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A Cyclist's Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)
“Where have all the trees gone?”
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If someone from a past time zone were suddenly plonked into our own, I’m convinced that they would find themselves in a desperately depressing situation. “Where have all the trees gone?” they might say to themselves. The notion that each and every urban space has been transformed, directly or indirectly, from a virtual wilderness is indeed intrinsically very saddening.
Think about the passage of time over any area for a moment. Imagine how it once was and what it will become. It’s not hard to say that in the future, most likely, each and every space which has occupied the aeons of time will eventually become a slab of concrete or other refined material, pieces of some strange new vehicle, and yet another technological invention.
But when the soil is dead, when the atmosphere is polluted and our homes are hermetically sealed, with the demise of natural trees and the rise of indoor plants… when oxygen-regeneration units have replaced chlorophyll as a means to breathe artificial air – who doesn’t find the mere thought of this potential scenario depressing?
The pursuit of happiness.
For me, this is by far the best, most inspirational movie I’ve seen, based on a true story:
The Man in the Mirror
When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn’t your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the man staring back from the glass.
He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
Anonymous
Mega Tsunami Numero Uno (it’s all La Palma’s fault)
Since this is “science simplified”, I don’t think these two videos need further explanation:
Here’s an interesting science paper written by Steven N. Ward and Simon Day. Two other detailed scientific research papers concerning the La Palma landslide and subsequent generation of a megatsunami can be read here and here.
10% discount for Summer 2008 bike hire reservations.
10% discount for Summer 2008 bike hire bookings made before the end of 2007 year.
To be eligible, you must quote the secret code word “vertebrae ceramic” and pay your 20% reservation deposit on or before the 31st of December, 2007. Offer only vaild for bike rentals in the Summer 2008 period from April 1st through to September 30th. Discount applies to published web-rates.
Simple enough?
The ultimate road pedal?
I’ve been using the speedplay X-series pedals for a full decade now, essentially since I started road biking. After reading about speedplay in the infamous bikepro catalogue, I browsed their website & I was already sold on them after reading about their special advantageous features (dual sided entry plus free float). They instantly received many rave reviews and I was 100% convinced to get a set.
My first road bike, a Shogun Ultegra, came equipped with some nasty pedals which were essentially a cheap copy of the look system. Although I can’t remember the name, they were a veritable deathtraps. Clipping into these particular pedals was never truly an autonomic experience. They were top heavy, weighted so that they remained in the awkward upside-down position! When starting off from a set of traffic lights, you had to fumble about and flip the pedal over with the tip of your shoe. Wobbling around in dense traffic, looking down at my shoes instead of the road, I soon realised that was an accident waiting to happen…
I began with the X2 pedals, which I had to special-order from Clarence St. cyclery, as no one in Australia stocked them in 1997 / 1998. I then moved up to the X1 titanium version, and have since bought the cheaper X5 version which work equally as well. Possibly their best feature for a road pedal is the double engaging mechanism. They feel intuitive to use. “Just stomp down and go” was the expression people were throwing about.
Tenerife Training teams up with leader bikes for 2008 cycling season!!
Les has just purchased 6 new aero framesets from Leader bikes for the new road rental bicycle fleet here in Tenerife. These bikes are available in a wide range of sizes from a tiny 46cm (50cm centre-top) all the way through to a whopping 61cm (50cm centre-top)! While they look like a time trial frame, they have traditional road racing bicycle geometry.
We’re very proud to partner with Leader bikes in 2008.
Michelin, the world’s best tyre lever.
I’ve been a cyclist for 15 years now and used a lot of different tyre levers that are available on the market. Several years ago, I encountered these rather strange yellow tyre levers embossed with the single word “michelin”. Of course, they’re not really embossed, they’re injection moulded, but that’s beside the point.
They’re manufactured from some sort of special polymeric material. I have a doctorate in Materials Science and I still don’t know what it is. It looks like polypropylene or nylon, but I don’t have an infrared spectrometer handy, so I couldn’t tell you exactly what they’re made from. Let’s just say that they’re way better-than-average in quality.
You get three of them, but most of the time you can get away with using only two. The other good thing is that they are just the right size and shape. The end that hooks onto the rim sidewall fits all rims perfectly. The other end will never bruise your hand. They’re not too narrow, otherwise they’d break; neither are they too wide, else they wouldn’t work as well. They’re also just the right length. Not too long, so you can’t more leverage than necessary -but not too short either! They are also flat and don’t take up any more space than needed.
