A Cyclist's Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

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 РLas Ca̱adas, 0 to 2356m in 48.2km (4.9% average)
Los Gigantes РLas Ca̱adas 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)

Here are our bike hire prices. Road bike training spins aren’t popular but bike hire always is. Please book early as February is a popular month.

If you want to be taken on a proper tour of Anaga for example, yes I can arrange it provided I have plenty of notice -, I’ll also need to ask for a deposit up to a month before your arrival. The cost depends on whether you want pickup/dropoff at the hotel, or simply to start the rides from your El Puerto hotel/apartment. Also depends on the number of folks in your club. Having said that, most people organise their own rides / transport as all the roads are well signposted.

Yes its a great place to come in February; warmer than Mallorca with bigger climbs! The Canary Islands are in fact the Southernmost part of Europe, so I can’t imagine anywhere much warmer really. Keep in mind that the mountains are colder than the coastal regions during wintertime. While we experience a mild Winter, you will need to bring windproof jacket, gloves, etc especially for the descents.

Thanks very cery much for your enquiry,
Hope to hear from you soon,
Cheers!

Les.

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »