your terms and conditions? I can’t find them on the website.

We operate on a “fair go” business policy. That means we endeavour to provide the best possible service. We’re proud to say that 99% of our exisiting clients are extremely happy. Nevertheless, we recognise that sometimes things can go wrong, hence these terms and conditions:

GENERAL CONDITIONS:
Our bicycles are always cleaned, prepared & checked before they are rented out. It’s common courtesy to return them in the same state (I.e. clean and functioning, especially after prolonged use in the rain). You must endeavour to return each bicycle in the same condition in which it was lent to you. Upon its return, the bicycle(s) will be inspected & any damage assessed. In most cases you will only be held liable up to the value of the deposit payed (100 ~ 200€, depending on the model & number of bikes rented). Our bicycles are not to be thrown around, purposely skidded, jumped or otherwise abused. No silly stunts, etc.

WHAT WE COVER:
Damage caused by normal wear and tear including, but not limited to: broken spokes & chains, normal tyre and cassette wear, unintentional (minor) scratches, metal fatigue, any damage to the bicycle that is considered our fault. Yes refunds are possible if bike does not meet your expectations, minus any delivery charges.

WHAT YOU MUST PAY FOR:
More than 2 replacement innertubes per bike, tyres worn out by skidding on tarmac, missing tools, any other damage caused that is obviously your fault (for example stripped bolt threads, breakages caused by faulty/attempted repairs). Theft or loss.

MECHANICAL SUPPORT:
Tenerife is a fairly large island, so we don’t offer an “emergency pickup” service. Should something go wrong with one of our rental bikes, it is up to YOU to find your own way back to your hotel (taxi, bus, etc). Just like your local bike shop or bicycle manufacturer, no we don’t reimburse you for this journey! However, we recognise that mechanical failure is an inconvenience, not some kind of “opportunity for profit” that some businesses seem to think it is - therefore we will gladly refund any days which you have paid for a rental bike but can’t utilise it due to breakdown.

We do our best to fix things promptly, either the same day or else overnight if that is not possible. Note that practically all bikeshops in Tenerife are closed Sundays and only open half day Saturday.

We believe that bikes should run silently. However, some noises are extremely difficult to isolate or duplicate and then rectify quickly (eg: noises caused by cranksets, bottom brackets headsets and disc brakes). If the bike is rideable and you can live with it, the best option is to let us know before the end of the rental period so we can address the issue for the next customer.

Faulty rental bikes will be either repaired or replaced at our discretion. 90% of the time we have spare bikes in all sizes ready to go but during peak periods it’s impossible to have a backup bike available for every rider. Some people ask the impossible of us, hence the following statement: if a rental bike is unavailable due to damage or theft, we will not be held liable for all or part of your holiday expenses; the most we can offer is a full or partial refund!

THEFT PREVENTION:
Bikes should be stored either in the room of your hotel/apartment or in a secure luggage room using the lock provided- under no circumstances are the bikes to be left un-locked outside when unattended!! A lock never offers 100% theft protection. The best deterrrent is to stay close to the bike at all times when you go out. Aso we request that you do not leave bikes in cars overnight. Never leave a bicycle (locked or unlocked) in a public place, especially if it is visible from the street & definitely never at night time. This siginificantly reduces the risk of opportunistic theft.

We ask for a security deposit to increase awareness & prevent theft, it’s not intended to rip you off. However, should a bicycle be lost or stolen, you will be liable for the current value of the bike written in the Tenerife-Training rental contract (not the replacement value, which is much more). Your security deposit will not be refunded and you will need to pay the difference. Therefore it’s up to YOU to ensure the bike doesn’t get stolen!

ACCIDENTS: Bicycle riders are inherently vulnerable road users; riding in a foreign country in extreme terrain is a risky activity. We do advise you to take out a comprehensive medical travel insurance policy that are available from any travel agent in your home country. If you are found to be the cause of an accident, remember that YOU would be liable for all accident damage.

We provide these rental bicycles in order for cyclists to explore & train on the many roads & tracks in Tenerife. We take pride in the high quality of all our bikes - please take care of them and they will take care of you! Above all else we hope you enjoy cycling in Tenerife!

Tags: Spoke Bed // Add Comment »

Hi, Leslie thanks for the initial feedback.

We were thinking of renting a car (big enough) to get the bikes in so we can easily get to the sites to do some mountain biking, although my partner had a severe skiing accident and hence should really just bike on forest rough track, volcano trails etc but not really “pure and dure” off road with all the shocks that come with it (the injury - the knee ligaments (cross ligament torn) and the rest (knee) in good stable rehabilitation building up muscle and strengthening the side ligaments. - hence I was almost contemplating for a triathlon bike ! although we just want to have some exercise to see the “paysage”. Anyway, that is were we are currently with our thoughts.

