A Cyclist's Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Hi Leslie,
If you can think of any regular or irregular group rides out of Puerto de la Cruz, let me know. I don’t care what language they speak! Otherwise, I’ll be doing a lot of exploring on my own.

Hello,

The local cyclists meet at the Shell petrol station at Las Arenas, point
«A» on the following google map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=&geocode=FaZRsQEd0IID_w&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=28.407256,-16.539402&sspn=0.055414,0.076818&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=28.404311,-16.535368&spn=0.055415,0.076818&z=14

I’m told that they usually meet on weekends at 8:00am

Hope this heps—

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Hi
me and my wife are hoping to come out to tenerife, me for some good road training and my wife for the sun.
can you reccommend a quiet resort or villa with pool that is away from the night clubs and package destinations we like to relax in percefull surroundings.
yours
Lyndon and Teana

Hi there,

I’d be only too happy to recommend some places to stay…

It really depends on your budget and how far away you want to be from
restaurants, etc. Are you looking for something like a rural villa, or do
you prefer a resort hotel in a quieter zone but still close to one of the
main resorts?

I’d generally steer clear of Las Americas.

I personally would stay in any one of the following:

* Casablanca, if you want convenient, affordable self-catering apartments
within walking distance to the centre of Puerto de la Cruz.
* Hotel Riu Garoe, in the «La Paz» (means «the peace») zone of Puerto de
la Cruz for a 5-star resort. Restaurants in the Botanico region are a 5
minute walk away.
* La Quinta Roja in Garachico… a boutique hotel in a jewel of a town.
* Hotel Rural El Patio between Icod & Los Gigantes. Again, just look at
the photos of the location on their website… probably some of the best
rides from around here too!!
* Hotel Alhambra in the old town of La Orotava. Only a few rooms, but
absolutely a marvelous place and possibly the best value for your dollar.
* Luxury Villa? Look no futher than Villa Preciosa in El Rincon. I’ve been
there and it’s really «no expense spared».

* Abama, for a 5 star resort all on its own isolated turf (but not if you
don’t like golfers… it’s the furthest resort from us, on the other side
of the island)
* Hotel Barcelo Santiago in Los Gigantes, just because a lot of people
overlook the area around Los Gigantes, Playa Arena Puerto Santiago… I
think this one is the classiest places to stay?

As far as getting away from things even further, go to one of the rural
villas/fincas owned by locals… the closest ones I can recommend are
Villa caya and La Abejera just about a mile away from us, although the
pools won’t be as nice as the aforementioned places as they are generally
at 500m altitude and a lot smaller/cosier.

Please let me know if you need help finding the websites or we can narrow
it down further in the next email…

Thanks,
Leslie

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Hello Leslie,

I will be coming to Tenerife for a week in mid January. I will be bringing my own bike.

I am usually a self explorer, make my own mistakes kind of guy. But your knowledge and expertise is evident and I really appreciate that.

I don’t like hand holding and do like riding at my own pace especially on unfamiliar roads. But I might be up for a day or two of you showing some of your local roads.

It wasn’t clear to me if you are still doing road rides or not. I will be in Tenerife from the 15th to the 24th. Let me know what the current situation is.

Are there good local maps readily available? I found some here (USA), but may not be able to get them to me in time for my departure.

Thanks,
Rich

The current situation is that the bike hire side of things is probably twenty times more poplular than the guided rides ever were. For the time being I won’t be doing them (guiding people onroad) as I have to deal with about 50 simultaneous bike hire bookings…

Regarding the maps, yes they are available here from most tourist/newsagent type of shops usually selling suncream, etc. Here’s what the best maps look like:

Kompass 233

Freytag & Berndt Teneriffa

You can always contact me closer to your arrival to see if I am freed up enough for a ride…

Thanks,
Leslie

www.Tenerife-Training.net

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Hello Leslie,

First of all, I would like to tell you that you have a fantastic website !
I suppose you know that anyway as a lot or people will be congratulating
you.

We plan to go to Tenerife for a cycling holiday (2 pax) from 2nd to 10th
Jan 2010. As there are no organized rides, is there a way to get in
contact with other cyclists in Tenerife in order to plan group rides ?

I signed in the forum on your website, but need to wait an e-mail from the
administrator before I can log in.

Thank you for your help if you have the time and any suggestion.

We do not need bike hire as we travel with our own bikes.

Kind regards,
Flora

Hello Flora & thanks for signing up.

Also a big thanks for your kind praise regarding the website.

As you can see, the forum is not very active, but don’t give up hope for an answer… We generally get over 1000 visitors daily on the site! The whole idea of setting up the forum was for cyclo-tourists to hook up with eachother. I suspect with time, more people will join up and use it for its original purpose… so I definitely encourage you to make a few more posts. At the very least I myself will respond within a few days (I tend to let other members reply first now).

