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Top Tips For Cycling In Tenerife
How To Get The Best Out Of Your Cycling Holiday In Tenerife
Cycling in Tenerife is not like a cycling holiday in Mallorca where you can enjoy a variety of rides and chose to climb only if you want to. A cycling holiday in Tenerife is usually about wanting to climb Mount Teide and enjoy some winter sunshine. We have put together our top tips for cycling in Tenerife and climbing Mount Teide so that you get the most out of your Tenerife Cycling Holiday.
Climbing Mount Teide
Tenerife is a climber’s paradise so make sure you are fit and ready for the challenge ahead of you. Remember, there is no respite on these climbs and so it’s not like you can push hard up a climb and then recover. The slopes of Teide and the wall at Masca are relentless. Learn more about the best rides and routes in Tenerife.
Be prepared to climb. That might sound obvious but the rides will be shorter because you will not stop climbing!
If you can, upgrade your hire bike to DI2s, do it. You want to focus all your energy on the climbs and not fiddling about with your gears.
Pick the best route up Mount Teide. The chances are that on a 5 day cycling holiday in Tenerife, you will only ride Teide once or twice so make sure you have picked your favourite route. Use our guides for cycling Mount Teide from the west, cycling Mount Teide from the south west and cycling Mount Teide from the south east.
Unless you’re a particularly strong rider, pace yourself. Nearly every route up Teide is close to 50km of uninterrupted, intense climbing, so leave enough in the tank to summit.
Descending Off Mount Teide
Be prepared for cold and windy descents off Teide, whatever the weather is like on the coast. There may only be 50km between the Teide's summit and the coast but the difference in temperature between the coastal towns, the higher towns of Guia de Isora and Vilaflor, and the crater itself, can be huge.
We highly recommend that you ride with disc brakes in Tenerife. Unlike Alpine or Pyrenean climbs, the descents off Teide are not technical. They are long straight roads with the occasional sweep in either direction, meaning you can pick up some speed pretty rapidly.
When To Ride In Tenerife
Check out our blog on Road Cycling in Tenerife for the best time to ride. We love late autumn or early Spring on the island.
Ride as soon as the sun comes up if you can. Exposure to the sun for hours on end on a climb is not the bets idea in the middle of the day. It also gets very busy down on the coastal roads as the day progresses.
Tenerife isn't all about Mount Teide. Do not miss out on riding from Masca to the Punta de Teno lighthouse, one of the most stunning rides in Europe. Read more about that route here.
What To Pack
- Don’t assume that just because you are heading to a winter sunshine destination, that you don’t need warm clothes. The weather is hugely changeable in the Teide crater and it’s cold off the descent. A gillet is usually perfect for the ascent but you will want arm warmers or a shell jacket for the descent, and in case of inclement weather at the top.
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