We are thinking to check in to : Gran Melia Palacio de Isora en Alcala so we can have all the exercise and possibly some comfort as well. First time in Tenerife, so we are just taking our bearings………..Possibly you can recommend a good hotel accommodation close to the mountain biking areas…………..on the web site I did see your indicated routes.

We are both about 1.72 cm tall and would need a medium frame.

Also, we were thinking possibly to make outing to Gomera and take the bikes with us !

Some thoughts appreciate your input as to where would be the best location to find accommodation to be close to the mountain biking actions. If we have the car to transport the bikes, perhaps that is not so much an issue. What do you think ?

Yes we would need two bikes from March 22 to 26 - 5 days.

Unusual, Dr. Leslie renting bikes………………are you working on your next book ?

keep smiling -

Hello Carmen,

Nice to hear from you again…

Gran Melia Palacio de Isora is certainly a grand hotel, but I don’t think it is in the best location for cycling trips. It is an isolated hotel away from all the resorts. It is similar to the Abama hotel in that respect, so have a look at that one too if that is what you are looking for: http://www.abamahotelresort.com/ (it has less cement outside and is greener than the Palacio de Isora). What’s the difference between the two hotels? It’s like the people who own Abama said “Let’s create a nice 5 star hotel” whereas the people who own the Palacio de Isora said “Let’s show people what we can do with all our money”. That’s just my opinion…

Personally I think the best mountainbiking is in the North of Tenerife. It’s more scenic & there are more tracks to explore.

For instance, there are about 5 flat roads that cross the La Orotava valley & it is mostly sheltered by the trees so it doesn’t get too hot. These are simple tracks with just a few small rocks and they won’t present any problems for your partner. Of course there are also other roads which have a greater difficulty level…

The only problem with taking the car is that you need to do a loop to go back to the starting point where the car is … this sometimes means lots of climbing is involved if you don’t plan it well (unless you are lucky enough to have someone drop you off and pick you up again). (more…)

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I will be in Tenerife north between 20 to 30 July and would like to hire a mountain bike during this time. What cycling trips will you have available during this time and how much would they be? What locations would they be in, what grade and for how long?

The offorad cycling trips depend on the fitness of the other riders, but I can say that normally they are about 40km long and mostly “downhill”. We almost always start from 2000m altitude and head back down to sealevel over that sort of distance. The routes are mainly firetrails, with some rocks. Maximum ascent is usually 300 metres or so. We usually complete the rides in 2 to 3 hours.

Where we go is not set in concrete, and really depends on the day. For example if some riders find some parts too steep, too rocky, too easy, or the weather changes, we will alter the route right there and then. None of the rides are what I’d call “freeride” (so there are no big jumps or dropoffs).

To do the guided MTB rides, we request that you stay in either La Orotava or the Puerto de la Cruz resort area. We also have numerous MTBs available to rent, no problem.

Thanks very much,

Leslie.

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Is it possible to arrange a guided mountain bike tour for 1 or 2 days? Road biking is pretty easy to do on our own, but we have found that with mountain biking it is nice to have some time with people that know the terrain.

Yes I offer guided MTB rides also, provided that you are staying in Puerto de la Cruz; these will cost an additional ~€35 each day per person.

Normally we catch the bus up to 2000m altitude, and start the MTB rides from there so the majority is going down… it is a special bus capable of taking a lot of bikes, but on public holidays & weekends, it is packed with downhillers!! If we don’t take the bus, someone has to go back up to the top to collect the vehicle, or I need to get another driver, and it isn’t so good for the environment either.

Metting point: Puerto de la Cruz bus station.
Departure time: usually 8:30am weekdays, 8:15am weekends.

If you are staying in one of the resorts in the south (Las Americas / Los Cristianos / Golf del Sur / Los Gigantes etc), then I can contact another MTB guide for you. It is more convenient for us if you can stay somewhere in the North of Tenerife, because otherwise we have to charge a small delivery fee to cover the cost of taking bikes to the South of Tenerife.

Anyway, I’m happy to advise you on different routes you can take on the other days you have the rental bikes… I also have some good maps to show you the MTB routes, but like you said it is preferable to do the rides with someone that knows the trails.

Thanks,
-Leslie.

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Do you know of any good cycling shops out there, I couldn’t find any last time I was there, I really like exteondo clothing I think it’s spanish but its really hard to find over here, so was hoping to pick some up in tenerife.