Some French product engineer deserves a medal for this under-appreciated little bike tool. They’re like the “chris king of tyre levers” and for the price (€3), this is possibly the best thing you can buy for any bicycle rider as a christmas present!
Every time I go to decathlon, I buy a set. They’re the only tire levers I can whole-heartedly reccommend to cyclists. They’re the ones that I supply in every tool kit with all the road and MTBs I rent out here in Tenerife. No one has ever complained. They never break, although I hope Michelin never stops making them.
On the other hand, the worst ones you can get are the thin steel ones available from Kmart, and other supermarkets; they’d rather dent your aluminium rim (or crack your latest carbon fibre wheelset) sooner than flip that kevlar tyre bead over the edge.
An inspiration for all cyclists.
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Almost every week I’m inspired something. This week I’m inspired by Rosemary Crane of the United Kingdom. Back in September ’06, we rode together for one whole week, all over Tenerife. She’s the only cyclist who I can confirm has ascended over 10,000 vertical metres in less than a week of riding. She also takes the honour of being the first client to cycle with www.Tenerife-Training.net!
Rosemary is a self-confessed cyclo-tourist addict. She’s been everywhere from the French Alps to the Himalayas, and never fails to take a bike with her. Pictured here is her and with her beloved DeRosa road racing bicycle at a place called “Casas de la Cumbre” (Houses of the Peak), in the Anaga Mountains. She says it’s the best way to see a foreign country…
Here’s what she had to say via e-mail afterwards:
THANK YOU for all the brilliant rides and for being so patient with such an old woman and I hope it wasnt as bad as you thought it might be having to spend 5 days with a grandmother and that you did not hate it too much having to go so much more slowly than you like to go …… the ride to Taganana was lovley as they all were a brill selection all different and yet all with their esoteric attractions. So many people just go to Playa de las Americas and that is ablout the only place I did not see and never want to. I feel sure I saw all the best parts. — Rosemary Crane, 62. September 2006.
And seeing how she was the first ever client, I had to get her to sign my personal guestbook on her latest return visit:
I have had such a BRILLIANT 5 days cycling with “Tenerife Training” been up & down such spectacular hills + enjoyed scenery that 99% of visitors to Tenerife never see. Leslie, you have been amazing. So kind and considerate… to an old grandmother cycling fanatic. THANKS — à bientôt or hasta luego
— Rosemary
Despite the arduous terrain here, she never complained, not once. Not even when the grades reached 10% or more! Rose, honestly, it’s been a pleasure riding with you. Have a great christmas, and I wish you all the best in 2008. Also, thanks because you’re an inspiration to us all!
—Les.
Meridian Zero are playing Live in Concert at La Orotava this Friday!!!
I thought some of your readers might like to know that the local rock band Merdian Zero just released their first CD entitled “Doors of Creation”. Here’s their proffessional-quality video-clip.
To celebrate the release, they’re holding a concert in La Orotava this friday, and attendance is FREE!!!!!;
They’re quite a talented new band, and the lead guitarrist is none other than my good friend Iván “Scalpel” Ruiz. In fact it was me who came up with the nick-name:
If only he could teach me to play like that! Thanks for the inspiration, Scalpel!!
(for more info about Meridian Zero, check their official website: www.Meridian-Zero.com or myspace site)
FREE T-Shirt Offer — Can you accurately translate these words into another language?
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PRO ROAD BIKE HIRE:
The definitive source for road bike rentals in Tenerife.
Our hire bikes are meticulously maintained.
All Sizes available.
DELIVERY to South Tenerife at additional cost (30 Euros).
Accessories also available (clipless shoes, pedals, helmets, etc).
€30 / day
€85 / 3 days
€125 / 5 days
€150 / week
€175 / 9 days
E-Mail: cycling@tenerife-training.net
We provide this free cycling information website as part of our Pro Bicycle Hire Service in Tenerife. This is currently the only way that we generate revenue to keep the website going. You can help by distributing these bike hire information pamphlets for us in your neck of the woods.
This pdf file currently contains English, Spanish, German and French translations, but we would also like to target our pamplets in Dutch, Belgian, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Czech & Slovak cycling shops & bicycle clubs. So if you’re able to accurately translate this pamphlet into any other languages such as Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Czech or Slovak please e-mail me. Please include your postal address and we’ll send you a FREE T-SHIRT!
**UPDATE** Only 1 T-Shirt is available – size XL, short sleeves!
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