Cycling and beach holiday

GFowler22

Hi guys,

 Last year I went to Majorca for a week break with the Mrs, so whilst she lounged on the beach I headed off early for a ride and then got back in a reasonable time. We stayed in Puerto Pollensa, so access to the mountain roads was pretty good. I was also able to hire a Trek madone for the week, which is exactly what I ride at home.

 We are looking to go away again either in May/June or September and are looking for somewhere different but the offers, beach and good access to mountain roads and also somewhere that I can hire a decent bike too.

 Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 thanks

 Gavin

markhewitt1978

I did an extensive search for exactly the same thing a few weeks ago as we've already been to Mallorca a few times. Literally spent 5 days full time searching! The conclusion we arrived at - Mallorca.

dirtymonkey1985

Down in the south of France is good. I stayed in Antibes (just between Nice and Cannes) last summer and it was perfect. I took my own bike but from what I saw Nice has a fair few rental shops so that shouldn't be a problem. One of the days i just took the coast road round through Cannes and onwards and it was one of the most enjoyable rides i've ever had.

Tjgoodhew

I went to Tenerife in December and it ticks the box for beaches and riding.

It really depends how much climbing you like to do as i found you are pretty much going up or down with very little flat stuff

If you stay near Las Americas you have easy access to bike hire and the most common route for the climb of Mt Teide - 26 miles and 7500ft. All i would say is it might be a bit warm at that time of year especially for long climbs - December was pretty much perfect at around 20 degrees at sea level and about 10degrees at the top

GFowler22

Thanks for the tip on tenerife, I've googled the area and especially the climbs and they look rather good!

Where would you recommend staying, where abouts is Las Americas?

Dorset_Boy

Different type of beach, but Lake Garda?

Does she need a beach at all, or is it just sunshine and a pool that she really needs? Opens up more opportunities.....

lakesluddite

dirtymonkey1985 wrote:

Down in the south of France is good. I stayed in Antibes (just between Nice and Cannes) last summer and it was perfect. I took my own bike but from what I saw Nice has a fair few rental shops so that shouldn't be a problem. One of the days i just took the coast road round through Cannes and onwards and it was one of the most enjoyable rides i've ever had.

This looks like a good place to hire - and they have Treks as their stock road bikes. I am going to Nice in July for a few days, so am hoping to do at least one day out using them.

http://azurcycletours.com/

Tjgoodhew

GFowler22 wrote:

Thanks for the tip on tenerife, I've googled the area and especially the climbs and they look rather good!

Where would you recommend staying, where abouts is Las Americas?

I actually stayed in the Sensatori resort in Acala which is an hour bus ride from Las Americas. It is a lovely hotel but you will need to travel to pick up a bike or pay for delivery. It was a family holiday so cycling was secondary but i would stay in the hotel again

I dont know the island very well but would hired from Bike Point and their two shops are in the south of the island. A decent bike and good service.

Teide is a monster of a climb but one of the best days iv had on a bike - you can have a look at my route here - https://www.strava.com/activities/237018471

jaxf

I have stayed in the same hotel as Tjgoodhew in Tenerife - Gran Melia Guia de Isora. The bike storage is good, and secure, and the staff go get your bike for you instantly you appear in reception in your SPDs. The strava segments around there to search for include villages like Tamaimo, Chio and Santiago del Teide. The first 10km is usually about 10-13%. If the staff see you out cycling while they are off duty, they wave and shout encouragement.

I find Tenerife ideal for cycling. The temperature, lack of traffic and immensely courteous drivers are all joyful. The scenery changes every 500m of climbing and is outstanding, and then there is Mt Teide - the longest climb in Europe - 55km and 2400m of up. Be aware though that there is nowhere to eat higher up, so you will want to take more than 1 banana (rookie mistake on my part - I was ravenous)

I usually cycle in the French Alps - col de l'Iseran and col du pt St Bernard are my usual routes. Tenerife is better - so much better.

I always take my own bike. EasyJet, RyanAir, Thomson and BA all go to Tenerife South, and all take bikes. My husband rented one the first year we went, I was on crutches, so couldn't ride, didn't pay attention to where he rented from. They were v helpful, and not expensive, delivered and picked up the bike, sorted out pedals, fixed a mechanical overnight (the road to Masca is a shocker) - that's all I remember, nothing useful like what they were called...... sorry

Beach holiday aspect for the family - my daughter loves Tenerife, and that hotel in particular, so much that despite not cycling herself, she chooses it. Bonus - I get to cycle every morning and 1 or 2 full days. That hotel has lots of activities and pools - quiet adult only ones and ones for children. The children's club is apparently very good - can't comment on personal experience, but a couple of children 8 and 10 we did archery with said how much they loved it. The food is fine, and I believe there is a michelin standard restaurant just down the road near Los Gigantes.

ai_1

GFowler22 wrote:

Thanks for the tip on tenerife, I've googled the area and especially the climbs and they look rather good!

Where would you recommend staying, where abouts is Las Americas?