Yes there are several decent bike shops on the island. The most noteworthy are:

- Gofis bici in La Longuera / El Toscal (road & MTBs). This is the one I go to most often!
- Bicistar in Puerto de la Cruz (road & MTBs)
- Bicicletas Gil in La Laguna (road & MTBs)
- Vadabici in La Laguna (mainly mountainbikes)
- Bicisport in Los Cristianos (mainly road bikes)
- Bike Point in El Medano (focus is on MTBs)

Have a look here for the exact street addresses & contact details.

Tags: The Bike Guru // 2 Comments »

Hello good day from Amsterdam!

I am planning a trip to your island and I would like to know if you have large framesets (racebike) for hire. I am 1.96 cm and use frames of 65 cm. Do you offer this kind of sizes as rental bike ?

Looking forward hearing from you soon,

We have become well aware of just how tall some cyclists are, especially from the Netherlands and Germany!
The largest bike we have measures 65cm from centre-top. It is certainly big enough to fit you! Actually you might be interested to know that the tallest client so far had a height of 203cm!!

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

The directions to the hostal seem a bit confusing. I’ve got to get to la Orotava somehow from the South airport, I’m not too sure how long that will take, maybe an hour or so? add another hour to get out of the airport, probably add another hour or two for getting lost…….

Well I can help you with the arrival. At least I hope this clears things up.

Option 1)
Direct from TFS to El Puerto de la Cruz. Titsa bus 340 is a direct service from TFS airport which also stops at TFN onroute Journey time is approximately 1 hour, depending on how crazy the bus driver is. Yes it’s convenient, but there are only 4 daily services which leave TFS airport at the following times: 09:45, 14:00, 20:00 and 23:30 [last time I checked when I wrote this].

Then there are a fair few regular lines that go from El Puerto de la Cruz to La Orotava. Numbers 101, 350, 352, 353 and 345 are the most common. The most you’ll have to wait in Puerto de la Cruz bus station is 30 minutes. Or you can catch the taxi from El Puerto to La Orotava for about €10-12.

Option 2)
Transfer at Santa Cruz. The bus 341 goes directly from TFS to Santa Cruz. It leaves TFS at 15:50, 16:50, 17:30, 18:30, 19:30…. then from Santa Cruz, you have a another choice: go direct to La Orotava (101, 107 & 108), OR go to El Puerto de la Cruz (102 or the 103 “without stopping”). Once in El Puerto de la Cruz, see above on how to get to La Orotava. The 101 bus from Santa Cruz, while interesting, goes via the old road, and stops at every little town along the way (and there are many). It’s the equivalent of an “all stations” train. While it’s a great way of getting to know how to avoid the busy TF5 freeway, I think after your journey, I’d give it a miss & wait for one of the other buses… cross your fingers and hope for the 103! Both the 107 and 108 lines also stop at TFN airport on the way to La Orotava.

It all depends if you like to be on the move or sit around twiddling your thumbs waiting for buses… generally they are on time or running 5-10 minutes late, but they always show up. Not like sydney trains which seem to get cancelled all the time. Hehehe.

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Do you deliver and collect bikes from Torviscus, as I am staying there next week and would like to hire a 56cm road for a day.

Is not usually practical for us to deliver a bike just for just one day since it’s quite a drive over there to the South and back. It means we’d have to either stay in the South until you’re finished with the bike, or else make 4 trips of almost 1.5 hours each. For that reason, we normally request 3 days minimum bike hire.

Most people that do decide to rent from us for 1 day come and hire a bike from La Orotava… for instance, there’s a great climb to the volcano crater just from where we’re located (with ~1850m ascent) that many people do starting right outside our place. They then they return it later in the day on the way back down. Once again, it’s best if you can schedule that, as I’d need to send you some arrival instructions.

Keep in mind that sometimes it is possible to arrange a days’ hire if we happen to be over in the direction over two consecutive days… best to check with us via e-mail in any case.

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Dear Sir/Madam

I am going to stay at Costa Adeje Gran Hotel from Saturday 8th to Friday 14th, and I wondering if your company can help me with hiring two bikes?

Best Regards

Yes we can definitely rent you 2 bikes. Please provide your current frame sizes, heights, and whether you prefer to hire road or MTBs.

Alternatively, you can reserve our rental bikes here.

Do you requre hotel delivery & pickup? (we are located in the North but we are happy to arrange it for you)

Thanks,
Leslie

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Hi Leslie!

We aro so sorry
We should put off our arrival till summer because its a crisis here
my friend lost work
so…its changed all our plans
but i hope we will do smth to change the situation and make it better for ourselves
thanks a lot for your efforts
and hope to visit Tenerife in summer or next year!

Hello,

Don’t worry - there is a crisis all over the world … it’s global … for example one of the weeks in January I had just one bicycle rented! Normally I have 5-10 or more bikes rented then, if not more. Luckily last month [February] was okay.

