Tenerife and Mt Teide

Jim Stynes

I'm heading at Easter next year. What's the story with Mt Teide? Is it a ridiculously hard climb that I need to train specially for it? Doing about 100-120miles between sat and Sunday at minute and between 180 and 250 during the better and lighter weather.

I'm going as part of preparation for La Marmotte in July so I am lookin to see what it's like to climb for that length of time. I am trying to aim to peak for July and not burn myself out before it.

Any recommendations for bike hire? Seems to be only that bikepoint place that has a decent website online. I will be based in Costa Adeje (not sure of the spelling). Cheers

smurphy29

It's very long but very steady. It's nearly 40k of climbing but the gradient never gets above 7% so you should be able to tap out a steady rhythm. Watch your heart rate and keep the effort steady to leave enough for the final few kms. It's obviously impossible to replicate that sort of distance consecutive climbing here, but add in plenty of the 20 minute climbs around Wicklow on your spins and you will have a decent base.

It's also very beautiful, you really see the landscape changing as you get higher and higher.

el tel

It all depends where you are starting from. Starting your ride from the coast, say up via Aldea Blanca or Arona to Vilaflor parts of the roads are, technically speaking, steep as fook. But the surfaces are great. After that, up to the very high parts, it isn't too bad, just a drag. Oh yeah and it can be windy as hell if you are setting out from any of the resorts near the airport.

torydiver

Took bus trip to mt. Teide a few weeks ago from pdla. The climb seemed to go on forever. Good luck with it. On a clear day the scenery will be varied and spectacular especially at the top(lunar like landscape).

Planet X

Also took a bus trip up there, last week, from Puerta de la Cruz. Guide said there was 317 turns on the way up. Why.... I don't know.
Fair few cyclists going up. Bitter cold going through clouds. Nice n warm up higher. The peak stands at 3700+m. Coaches went to 2500 odd.
Spectacular.


Rentals, decent road bikes in P de la C @€;20 /. day.

outfox

Did it last March. The climbs are grand - you just chug away at a nice pace. Nothing very steep. With the distances you're doing at the moment, you'll be grand. You will love it.
Biggest problem I found was getting cold on the decent, and hands getting tired from all the braking. I recommend bringing arm warmers, leg warmers, layers, etc. I found myself eating a lot more too. Don't know if it was the climbing, or the sea air, or the altitude or what, but I was nibbling something every 30 min.
I rented from Tenerife-training.net. He was very good, but I think he may have packed in the business since then.
Do not visit the island without cycling Anaga on the NE. Stunning. We hired a car at the airport for the week, which made getting around to all these places simpler. Very cheap too - cheaper than bus transfers IIRC.
And if you're planning routes, stay well clear of the road from Teide which runs west, unless they've resurfaced it. The surface was diabolical by car last March. On a bike it would be murder.

bren_mc

I did it back in August and found the heat almost unbearable at times. I had it in my head that I'd be trying to average 14-15 kph but could only manage 11-12:( I imagine it'll be much more pleasant at Easter. Outfox is right about the western road being in a bad state, but tbh its fine for the ascent - you just wouldn't want to descend on that road. I rented from bikepoint - found them very good to deal with.

Wishbone Ash

I did it on Good Friday last. It's very long (37 km ascent from Costa Adeje) but rarely goes over 10% with a good surface. I probably over-paced myself early on as I was unsure of what was ahead and could have gone a bit quicker. Places to eat/drink are very limited on the way up so don't pass a shop if you're running low. Fantastic scenery.

There's a sort of interpretative centre at the top with a restaurant but it's well inside so I didn't want to leave the bike outside (lots of people around) even though I could have done with something decent to eat.

http://app.strava.com/activities/131560629

outfox wrote: »

.... stay well clear of the road from Teide which runs west, unless they've resurfaced it. The surface was diabolical by car last March. On a bike it would be murder.

Wise words! I descended that side and was shaken to bits for mile after mile. I should have returned the way I came up.

kingoffifa

http://www.strava.com/activities/48467676

this nearly killed me. 400 odd metres was the most i had done previous to that

i had absolutely no training

i had to lie on the ground 3 times from the light head it gave me. think i got a nose bleed and everything.

few days later did it with much less torture

http://www.strava.com/activities/49100961

2 stops for food and drink - cause it was a holiday after all.

you'll be fine. just dont think there will be a stop in the uphill. the gradient is constant. i blew by a bunch of lads wondering why they going so slow with calves that big. i learned why....

bring your own bike. rented from both places over the 6 days i was there. would have been as cheap to fly my bike over. the saddle of the first rental was so not suitable i couldnt go near the bike the next day.

some buzz getting to the top!

Jim Stynes

Cheers for all the advice lads. I can't wait to go now! Hopefully I will be able to find a few fellas to go along with. I think that bikepoint shop run a few tours etc around the island. The wife will have to go shopping or sunbathing while I am away slogging up the mountain. She cycles too but I don't think she would be able to handle that sort of climbing. Plus I don't want her holding me back!

crosswords

Bike point is your best option for rental. I suggest starting in san miguel and heading up via villaflor. That's where the pro teams go from.