I've gone to Tenerife twice and rented an apartment on the beach at El Medano both times.
It's a gorgeous beach and an ideal starting point if you want to do the longest climb from sea level in Europe! You can literally start at the beach and ride straight up Mt Teide without ever descending a meter.
The upper 2/3 of the climb is the same from either El Medano or Playa las Americas but I think the lower section from El Medano was a more direct route if I remember correctly and probably a bit less traffic.

El Medano has plenty bars, restaurants but it is quieter than Las Americas so if you want the night life of Las Americas, go to Las Americas.
I hired a Focus from Bikepoint in El Medano. Very current and well maintained bikes (mostly Focus or Ridley). In two trips we hired 6 bikes. The shop was easy to deal with, very professional and the bikes were all were in perfect condition, well set up and equipped and we had no problems at all.
http://www.bikepointtenerife.com/bike-hire

I don't think Tenerife is great for culture or diversity but if you want a nice beach, predictable weather and some good riding, it's just about ideal.

GFowler22

Thanks for all the advice everyone, really helpful- I've been reading about Mt Teide and I really fancy that challenge! The advice about area is helpful too and i've googled bikepoint and they seem very current and professional! Now all I have to do is convince the Mrs about the black sand! Or it will Mallorca again!

tramuntanacycling

Mallorca again of course. It is so difficult to beat what this lovely island offers.

I normally use each of the following criteria when deciding where to holiday: beach, sea cleanliness, sea temperature, colour of sky, roads, route choice and quality, restaurants and hotel choice and quality, courtesy of drivers, cycling related services, shopping, weather, distance to travel, history, culture and finally price comes into it of course, but with the £ strong against the € it evens most things out.

The Canaries feature quite well, I like them, but having higher mountains does not make up for the road quality and courtesy/skill of local drivers or the quality of the routes. For me, there is just a little too much filler rather than quality to get anywhere decent. The more often than not watery blue sky does not beat the pure blue of the Med sky. Sea temperature? Brrrrr. beach choice and cleanliness? Hmmm. I could go on, but as I say I do like going to the Canaries, but normally only in Jan or Feb when it is warmer than Mallorca.

Just think of a few things you might be missing out on:
1.a newly resurfaced smooooth route out to Cap Formentor, watching the sun rise or set from Talaia d'Albercutx, a coffee under the shady trees at Formentor beach..
2. cutting through the lanes to wind up Coll de Sa Batalla, followed by a slice of the world's best almond cake before you blast back down the F1 grade tarmac of Coll de Femenia back to the Port.
3. Experiencing the thrill of Port Valldemossa.
4. Sa Calobra again - never gets boring - you can even take the ferry at the bottom if you prefer to just go downhill.
5. 54 hairpins up and down Coll de Sóller.
6. Port Soller to Andratx
7. The Orient Valley
8. Breakfast in Banyalbufar - check out this morning's post on our Facebook page.

I could go on, but first I am off for a ride before work. Under the blue sky :oops: My choice would be stick with quality, find some new routes and enjoy!

Check out our new route section and any of our photo galleries before deciding!

Happy holidays - in all seriousness, anywhere you choose I am sure will be great

A preview of the new Cap Formentor surface.

tramuntanacycling

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I did an extensive search for exactly the same thing a few weeks ago as we've already been to Mallorca a few times. Literally spent 5 days full time searching! The conclusion we arrived at - Mallorca.

Cake is on me!

ai_1

GFowler22 wrote:

Thanks for all the advice everyone, really helpful- I've been reading about Mt Teide and I really fancy that challenge! The advice about area is helpful too and i've googled bikepoint and they seem very current and professional! Now all I have to do is convince the Mrs about the black sand! Or it will Mallorca again!

The sand at El Medano isn't quite golden but it's not black either!
Look up some pictures and you should be able to convince her
Look here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_R ... lands.html

GFowler22

Wow the road to fermentor looks amazing! It was dog rough, so I will be looking forward to riding that! Thanks for the information on routes. I've done the fermenor and femenia but sa calobra or soller so those will def be on the list!

FJS

Gran Canaria
Tenerife
Nice/Menton/San Remo
Malaga

mamba80

Majorca esp if you ve only been there once before, plus the bike hire is a fair bit cheaper.

darkhairedlord

just rent a pedallo, two birds one stone etc.

lostboysaint

South of France. Nice is the cyclists mecca but also down around Perpignan offers excellent beaches (better than Nice!) and mountains.

DaveMoss

I'm just back from Tenerife, and it was good. as well as the different routes up Tiede, the circuit round Masca was awesome, the Masca climb is incredible, imagine Hardknot at least twice as long. Tiede is much more gradual, but very very long. Bike Point is great, I hired a basic alloy framed bike and it had 105 11 speed, a 32 tooth sprocket, which I was very glad off. The staff told us that the motorway extension should be open in May, so after that the ride in that direction should be a lot more pleasant. Finding you way out of and back into the main resort heading West is a nightmare, get a good map and research google earth.

Last year we went to Gran Canaria and I would say that is better for cycling routes, more choice and smooth roads. Free motion spot on for bike hire.

Not so good if you want a tan, but the beaches and the cycling are a lot better on the West of Scotland.And the ferries are cheaper.

tim000

I was in eastern crete a couple of years ago and loads of cyclist out there . might be worth looking at . http://www.cyclecrete.com/