There are almost 100 members, most of them are lurkers and so not all of them active. But it takes time to develop the level of trust & input needed for a forum to work.

You might try contacting some of the clubs in this list.

Most of them speak Spanish though…

Thanks,
Leslie

www.Tenerife-Training.net

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Hi Leslie,

Seasons greetings hope you have had a good one. As you know we are going to based in the south of the island, with this in mind do you have cycling route maps for the area or recommend routes to us. We plan to ride between 3 and 6 hours a day, are there any organised rides near us?

Cheers

Hello,

Yes thanks, we had a traditional spanish dinner on the 24th. Presents aren’t given until the 6th of January here. 🙂

There are no planned rides in the South. There isn’t much organisation w.r.t cycling in Tenerife, hence my website. I’ve also started a new cycling forum here (feel free to sign up & post something, you might just get the ball rolling…hehehe). One aim of my forum is for cyclists to be able to meet up on holiday and ride together (even if they’re not hiring one of my bikes).

I can suggest the ride from Granadilla de Abona via Vilaflor through to the base of Mt Teide, and as far as you dare to go in the direction of La Esperanza. That’s an awesome ride.

Thanks very much,
Les.

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All sounds good! thanks for the advice, price is reasonable and the 12th is fine for delivery since i’ll need the 11th to settle in!

I can hardly belive im gonna do something that was just an idea in my head 2 days ago, training in the dark and rain was driving me to dispair! Im going out 2marrow for the club run at its going to be 7-8°C, its gonna rain and theirs a 14mph wind, but compared to the turbo trainer its tolerable.

Cya in a few days.

Hi,

Well that sounds pretty miserable weather you’ve been having…

So you know, Tenerife experiences even better weather than Mallorca, so the Canary Islands are truly a year-round cycling destination.

Still I can’t guarantee that it won’t rain here though… we almost never have a solid week of rain [apart from the 2009 Winter season that is]. Whenever it does rain, it usually just sprinkles. Usually one or two days every winter we have a massive wind storm that puts snow on Mount Teide.

Since you’re new to the sport, be aware that although it’s Tenerife, it is Winter, and so it is already quite chilly up there above 1000m. *Definitely* bring a windproof jacket, arm + leg warmers and preferably long windproof gloves, if only used for the descents. Lengthy ascents will require single layer clothing, short or long sleeve depending on your tolerance to cold weather. Look here for coastal weather forecasts; looks like local temps of 17-23°C!! It’s never too cold to cycling here!

Like I always say though, at an altitude of ~2000m, frost appears in the morning. Add 30mph wind chill factor onto that plus the fact that you’re not pedalling as much going down hill for an hour and you have a recipe for disaster if you only bring a short sleeve jersey and nothing else.

Last January/February [2008], during the coldest period in Tenerife, we had another guy from Northern Ireland (from Dromara cycling club, pictured on the testimonials webpage) who froze when we ascended past 1500-2000m altitude… he even had a lycra head warmer, vest & toe covers… so it can still get cold.

Thanks very much & look forward to seeing you then.

Leslie

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Hi Leslie, I’m looking to go to Tenerife for a week either in Dec or Jan, depending on work commitments it will either be Dec 6th-13th or else for a week early in Jan. I’m 6ft and my own bike is 56cm frame although a taller one would suit fine as well. I won’t know the exact dates for a couple of days, but just sending a preliminary email to get the ball rolling,

thanks,

Hello Ivan,

At this stage, from next week isn’t too busy and neither is the first week in January….. click here to see what bikes are still available.

But those two small windows of opportunity are closing rather rapidly! After mid December, I’m pretty booked out from the christmas period right through to March… it’d be great if you could get back to me regarding the bike rental and I’ll squeeze you in…

Thanks a million,
Leslie.

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Things are going good,

So im flying over on tuesday the 11th Tenerif south, then im gonna take a coach up. Just can’t fly to the north from N.Ireland.
and back again on the 18th December.

Im staying in the Masaru Apartment, their december offer is very good. Be nice to have a bike for most of that time 12th-17th would be good.

My frame is a Ridley Boreas 52cm. However i have the seatpost and headset up a bit, so chances are a 54 would still be fine. Its a 50-34 compact crank with a 27-12 gears on the back, so i probably would need a triple in a normal bike. I have SPD clipless shoes.

Been cycling since may this year, so im a beginner, but ive trained hard and im the best hill climber in my club athough the highest ive been up is a 500m climb:) and 100km. but that was back in Sept, and im a bit fitter now. In feburary i was 103kg and now im 79kg, yeah bit to go yet but working hard at it.