My Spanish partner also worked for Iberia and her work contract expired early and is now unemployed. Unfortunately she isn’t entitled to unemployment benefits because she hasn’t worked more than 365 days… incredible! Where I am from -Australia- the goverment automatically helps us when we don’t have enough work.

Anyway, that’s one of the reasons I sent the last newsletter - it’s times like these that we have to work harder than ever, especially if individuals & businesses want to survive. Instead of complaining about the crisis and wondering about why the economic situation is the way it is, I always try to maintain a positive, optimistic attitude for the future and keep working to find new clients. I’ve found that it certainly helps if you have clearly identifiable and reachable goal.

Thanks for your email & hope to see you one day in the future training in Tenerife!

-Leslie

Tags: That's Business, Inspiration., The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

I’m pleased to announce that the Vertebrae Components website has been revamped! I wanted to keep the simplicity of the original webpage and also make it easier to navigate & update.

I don’t want the new website to be associated with a blog, because it isn’t one. It’s an online shop. I chose a very simple 1-column design template; I think what gives most blogs away is the sidebar with the blogroll in it. I also removed several things like search windows, RSS feeds, etc. The vertebrae-components webpage is essentially written page-by-page, not one post on top of the other.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you notice any bugs with the new layout or have any suggestions about how to make it more professional…

Tags: News Reel, That's Business, Sales Pitch // Add Comment »

Dear Sirs,

We are an Italian travel operator focused on sport. Please could you send us as soon as possible offers on bike training camp in 2009?

Thanks cooperation

We are not planning any cycle training camps yet for 2009.
Most of our business concerns pro-quality road and mountainbike hire.

We can of course offer discounts for large groups of cyclists hiring bikes…

Thanks,
Leslie.

[cyclists are of course welcome to express their interest in Tenerife training camps using the comments function below]

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Having never been to Tenerife, we would appreciate any guidance on places to stay - we prefer to stay away from booming nightlife but would like reasonable access to a beach and some good places to eat.

The best place to stay is probably Puerto de la Cruz. Puerto de la Cruz is not like ugly Las Americas. It’s a more upmarket resort aimed at German & Scandinavian toursists. There are two beaches within El Puerto, and several better black beaches within easy cycling distance from there. I’d suggest the quieter “El Botannico” region of El Puerto to stay.

Garachico is a very tiny little town with just one or two places to stay (Quinta Roja), and a tiny tiny beach. Mainly tourists pass through there but don’t stay more than a day… there are also a bunch of traditional houses but they are generally not close to any beaches or restaurants.

Thanks very much for your enquiry,

Tags: The Bike Guru // 2 Comments »

What we would hope to do is a mix of road and mtb. Would it be feasible to rotate the bikes?

Swapping bikes is also okay with me - provided you stay close by or are prepared to drop the bike(s) back here yourself. Otherwise it will likely incur an additional delivery charge…

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Hello Leslie,

I can use your reservation form of course, but I have to know little more about possibilities. So I am pleased if you can give me your answers for the following questions.

Do you think that I could find suitable routes for three days (or even more if I like)? And so that the starting and finishing point is my own hotel Barcelo Varadero at Los Gigantes?

I have seen and planned your easier routes from PdlCruz to Teno and El Tanque or something like that. Is it possible to cycle from Los Gigantes via TF454 to Santa Barbara or somenthing? And what about TF47 to Adeje?

I am willing to have a pleasant trips for appr. 4 to 6 (more if necessary) hours per day?

And I am not a pro cyclist, anyway I have had road bicycle (with pedals) 8 years, but just a hobby. The total climbing is new matter for me, that is one reason to be so curious.

Thanks,

Hello,

Yes I think you will find some inteteresting routes for 3 days…

Firstly, I would cycle from Los Gigantes first to Santiago del Teide, then Masca, El Palmar valley, Buenavista, Garachico, El Tanque, Erjos and back to Los Gigantes. Click here for the route map. Another way past Santiago del Teide is via Los Llanos and La Vega.

Road TF-47 is OK but a little busy with traffic. There are several loops you can do around Adeje / Guía de Isora initially via TF47. I would ride to up to Chio via Playa San Juan, Guia de Isora and return via Arguayo and Tamaimo.

Although it is very scenic, the road TF38 to Mt Teide is quite bumpy… I think most people don’t enjoy riding down that road. It would be much better on a MTB / hybrid. Also the side roads to Teno Alto and Punta de Teno are interesting + scenic…

Thanks very much!

Leslie.

