Tenerife Experience 2 - Gorgeous Masca!
Anonymous
Posts: 79,667
This was my 2nd time out on the bike after my Mount Teide ascent...it was based around the Teno Mountain Range:- Can't put the scenery into words...simply special! The climbs here were steeper than Teide but mercifully not as long....heres my account:-
The Masca route was the other highly anticipated ride I had planned....its a very famous place...supposedly one of the loveliest places on earth...a small hamlet in a deep gorge in the Teno mountains of Tenerife....the route I was doing is known as the deadly triangle or something scary like that.......I was doing it anti-clockwise which means I had the very steep climb from Masca...4km's...9%/12%/10%/12%......11% average...
Up at 5.45am...got ready and got taxi from resort upto Santiago Del Teide...950meters up and around 25kms away...no way would I ride up the TF-82 on my bike to get there...far too busy with traffic....real dangerous.
Anyway on my bike for 7.30am...was pretty cold and had an immediate 250meters climb to get to the highest point on the road - Erjos Pass...1150meters...up and over here...layer of cloud below me -lovely...descended off this to the town El Tanque...took me around 30mins descent....then I turned and went down the crazy mental switchbacks to the town of Garachico..........really impressive!
Then I headed along the coast to Buenavista Norte which is the starting point for the climb upto Masca...got a cracking photo of the mountains as Im heading into them -daunting!...you will se the photo I mean.
Reached Buenavista Norte and started the climb to Masca - 17kms, 900 meteres ascent..lots of switchbacks...gradient around same as Teide ~7% ish.
Climbed right up the valley...passed through a few villages and felt very strong.....then i seen the top of this pass...was a huge big switchback to get there -lovely....when I reached the top of this pass(around 900meters) the terrain changed dramatically...no more gentle valley slopes...the otherside of the pass went down at around 18% and the road was built on the sheer face of a cliff...and it changed into a single road......really shit myself I tell you...the wind would have lifted you off the bike at this pass...then I seen a bloody bus passing by..a BUS!....the road descends around 100meters sharply then ascends even steeper to another high point........descended this then climbed out the otherside...20% sections no problem....real contrast to Teide....when I got to this next high point the scenery near knocked me on my arse.....gobsmackingly gorgeous...really special it was.....and in the very heart of the Gorge sat Masca....it was like that Miccu Piccu in Peru...I stopped here at this viewpoint for ages....then I descended the very steep 180meters into Masca....took a few videos here...started to get a few funny looks of the hikers...they knew where I was going and they had just came down it....after a few breathtaking experiences I went for it...this road is probably the most spectacular road i've ever cycled up...the way it meanderes around a cliff face is staggering....crazy switchbacks...in all different directions -mental!...Well I wondered if I would need my bottom gear 30x27?...I've only ever had to use it once abroad(a bad day on the Col Tourmalet)...all other climbs abroad I've managed on the 30x24...even the brutal Ski Station 'Pla D Adet'....well you will know on my 1st switchback seen me on the 30x27!....easily 20+%....the steep ramps/swiitchbacks came one after another...cars coming down were shaking there heads seeing me cycle up......went on for ages...maybe only 4kms long but it was a long 4kms!...such ferocious ramps....but I was feeling good....must have taken me over half hour to ascend and it really steepened up for the last km....got a round of applause from german tourists when I reached the top...but I was well happy i'd made it....way steeper than anything else abroad i've did but it was magic....funny I saying to myself on the climb....this is murder but just think Hardknott/Rosedale Chimney etc....that starts to make your brain think its more an acceptable gradient.......youll see how steep the bugger is...at the otherside of the valley on the same photo youll see the road I descended into Masca....
Anyway after this its was another steep decent into Santiago Teide before the final 300meter climb out of Santiago Del Teide(where I started) before the long drop down to my resort.
Pictures don't do this region justice...it was gorgeous....another unforgettable experience!
Tenerife has some outstanding cycling...not a place for a small trundle...my small trundle through the week included one of the small hills ~ 650meters!.....its for some real challenges....and I've still yet to get upto the Anaga Mountain range......and the North side of Tenerife is totally different aswell....all green and jungle like....will have to return for more torture!
The Masca route was very hard and included some 2000meters ascent...but it was way easier(even with the steep ramps) than the ascent of Teide...that was 3 1/2 hours torture!
If I could I would simply urge fellow cyclists to have a pop at this island...treat it with the same respect you would give a continental Mountain Holiday...forget the bad rep given with Las Americas etc...95% of the island is spectacular...and being honest Mount Teide is one of those 'must do' challenges out there...and Masca/Teno Mountain range is the most beautiful place i've ever been...I think?