So from the info on the website probably a easy-moderate route is gonna be challanging for me. My average speed over a 25 mile run was 18mph. mostly flat, and i run a 10k in 50 mins dead if that helps you reccomend the best route for me. The furtherest ive been on a bike is 100km and the the furtherest ive run is 13km.

Thats all i can think off at the moment.

You’ve been a great help and is much appreciated.

Hello,

Well I can say that the «flattest» route is along the coast to Garachico & back via El Tanque. It undulates as it goes past some spectacular green sea cliffs. Most of the locals do that run, but the trafic is getting worse. The good news is they’re very polite towards cyclists & there is a cycling lane most of the way….

With a triple crank setup you can go just about anywhere, and things only start to get difficult on steeep climbs. The 52cm Mrazek has 30/39/53 – 12/25 gearing, which makes the easiest gear 5% lower than what you’ve got now!

I think if you can cycle 100km, you should now class yourself as an enthusiast and not a beginner. 😉

If I were you, I’d take either the 345 or 348 bus straight up to Aguamansa (1000m), and then start the climb to the base of Mt. Teide (2300m) from there (I can explain it further upon bike delivery). That way you can avoid any traffic, and get to see the more scenic parts as well. Try to at least get to the next rest stop «El Portillo»; marvel at the horrible coffee and equally horrible service 🙂 Then simply ride 35km back down hill !!!!!

You’ve lost a lot of weight, so you’re to be congratulated. For the first time in my life, I’ve actually put on close to 5kg this summer. I’m scared to weigh myself. I dare not.

You’ve got the bike for your requested dates. 6 days’ rental comes to €140. I can throw on a set of SPD pedals too. Delivery on the morning of the 12th will be best for me. At this stage, I’ll set the delivery time to 8:30am, OK?

Masaru is a great place; I’ve stayed there with my partner, a great new place with good service and you can’t beat it for value either.
Cheers,

Leslie

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When is the best time to ride in Spain?

Tenerife is a year-round cycling destination, so any time of year is good to ride.

But don’t assume that the earlier you can get out riding the better it will be. 7:00 to 9:00am is often peak hour during the busiest Winter months; it can in actual fact be quieter in the afternoon, just after lunch from 3:00 to 5:00pm when the retail shops are closed for their siesta time.

The best actual time and day of the week to ride is by far Sunday mornings (just like any place really). Sunday mornings are practically deserted compared to normal traffic patterns; even quieter than they should be. [Read more →]

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Do hotels generally mind you keeping your bike in your room overnight?

I wouldn’t store my bike in any hotel garage. Too dark & deserted for my liking.

I usually recommend my clients to store their bikes in the hotel’s luggage room. It’s is much more appropriate & safer place. They’ll usually be fine with you locking it up to something in there, and the room is often under lock and key anyway. [Read more →]

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Hi Leslie. I am having trouble with my paypal account. Is it okay when you deliver the bikes I leave you a deposit on my Visa? This would be easier for us Canadians. Thanks

Until I get a mobile credit/debit card reader, cash is the preferred payment method.
You’re welcome to leave the deposit in your own currency though because it saves you having spare Euros at the end of your stay (Canadian / American / Australian dollars and UK pounds are accepted).

[you can also pay upfront with Paypal – credit card payments are accepted through Paypal – I absorb all transaction fees]

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Hi Leslie,

I found you on the net as I am looking for a company who offer bike hire, bike route expertise and passion about what they do…and your company seems to fit the bill.

We are a small company just about to launch our site Going Tenerife (hopefully a working copy by the end of this week!) which mainly offers all types of accommodation to tourists, but our angle is to make sure that our customers get to see the real Tenerife while they are here, which is why we are trying to hook up with horse riding stables, yachting schools, expert walkers, tennis coaches, astronomers, wine experts etc, that all have a passion for what they do.

Would you be interested in discussing a potential link up of our companies, so that your services are on offer to our customers?

Look forward to your response.

Kind regards

Hello,

Yes I am one of the most passionate about biking on the island! I do also speak Spanish fluently.

I am usally happy to do link exchanges with other websites for people provided they are relavant and contain useful information, preferably with a good design layout. I can say that at this point in time, I’m not taking/giving any percentages for referrals, etc. Mainly because it has never worked for me in the past.

The thing is, most bike riders who plan to cycle in Tenerife will already find me quite easily on the web before their plane even lands here. Some potential clients might not have thought to cycle here until they arrive. They generally hire a bike for just one day and I’ve found they’re generally not fit enough because of the terrain. Those sort of instant referrals don’t even account for 1% of my business.

Finding cyclists [and paying customers] that want to train here is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. What I’m trying to say is that it is a niche market and I have adapted to fill that tiny little void.

Seeya,
Leslie.

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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). [Read 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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