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To whom it may concern,
I was wondering if you have a women road bike for me to rent while I am in Tenerife. I am only 5 feet height and I think I am only comfortable for a 17.5″ frame. if you have a bike that fits me, please let me know. Thank you very much.

Hello,

Yes we do have 1 extra small 46cm road bike available. We also now have a 14″ MTB. Both bikes are a great fit for people 5′0″ - 5′5″ tall. I.e. women and children.

They have an alloy frame, alloy rims & good components. The most important thing is that they are XXXS size, with an ultra-short stem, so I know either one will fit you well. I’m not sure of the exact geometry … I can go and measure them if you like and get the exact top tube lengths. Plus they’ve both only been used once before!

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

This device is exquisitely CNC machined. I refer to it as a ‘device’ to convey a greater sense of the intricacy of its construction. It’s as much a work of art and engineering as it is a derailleur.

Replaceable parts:
Firstly, it’s completely rebuildable. The inner and outer link plates are removeable as are the pulley cages and upper / lower link knuckles. The pivots are held in place by tiny grubs screws. Allen head bolts are used throughout - even the High (H) and Low (L) derailleur limit screws utilise allen key fasteners!

Materials & overall finish:
Secondly, both the derailleur body and hardware are CNC machined 7075-T6 aluminium. The pivots are made of 6Al 4V Titanium. There is no side play whatsoever in the parallelogram link mechanism. In fact I can’t see the pivots ever becoming sloppy (unlike my SRAM X7 rear derailleur which is only a year old). I reckon this derailleur will just about be breaking in when other units are wearing out… So yes, this derailleur is built to last. Overall, you can tell that the body is precision machined. There are no burrs and the anodisation process is perfect.

How does it perform?
I’ve been using it exclusively with Vertebrae ceramic housing and I have not been disappointed. The only modification I needed to do was apply some loctite to the barrel adjuster threads. I also wrapped plumber’s teflon tape around the H and L limit screws to stop them vibrating loose. That was 6 months ago. Since then, I haven’t touched it. Shifting is flawless.

The bottom line:
I hope mine lasts the next 10 or 20 years and I think it probably will. The only down side is the exclusivity; these are not easy to get hold of because almost nobody sells them. They’re definitely not cheap but then they aren’t as expensive as the new campagnolo super record derailleurs sold by online retailers…

Tags: Spoke Bed // Add Comment »

I am staying in Las Americas during the week. I wont have a bike with me. I would like find some guided/group road rides about 3-4 hours steady winter pace, I usually ride with one of the foreign owned companies and I not checked the web for years. It would be nice to ride with a group I can understand.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Hello,

Well we can certainly supply you with a quality road rental bike + equipment, but group rides are not happening at the moment.

Regarding group rides, may I suggest you try the following:

1) Look at the following list of bike clubs in Tenerife and the Canary Islands. There are a few cycling clubs located in the South of Tenerife, such as Chaveña Cycle Club in Granadilla de Abona and Club Ciclista Chineje near Guía de Isora. You can then contact them directly for further info about group rides…

2) Failing that, consider joining the forum to post a question about meeting other cyclists here (just ask for help if you’d like to sign up).

3) Post a comment below with your intentions, in the hopes that other cyclists read it and respond.

Do please get back to me regarding your bike sizing + equipment needs. It’s best if you fill out the bike hire reservation form for that.

Thanks very much & happy cycling!

Les.

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Hello. Do you speak italian? If yes:

Salve.
Volevo sapere se mi potete noleggiare una bici Merida Road 905 o una Merida TFS 300, per tre giorni. Vorrei sapere il prezzo, e se la bici ha un bikecomputer.
Io dovrei essere al Jacaranda Hotel di Tenerife di Costa Adeje.
Grazie

If no:
Hello.
I wanted to know if I can rent a bike Merida Road 905 or 300 TFS Merida, for three days. I would like to know the price, and if the bike has a bikecomputer.
I should be at the Jacaranda Hotel in Tenerife Costa Adeje.
Thanks

Hello,

Unfortunately I don’t speak Italian, but naturally I would like to learn.

Many of our road bikes are already reserved/booked from next week. Yes we have a 300 TFS Merida in large size available whenever you need…. yes we can also install a cycle-computer for no extra, and you have a choice of slick or offroad tyres…

Thanks, Leslie

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Cykling på De Kanariske Øer / leje en cykel på Tenerife

De Kanariske Øer er et godt rejsemål for danske cyklister, fordi det er muligt at cykle op til 2300 meter over havets overflade i kun én kørende! Faktisk er mange væddeløb cyklister kommer her til at forbedre deres klatring og nedstigende færdigheder! Det er også muligt at ride en cykel her hele året rundt, også om vinteren.

