Put simply, all the roads are either up or down. Most of the climbs on this beautiful island have gradients between 5 to 10%. This is ideal for extended climbing. There are also a handful of roads with a maximum incline of about 20% (one in five), which are ideal for increasing leg strength! Flat, roads don’t really exist here; if you’re seeking level ground, go to Holland...!! On the other hand, for those who are crazy about climbing, this place is perfect, but leave your straight-block cassettes at home please. Our routes offer between 1000m and 2500m of cumulative vertical ascent.

Different Routes:

A unique aspect of the Canary islands is the road infrastructure. This is not Fiji; there isn’t just one road around the island, there’s a whole bunch of them! Where there is a coastal road, there are often secondary & tertiary mountain roads nearby, and there is also more than one way into the mountains. There are many roads to explore within a relatively small area, which gives a lot of variation in the rides. With all these maze-like roads, it can become a little confusing - that’s why you really need a detailed map.

Show us the Detailed Road Maps of Tenerife Already!

Maps can be bought from any resort in Tenerife, but some are better than others, so shop around and get one with decent altitude contours on it. You can of course download the best digital map of Tenerife here. It contains 2400 x 2400 pixels, is very detailed and hence well worth a look. This will give you an idea of that road-network we’re talking about - and there are some more roads that aren’t shown! There's also a Google Earth map and Street maps of El Puerto on this page. Couple these maps with our Hire Bikes and you’re now able to plan your own cycling holiday in Tenerife!

Road Conditions:

Surprisingly, the roads are in very good to excellent condition; busier roads have shoulders (and they are regularly cleaned!). Having said that, we think you’ll have a more enjoyable experience if you ditch those ultralight latex inner tubes & 20c tyres, accept the mountain roads for what they are and just go with normal inner tubes & 23c tyres. Not all of the roads that are visible on the GoogleMap are suitable for road bikes. Please see this link for more info about roads to avoid.

Cars & Traffic:

Some people seem to forget this, but yes, you can expect cars on the roads of Tenerife! Since trains are not possible, and walking anywhere gets tiring, it's become a car culture. The density of traffic depends on the location - the further you get away from the coastal resorts, the less there is. Riding is not permitted on the following freeways: TF1, TF2 and TF5.

However, this place is VERY cyclist friendly; drivers have an excellent attitude towards cyclists. They know how difficult it is, and the respect drivers have for cyclists here is awesome. For all they know, you could be a Spanish champion! The fact is, they don�t know, so they leave you well alone. Although there is less traffic on the mountainous routes, most cars will move completely over to the other side of the road when overtaking - the overwhelming majority will give you a full metre! If the road isn�t wide enough, or there are oncoming cars, they simply wait patiently until there is space.

"Roads like a plate of spaghetti":

There are also virtually no straight roads on this island. That’s why there are never any speed-advisory signs around any of the corners - they’re all corners here! Some of the roads are built right on cliff faces so you need to be careful! on the descents. Yes, there are some very tortuous roads to be found here...