On the way down rake the descent to granadilla. Its so twisty.

Biggest hazard for me were the giant pine cones. Watch out.

el tel

Bring your autograph book. When I was there (April/May time) I saw Astana, Movistar and few other Pro Tour Teams as well as some An Post riders out on the road.

Wishbone Ash

Saw lots of pro's myself especially on coffee breaks in Villaflor.

At one point on the ascent I was passed by a 10 man Sky team in time-trial formation doing about three times my speed.

outfox

And you didn't jump on??

get on your bike

Start early. It's very hot. It's worth it for the down bit

Zzippy

outfox wrote: »

And you didn't jump on??

That would be brilliant, tagging on to the back of a Sky train! Imagine the looks you'd get

Moreilly

Don't forget to enjoy the view !!

Wishbone Ash

Here's a few pics I took on the way up.

Jim Stynes

jesus i cannot wait to go!!

outfox

Yeah, those photos bring it all back. Fantastic. I was on a high for much of it.

Jim Stynes

Lads, how much time should I leave for doing this sort of climb? Say from Costa Adeje? I am going with the wife and I don't think I will get away with leaving here for 6 or 7 hours of cycling a couple times in the week? I am going from Friday to Friday so was thinking of doing a couple of 2 hour spins a couple times that week plus to long days. Starting early in the morning as well!
Anybody over at that time that wants to join me. I am going to struggle big time!

Wishbone Ash

Jim Stynes wrote: »

...I am going with the wife and I don't think I will get away with leaving here for 6 or 7 hours of cycling....

Personally I wouldn't like to be under a time limit as I'd feel under pressure to push myself which may not be advisable on a long climb (possibly in hot weather). My elapsed time was 8 hours 47 mins but I did descend the horrible west side and had to come back around the island and then got a bit lost finding my hotel. I took about 3.5 hours for the ascent including a couple of stops and a few photo opportunities. If you come back down the way you ascend you'd easily do it in 5 hours.

ninoon

The ascent from Adeje via Arona and Vilaflor is one long climb , I did it a few weeks back and it took 4 hrs plus although age and fitness in January were against me. The descent was some spin and took about an hour or so, altogether very enjoyable but doable . Hired a nice bike from Bikepoint in Las Americas.

Leroy42

Not going until mid May but already looking forward to this.

Just a question. On the Strava links that people are putting up the segments all seem to stop before the end of the climb, the route seems to keep going before turning right.

Is there a reason for the segment stopping there? From the google earth view it doesn't seem like anything changes.

ON a 2nd issue, have a Garmin 500 which does a basic job on routes, but not much in the way of navigation. Would I need to bother trying to borrow an 800 or would is it pretty straightforward with a bit of planning?

Wishbone Ash

Leroy42 wrote: »

Not going until mid May but already looking forward to this.

Just a question. On the Strava links that people are putting up the segments all seem to stop before the end of the climb, the route seems to keep going before turning right.

Is there a reason for the segment stopping there? From the google earth view it doesn't seem like anything changes.

ON a 2nd issue, have a Garmin 500 which does a basic job on routes, but not much in the way of navigation. Would I need to bother trying to borrow an 800 or would is it pretty straightforward with a bit of planning?

Possibly because the road reaches a plateau and is quite flat at the top for a few kms.

You won't need any navigation. It's very straightforward. I can only recall one left turn from the main road in one of the villages and it well signposted as it very much a tourist destination for motorists/coaches.

ninoon

Yes the road flattens out at 2150 mts app about 2kms from the junction /rt turn you mention and descends into the basin of the volcano ,flattens for 7 km app then rises to the cable car depot which is the highest point at 2300mts app. I also turned at the first summit as time was pressing.

Bloggsie

Jim Stynes wrote: »

I'm heading at Easter next year. What's the story with Mt Teide? Is it a ridiculously hard climb that I need to train specially for it? Doing about 100-120miles between sat and Sunday at minute and between 180 and 250 during the better and lighter weather.

I'm going as part of preparation for La Marmotte in July so I am lookin to see what it's like to climb for that length of time. I am trying to aim to peak for July and not burn myself out before it.

Any recommendations for bike hire? Seems to be only that bikepoint place that has a decent website online. I will be based in Costa Adeje (not sure of the spelling). Cheers

Afternoon Jim Stynes, I'd love to hear how you get on with the trip, anychance you will post an aftershow comment or 2?