For mere information om cykling på Tenerife, De Kanariske Øer, du kan se mine største site. Der er en masse information til rådighed: det bedste cykel ruter, beskrivelser af cykel ruter, vejforhold, vejr information, billeder, videoer og meget mere. Selvfølgelig, hvis du ønsker at leje en vej cykel eller mountainbike, vi har meget god kvalitet leje cykler til rådighed i alle størrelser, som er vores speciale. Guidede MTB rides også kan arrangeres fra Puerto de la Cruz i det nordlige Tenerife.

Endelig er vi klar over den indvirkning, som mennesker har på planeten Jorden. Vi mener, at virksomheder i særdeleshed har et særligt ansvar for at reducere eller minimere disse virkninger, som sådan, vi er en meget miljøbevidst virksomhed og minimer affald i flere forskellige områder: (more…)

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Having found your web page very useful a trip to Tenerife is certainly being considered for a week of road cycling. Do you know if there any organised training camps on the island, or is it just a case of organise it all yourself?

Many thanks

Hello,

There aren’t any dedicated training camps organised on the island that I know of. This isn’t for the lack of trying, because I’ve been googling words like “cycling tenerife” etc for over 3 years. I have only ever seen a few cycle training camps in the Canary Islands, over in Lanzarote. These are usually organised in the UK & Germany; for that reason, I can’t see how they would be able to offer the best possible experience if they aren’t actually based there.

Tenerife Training camps and guided road rides were my original business plan. Since then, people have requested bike hire only so I’m happy to specialise in that now. When I’m a little more well known and have a bit more capital, I’d eventually like to get back to my original goal (probably after the economic crisis) and offer all-inclusive packages, including the neighbouring island La Gomera. For now, I think it’s easier and cheaper for people to organise their own cycling holidays in Tenerife. That way, you have more flexibility about where you want to stay, where you go & your travel dates. I provide a lot of free information & offer quality road and mountain bike hire.

Hope that helps.

Thanks,

-Leslie

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

I am hoping you can help me I am arriving in tenerife south on Friday 14th March and I am staying in Puerto De La Cruz.

What is the best, quickest and cheapest way to get there from South Airport? Can you get from South Airport to North Airport and how?

I would be grateful for any help at all.

Many thanks

Hi,
The cheapest way is to catch the 340 bus right outside the airport terminal building. It goes pretty much directly to El Puerto & I it also stops at the North airport on route. But the trouble is there are only a limited number of services per day.

The alternative is to get the 341 bus to Santa Cruz, which comes each hour. Then from Santa Cruz, it’s best to get the 103 direct bus to El Puerto, or else the 102 which also goes via La Laguna & the North Airport - they leave every 30 minutes or so. The 101 bus from Santa Cruz to El Puerto is basically an “all stations” service so it takes much longer to arrive.

It’s best if you can buy a bono bus card first as it saves a bit of money. Have a look here for more info about other airport transfer options (you can also download the bus timetables there too).

Even from Santa cruz a taxi will cost > 45 Euros. Not much less from the North Airport, depending on the traffic.

Thanks,
Les

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You may have noticed that the rides I have on the site are all based in the North, because that is where I am based.

The most obvious ride from Los Cristianos will be the one that goes up past Vilaflor to Las Cañadas. The best road out of Los Cristanos is via TF-28. Expect traffic up as far as La Camella. There are essential three routes to Vilaflor: TF-51, TF-563 and TF-21. From there, I think it is better to continue along the same road through San Miguel & then climb up TF21 via Granadilla de Abona (the road from there all the way to the crater is fantastic). The road surface of TF51 isn’t great and I believe it’s steeper than the other two alternatives. TF-563 probably has the least amount of cars but it is a little steeper than TF21.

Also leaving from Granadilla, you can take the old road to Arico / Güímar / Arafo. It’s an undulating road and people tell me it is great. I’ve never done it, but if you have your own transport, this would be an awesome route if you are extremely fit.

You can also get out of Los Cristianos via TF-655 to Las Chifiras and beyond.

Be aware that TF-47 to Puerto Santiago is usually a pretty busy road with no shoulder much of the way. It doesn’t stop a lot of roadies cycling along this route because it is relatively flatter than a lot of the other rides in Tenerife. A better route from Los Cristianos is to Santiago del Teide, first via La Caleta, Guia de Isora and Arguayo and then returning through Tamaimo.

The famous Masca loop is also within reach - breathtaking scenery. Anaga is also brilliant, but far from your location.

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Do you still offer guided road training rides?

Bike hire is proving to be the popular thing, so I have scaled back the emphasis on guided road training rides, and these days I pretty much offer bike hire exclusively. I also enjoy taking people on guided MTB rides.

