Zieleman

Past few weeks my gf&I were on holidays on Fuerteventura, Canarian Islands. I wondered if there was a possibility to go cycling and maybe bring my/our own bikes. After discovering on the interweb that there are places where one can rent roadbikes, I figured it was to much of a hassle to bring bikes ourselves.

At arrival, it became clear that there wasn't much traffic, the tarmac was in good condition and the weather was the way we like it: clear sky, 28 centigrade. The bike rental guy was a German (forgot his name) who claimed to have been a mechanic for Mavic at the Tour de France, among other events. They had 2 types of bikes, which were fairly new Specialized alu frame with Shimano 5700 group, and 4/5 year old KTM alu frame with 105 5600. The mechanic told us to take the KTM's, cause according to him the Specialized were wobbly at high speeds(?). I didn't mind taking the older KTM's (I prefere older in many occassions), but it did seem a little odd to me. As it wasn't his shop and later that week the (English) owner was somewhat surprised about our choice for the KTM's, I figured that maybe it was a sincere advice.

Anyways, the sky stayed clear, temperature raised a bit and so did the road. I was happy to see some 'mountains' (for Dutchies, 600m altitude is a mountain) so we could do some climbing. Unfortunately my gf wasn't as happy with climbing as I was, but she sure did a good job for a first-timer.

The roads were quite good, even for Dutch standards. And being used to cycle-paths/lanes, I was a little scared for driving among the traffic, but that fear was ill-found: Spanish drivers have a lot of respect for cyclists, and while overtaking they keep a 2m distance between you and the car. When overtaking is not alowed, they just stay behind you, showing no need to rush. All quite comforting, except for one guy in a flashy new Mercedes convertible who almost touched me with his mirror going 100+ per hour.

The bikescene on the island appeared to consist of mostly mtb'ers. I have seen only a handfull of other roadbikes. Only one C&V: a guy on a mid-90's steel 'Italian' bike. I say Italian cause it looked the part, but I can't recall the brand. Maybe it was a Fondriest.

All in all, Feurteventura is nice to ride. Just so you know.

PS I could have posted in road, but I didn't choose to

Zieleman

Pics:

Zieleman

Wulf

Nice pics but ..... Not a freakin tree on the whole island?

Zieleman

I know, was a little dissapointed myself as I was on La Gomera, a true green paradise, last year. But it is a vulcanic island, with relatively low peaks. It hardly ever rains and the soil is lavastone and sand... Only in certain valleys there are oases with palmtrees and such. But the moonscape view is pretty awesome!

fender1

That looks horrible! Not a car in sight? Where's the danger?

Italuminium

Wow, nice trip, Don! cool pics too. I can see why the pro teams like to use these islands as a base for training camps.

Zieleman

Yes, the Canarian Islands are a superb retreat, with good weather throughout the year. So offseason the pros can continue riding hills in Giro/Tour/Vuelta conditions. I believe Rabobank trained on Tenerife, US Postal on Gran Canaria, if their wherabouts are correct
Also on Lanzarote, at La Santa, there's a huge trainingcomplex/hotel for professional athletes.

Elev12k

So not much vintage going on Canarian Islands. Did you spot anything that could be considered alternative bicycle culture?

Zieleman

Well, there were lots of hippies riding old mtb's. Unfortunately didn't see any Miyata's...