Jim Stynes

Settled into the hotel in tenerife and collected the bike there! Nice focus evo with disc breaks. Not sure I like the disc breaks though, near put me over the handlebars at one stage so it will take a bike of getting used to. The bike is nice and is in great working order. It's no Bianchi Sempre though!!
Just went out and did about 7 or 8 mile to have a look around the area where I am staying and straight away I can see what I am in for. Every road seems to just start going up and up. I wouldnt be a nervous rider but I was a bit ****ting it a bit to be honest as I am not used to cycling on the other side of the road. Some of the roads are a hell of lot busier than home so I will be taking no risks unit i get inland and onto quieter roads.
Ive 3 rides planned and two shorter ones. Don't want to leave the wife behind in the hotel too much as I will be getting guilt tripped for weeks.

transylman

Jim Stynes wrote: »

Settled into the hotel in tenerife and collected the bike there! Nice focus evo with disc breaks. Not sure I like the disc breaks though, near put me over the handlebars at one stage so it will take a bike of getting used to. The bike is nice and is in great working order. It's no Bianchi Sempre though!!
Just went out and did about 7 or 8 mile to have a look around the area where I am staying and straight away I can see what I am in for. Every road seems to just start going up and up. I wouldnt be a nervous rider but I was a bit ****ting it a bit to be honest as I am not used to cycling on the other side of the road. Some of the roads are a hell of lot busier than home so I will be taking no risks unit i get inland and onto quieter roads.
Ive 3 rides planned and two shorter ones. Don't want to leave the wife behind in the hotel too much as I will be getting guilt tripped for weeks.

It can be intimidating looking up at Teide, but for the most part it is nice manageable gradients of less than 7%. The main routes to the top from the south (La Camella-Arona-Vilaflor, and San Miguel-Granadilla-Vilaflor) both average less than 7%. The only hard part is that it takes around 3 hours.

outfox

If you can get over to Anaga in the NE, it's well worth it. The TF-12 from San Andres to Las Mercedes and back again is the most enjoyable ride I've ever had.

Wishbone Ash

Jim Stynes wrote: »

... Every road seems to just start going up and up....

The street outside my hotel was 12% - talk about getting straight into it! It wasn't easy getting the second foot clipped in at the start of any ride. :eek:

outfox

Hey Jim, I see you're back (from another thread). How'd it go in Tenerife?

Jim Stynes

What a trip lads. Cyclists paradise out there. I'll try give you all a proper report tomorrow - sleep is the main thing on my mind at the minute! Only home and I'm clean wrecked!

Jim Stynes

outfox wrote: »

Hey Jim, I see you're back (from another thread). How'd it go in Tenerife?

Great place Fox. But if you're going out for training then it better be climbing specific training because there were very few roads that I saw that were flat. The roads are quite busy until you get out of the coastal towns then it is lovely quiet and smooth roads. Mt Teide is a monster but there are loads of little roads around that are class for climbing if you only have a couple of hours. I went for a quick couple of hours in the morning and found a couple of cracking climbs. 23 mile and 1200m of climbing! 26 switch backs up to a hill top village called Taucho and I didn't meet a single car!

I went with a company for two of the rides. Bikepoint (the main bike rental company on the island) have them on their site but it is actually a company called club activo who run the tours. They're ok if you're like me who was on holidays with the wife and didn't have anyone else to go cycling with. At 50 euro a tour I wouldnt say they're the best value. If you were out with a mate you could easily do the same climbs and stop in a cafe for something to eat.

We passed loads of pro teams on training rides. A few were getting paced up the climbs with scooters. Good to see the effort they put in.

I would definitely go back. I would love to have a proper go at it next time and go with a few fellas from the club. Take a good week at it with nothing else to do but cycle and rest. I managed 5 rides but 3 of those were quick 2-3 hour rides before breakfast as I felt bad leaving the wife by herself. Two long days. Any questions then just ask.

Wishbone Ash

Jim Stynes wrote: »

... Mt Teide is a monster but there are loads of little roads around that are class for climbing if you only have a couple of hours...

You didn't get a chance to do Mt Teide Jim?

Re the pro's - they really are skinny when up close to them. I'm 72kgs and when beside them at a coffee stop, I felt like the lad who ate all the pies!

Jim Stynes

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

You didn't get a chance to do Mt Teide Jim?

Re the pro's - they really are skinny when up close to them. I'm 72kgs and when beside them at a coffee stop, I felt like the lad who ate all the pies!

I did it twice. Struggled on the Monday. Paced it all wrong, hadn't enough food and was longer than I expected. Over 3100m of climbing from where we started until the summit of Teide! Did it on the Monday but not as much climbing and it wasn't too bad at all. Yeah they're little weeds! I have played gaelic football all my life and have been used to try and get stronger and bigger, now I am trying to strip it all away. Im 6ft and 90kgs (i actually lost weight on holidays for the first time) and want to get down to 80kgs. With my frame I would look sick if I was any lighter than that.

Wishbone Ash

Jim Stynes wrote: »

... hadn't enough food ....

Yes,I had the same problem and was starving at the summit. There are no options to buy anything after a certain point. If When I do it again I'm going to cable tie a large filled roll under my top tube. I won't care what the pro's think! :pac: