Fuerteventura cycling hol - trip report

Spent a great week on Fuerteventura at the end of January. Still got my cyclist’s tan

Thought I’d summarise things here for future reference.

The weather was great – bright, blue skies, early to mid 20s in the day, strong breeze but nothing mad. The roads are fantastic. You forget (well, I sometimes do) just how bad things often are in the UK. Smooth surfaces, little traffic, considerate drivers. Here and there the tarmac turned from silky smooth to slightly knobbly, but no potholes, and no bother. No traffic lights, lots of space. Very rare to p******e, I was told.

A few roadies about but I suspect it’s way quieter than G Canaria and Tenerife, and certainly Majorca. Cycling still feels fairly ‘new’ on Fuerte, a few resident roadies told me. On a two hour ride I’d see ten or so other riders, maximum, sometimes just one or two. Some days I spotted a small group peloton from a tri camp in the north (not Las Playitas). Some quite serious amateurs around and I was told the pros have started going too.

Mostly the roads I tried were gently rolling with the odd stretch of short climb / descent. I stayed in the village of Villaverde in the north. The best cycling is in the southern half of the island so if you're going then consider staying there.

Got six days’ cycling out of seven. Mostly on rides of around 2 hours, but one recovery ride of 1 hour and a longer ride to Betancuria of around 3.5 hours (50+ miles or so). I had a lot of other things on during the day and my endurance base isn’t that good at the moment, so I didn’t explore longer rides this time. This wasn't a training camp by any means.

Betancuria was the only real hill I saw, and it was a sweet climb, nothing on mainland Europe or Tenerife, of course. There was also nice short little lip near a village called Vallebrun near where I was staying, which I squeezed a few hill reps out of. Once in Betancuria the number of cyclists rose as lots of (mainly German / Scandinavian) cyclists from the south and particularly Las Playitas came into range.

I stayed in a villa that had no connections with cycling holidays. I then hired a superb Giant TCR Composite 1 from http://www.fuerteventurabikehire.com/
The owner, Mark, was really helpful and went (a long way) out of his way to deliver the bike, which was in superb condition. Great price too. Highly recommended. There was a hire place in Corralejo I was initially in contact with but their bikes were nothing on the Giant.

The only downsides really could be the limited route options. I worked out a few figures of 8 and trips, but there were a few bits of out and back, and if I were a better rider I might’ve got bored. The scenery is interesting at first but some might find the arid, volcanic landscape, much of it flat, a bit dull after a while. Feels like you’re riding through some vast American desert.

Also the wind - it was noticeable when you came into a brisk headwind but never really an issue for me and I never had to face it too long. I was a bit worried about it before arrival but it was fine. However, you could be unlucky and get a very windy day. I don't think I got one.

Some of the major roads can get a bit busy and I was told to avoid the island's main one. Again, nothing like a major A-road here.

Would definitely go back. Might try Gran Canaria or Tenerife next time for some steeper routes...

Cheers