The Masca route was the other highly anticipated ride I had planned....its a very famous place...supposedly one of the loveliest places on earth...a small hamlet in a deep gorge in the Teno mountains of Tenerife....the route I was doing is known as the deadly triangle or something scary like that.......I was doing it anti-clockwise which means I had the very steep climb from Masca...4km's...9%/12%/10%/12%......11% average...
Up at 5.45am...got ready and got taxi from resort upto Santiago Del Teide...950meters up and around 25kms away...no way would I ride up the TF-82 on my bike to get there...far too busy with traffic....real dangerous.
Anyway on my bike for 7.30am...was pretty cold and had an immediate 250meters climb to get to the highest point on the road - Erjos Pass...1150meters...up and over here...layer of cloud below me -lovely...descended off this to the town El Tanque...took me around 30mins descent....then I turned and went down the crazy mental switchbacks to the town of Garachico..........really impressive!
Then I headed along the coast to Buenavista Norte which is the starting point for the climb upto Masca...got a cracking photo of the mountains as Im heading into them -daunting!...you will se the photo I mean.
Reached Buenavista Norte and started the climb to Masca - 17kms, 900 meteres ascent..lots of switchbacks...gradient around same as Teide ~7% ish.
Climbed right up the valley...passed through a few villages and felt very strong.....then i seen the top of this pass...was a huge big switchback to get there -lovely....when I reached the top of this pass(around 900meters) the terrain changed dramatically...no more gentle valley slopes...the otherside of the pass went down at around 18% and the road was built on the sheer face of a cliff...and it changed into a single road......really shit myself I tell you...the wind would have lifted you off the bike at this pass...then I seen a bloody bus passing by..a BUS!....the road descends around 100meters sharply then ascends even steeper to another high point........descended this then climbed out the otherside...20% sections no problem....real contrast to Teide....when I got to this next high point the scenery near knocked me on my arse.....gobsmackingly gorgeous...really special it was.....and in the very heart of the Gorge sat Masca....it was like that Miccu Piccu in Peru...I stopped here at this viewpoint for ages....then I descended the very steep 180meters into Masca....took a few videos here...started to get a few funny looks of the hikers...they knew where I was going and they had just came down it....after a few breathtaking experiences I went for it...this road is probably the most spectacular road i've ever cycled up...the way it meanderes around a cliff face is staggering....crazy switchbacks...in all different directions -mental!...Well I wondered if I would need my bottom gear 30x27?...I've only ever had to use it once abroad(a bad day on the Col Tourmalet)...all other climbs abroad I've managed on the 30x24...even the brutal Ski Station 'Pla D Adet'....well you will know on my 1st switchback seen me on the 30x27!....easily 20+%....the steep ramps/swiitchbacks came one after another...cars coming down were shaking there heads seeing me cycle up......went on for ages...maybe only 4kms long but it was a long 4kms!...such ferocious ramps....but I was feeling good....must have taken me over half hour to ascend and it really steepened up for the last km....got a round of applause from german tourists when I reached the top...but I was well happy i'd made it....way steeper than anything else abroad i've did but it was magic....funny I saying to myself on the climb....this is murder but just think Hardknott/Rosedale Chimney etc....that starts to make your brain think its more an acceptable gradient.......youll see how steep the bugger is...at the otherside of the valley on the same photo youll see the road I descended into Masca....
Anyway after this its was another steep decent into Santiago Teide before the final 300meter climb out of Santiago Del Teide(where I started) before the long drop down to my resort.
Pictures don't do this region justice...it was gorgeous....another unforgettable experience!
Tenerife has some outstanding cycling...not a place for a small trundle...my small trundle through the week included one of the small hills ~ 650meters!.....its for some real challenges....and I've still yet to get upto the Anaga Mountain range......and the North side of Tenerife is totally different aswell....all green and jungle like....will have to return for more torture!
The Masca route was very hard and included some 2000meters ascent...but it was way easier(even with the steep ramps) than the ascent of Teide...that was 3 1/2 hours torture!
If I could I would simply urge fellow cyclists to have a pop at this island...treat it with the same respect you would give a continental Mountain Holiday...forget the bad rep given with Las Americas etc...95% of the island is spectacular...and being honest Mount Teide is one of those 'must do' challenges out there...and Masca/Teno Mountain range is the most beautiful place i've ever been...I think?
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Fantastic write up but then again I may be biased.0