Road rides are a bit of a different story. Right now I prefer to invest most of my capital my ever-expanding fleet of bikes than a dedicated van + trailer, etc. In the future I will surely offer guided road rides again, when I have a regular base of customers and people wish to explore the lesser-known regions of Tenerife & La Gomera. Then I will invest in a suitable vehicle to enable pickups and dropoffs (which is what cyclo tourists really want after all). We still don’t even have an official shopfront yet, but all in good time…

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Cykling på Kanarieöarna / hyr en cykel på Teneriffa

Kanarieöarna är en fantastisk cykelsport destination för svenska cyklister, eftersom det är möjligt att rida en cykel året runt. I själva verket många tävlingscyklister hit för att fly sin hårda Svensk vintrar! Du kan till exempel cykla upp till 2300 meters höjd i februari med liten chans att stöta på snö eller is!

För mer information om cykling på Teneriffa och Kanarieöarna kan du se min huvudsakliga webbplats. Det finns mycket information tillgänglig: den bästa cykel rutter, beskrivningar av cykelrutter, vägförhållanden, väderinformation, bilder, videor och mycket mer. Självklart om du vill hyra en väg cykel eller mountainbike, vi har mycket god kvalitet hyra cyklar tillgängliga i alla storlekar, som är vår specialitet. Guidade MTB åkning kan också ordnas från Puerto de la Cruz på norra Teneriffa.

Slutligen är vi medvetna om de effekter som människor har på planeten Jorden. Vi anser att företag i synnerhet har ett särskilt ansvar för att minska eller minimera dessa effekter, som sådan, vi är ett mycket miljömedvetet företag och minimera slöseri i flera områden: (more…)

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What happens if I have trouble with the bike when I’m travelling with the bike on tenerife. Do you have a service for this like a replacement bike?

Yes I generally have replacement bikes available, except during peak periods.

My policy regarding broken bikes:

If you are riding somewhere in the North, then you can always call my mobile number, and I will come to you directly to fix or replace the bike provided I am free. I will try to get you back on the road and riding again as soon as I can, but since it is just me essentially running the whole business, I can’t be in two places at once so you may need to be a little patient and understanding. I can re-imburse (refund) you for the days you don’t have a bike (the wasted days), but so far that hasn’t been necessary. (more…)

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Are there any restrictions on riding a MTB in Tenerife?

Yes, there are some restricted areas as far as mountain bikes are concerned. Mt Teide National park is now a World Heritage area so riding on any of the dirt tracks and trails within that zone is prohibited! If you get caught, you risk a large fine. The closest you can get to seeing the Volcanic crater on a bike is along track number 8 called “El Filo” on this hiking / walking tracks in Tenerife. Note that this particular track is located inside a “terrain of future incorporation”, so it might not be possible in future…

Riding a bicycle on the narrower walking trails / singletrack is also technically prohibited, athough lots of local and foreign riders ignore this rule. (they’re called pistas de senderismo in Spanish)

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Is it possible to transport the bikes on public buses?

It is not possible to take the bikes inside the buses with passengers. If you can fit them under the bus, in the cargo hold, then yes you can take them (but that depends on what type of bus it is). Some have very small luggage compartments. I have written more information about this on my forum, here and included some photos of what buses can easily take bicycles on board.

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How’s the weather looking at the moment? Will I be ok in shorts and shortsleeve jersey?

Be aware that although it’s Tenerife, in the Winter months the mountains are much colder than the coast. Right now it is still quite chilly up there above 1000m. Lengthy ascents will require single layer clothing, short or long sleeve depending on your tolerance to cold weather and also depending if you’re riding in the North or the South. When climbing, your body produces a lot of heat due to the constant excercise, so there is usually no need to wear more than a single lycra base layer. Obviously there is no wind chill experienced either. The best plan is to bring layered clothing and you can always peel it off if you get to hot. Nothing worse than freezing your fingers off though eh?

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. So definitely bring a windproof jacket, arm + leg warmers and preferably long
windproof gloves, if only used for descents from Las Cañadas to sea level.

Keep in mind that it also all depends on what you are used to; I’m an Australian, so I don’t have much tolerance to cold weather plus I’m used to riding in the North, not the South, and it’s usually a little tiny bit colder up this way. Please check the weather page for futher info (temperature forecast and more).

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I collected some information about the weather conditions on Tenerife. And about that I am a little anxious because i found some information about the differences between the south and the north of Tenerife. South should be a lot more sun and the north a bigger chance to get al lot of rain more cloudy. What can you tell me abouth the conditions in your neighbourhood?

Personally, I think the difference between the North and South of Tenerife is often exaggerated. I refer you to this link.

