Tenerife is famous as a cycling destination for pro riders who clock up the miles over punishing climbs. This has meant that recreational or club riders may have been reticent to cycle here, thinking it is suitable only for the very advanced. But there are rides for all levels if you know where to look.
As reported in Cycling Weekly back in April 2019, the routes up Teide are popular with riders looking to stoke their winter training before road season starts.
"In just 35km you can ride from zero to 2,100m and it really is continuous. For the dedicated pro rider looking to accumulate as much climbing as possible it is perfect. You can cover as much as 4,000m a day in a relatively short distance."
True. But this is not your only option.
TenerifeVelo offers guided and coached training camps to suit a range of levels. The key is to match your ability and expectations to the levels on offer. We run camps of varying abilities over the same period to ensure that friends or clubs that want to travel together can find the level they suit, or intense "Train Like a Pro" camps for clubs and groups that want to go all-out.
We are lucky that our newly fully-refurbished and dedicated accommodation is at 850m altitude, sitting between Arona and Vilaflor. This gives us lots of ride out/ride back options while cutting out the boring trek up through the tourist towns and traffic on the coast.
Don't want to do a full ascent? One of our circular routes heads down to Arona, across to San Miguel and Granadilla and then up to Vilaflor for lunch at our favourite local Canarian restaurant (we have been known to come here just for the puddings - they are divine). It is a very popular route with our "Chatty Cycling" groups wanting to experience a pretty portion of the Teide climb. We stop at our favourite cafe mid-morning for a "barraquito" (a fabulous local coffee concoction of espresso, condensed milk, hot milk, a shot of Licor 43 for the brave, cinnamon and a twist of lime). We find it rocket boosts our legs from Granadilla up to Vilaflor for lunch!
Our "Lycra Fanciers" are a more advanced group who want to push themselves harder. They head off a little earlier, and continue the climb up past Vilaflor and into the National Park, where our back up van sets up a panoramic coffee stop overlooking the extraordinary terrain of this volcanic island to the sea. They then have the dramatic descent back down to Vilaflor for lunch with the Chatty Cyclists.
We find it's routes like these that help clubs, groups of friends or couples to each get the most out of their trip if they each want to cycle at different levels - but come together to enjoy all the fun of the social side of our trips.
And the evenings really are very social! A 3-course gourmet supper with wine every night means your legs are fully refuelled for cycling the next day. You can chill out by the infinity pool, hop in the open air jacuzzi under the stars, or take part in one of our add-on excursions on offer, like a tour of the local vineyard or spend an afternoon at a Spa nearby.
Need a bit more help with recovery? We have our favourite sports massage team on hand to help ease out any tired legs and prepare for the next day (ask us for details via info@tenerifevelo.com).
Cycling Weekly says "nearly all roads lead to the top of Teide... ".
Not so. Come to Tenerife with us and discover the routes the locals take, and throw in a magnificent full or partial Teide ascent to boot!