Yes it is usually one or two degrees cooler in the North where I live (La Orotava, 450m above sea level). I think the difference between Puerto de la Cruz & Las Americas is even less. But I wouldn’t describe the weather as ‘cold’ here in the North. Not by European standards anyway.

The cloud that people refer to is a thin stratus band that hovers over Aguamansa often between 1200-1500m or so. These are not rain clouds, so no I don’t think it rains more here in the North than in the South. Above that layer, it is always sunny with not a cloud in sight, unless there is a tropical storm brewing (in which case the whole island is affected). Sometimes the weather is even reversed and the South has more clouds than the North!

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Pyöräily on Kanarian saaret / vuokraus Pyörän Teneriffalla / Vuokrapyörä Teneriffa / Fillari Tenerife

Kanarian-saaret ovat upea paikka maantiepyöräily / pyöräilyä, koska se on mahdollista ajaa polkupyörällä täällä ympäri vuoden. Monet pyöräilijät tänne päästä pois erittäin kylmän talven Suomessa. Esimerkiksi Teneriffalla, voit mennä Pyörän koulutus jopa 2300 metrin korkeudessa helmikuussa, joilla ei ole lunta tai jäätä! Eräs Suomen asiakkaat sanoivat, että Tenerife oli “pyöräilijän paratiisi”.

Lisätietoja pyöräily Teneriffalla ja Kanarian saaret, voit nähdä pääsivusto. Jos haluat vuokrata maantie pyörä tai maastopyörä, minulla on monia vuokraus polkupyörät saatavilla kaikkia kokoja.

Pyörän suoraan hotellille - Voimme toimittaa polkupyörien kaikkialla Teneriffa.

Pyydän anteeksi köyhien suomeksi käännettynä, mutta haluan houkutella lisää asiakkaita Suomesta niin olen kirjoittanut tämän. Kannustan teitä jätä kommentti alle!

Olin vaimon kanssa viimeksi jouluna 2006 Puerto de la Cruz:ssa ja nyt juuri 9.3 taas reissulle Teneriffalle Play de la Americas.

Molemmille reissuille olen vuokrannut pyörät Tenerife-training:n Leslielta, ja ainakin ensimmäisellä reissulla pyörä oli aivan loistava, ja Leslie toi pyörän suoraan hotellille.

Tälläkin kertaa homma tuntuisi hoituvan kivuttomasti.

Itse pidän saarta aivan loistavana pyöräilyyn, niin teiden kuin liikenteen puolesta. Mitä nyt mäet on hieman kotosuomea jyrkempiä

Hei,

minäkin vuokrasin pyörän Leslieltä, ja kaikki sujui aivan jees.
Teneriffan eteläkärki on ehkä hieman tasaisempaa maastoa, mutta kyllä sielläkin mäkeä riittää..

Tuoltahan löytyy selkeät reittikartat parhaille maantielenkeille.

Vaikka en ole itse kokeillut, tuntuisi saari sopivan vielä paremmin maastopyöräilyyn. Maanteillä liikenne on yleensä aika vilkasta, kun taas ylempänä rinteessä risteilevät maastoautotiet sopivat mainiosti pyöräilyyn. Rinteiden mäntymetsät ovat kauniita, ja näköalapaikoilta aukeaa hienot maisemat alas laaksoon ja merelle. Tiet kulkevat rinteen suuntaisesti loivasti ylös ja alas. Toki jyrkkiäkin nousuja + laskuja löytyy ihan tarpeeksi. Metsissä näkyi pienemmillä poluilla jotain paikallisia alamäkiajajia. Ilmeisesti hyväpohjaiset polut sopivat siihenkin. Reittien löytämiseksi kannattaa hankkia kirjakaupasta kunnon vaelluskartta (1:50000 tai 1:100000).

Kaiken kaikkiaan Teneriffa sopii erittäin hyvin niin pyöräilyyn kuin juoksenteluun. Näin talvisaikaan kelitkin ovat ihanteelliset.

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Kanariøyene er en fantastisk sykling reisemål for norske syklister, fordi det er mulig å sitte på en sykkel her hele året. Jeg har mange norske kunder som kommer hit for å slippe vinteren i Norge. Du kan gå sykkel trening opp til 2.300 meters høyde på en sykkeltur i februar uten snø eller is!

For mer informasjon om sykling i Tenerife og Kanariøyene, kan du se mine hovednettstedet. Hvis du ønsker å leie en road sykkel eller terrengsykkel, jeg har mange leie sykler tilgjengelig i alle størrelser.

(jeg beklager for den dårlige norske oversettelsen, men jeg ønsker å tiltrekke seg flere kunder fra Norge)

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