After the first two stages And we were completely hooked by the accompanying story of Rik. Cycling in Greece: Peloponnese – II is another gem. Greece is an underrated destination for a wonderful cycling holiday. The area on the Peloponnese is rugged and varied, and it’s a living photo shoot location. Maarten Zuur, The person who was on this trip did a great job of capturing everything on film. Check it out and enjoy it yourself. Cycling in Greece on the Peloponnese is beautiful!
This is Sparta!
Today there are 126 long kilometers on the program. And not just 126 kilometers. We are driving around Sparta. Just the name alone will evoke memories of the film ‘300’ for many. The cry ’this is Sparta’ is almost legendary. For me, this day is all about goosebumps. All day long. Could it be the 2500 meters of elevation gain?
’In the morning we go straight to a square for breakfast. While we have a cup of coffee as a finale, we wait for ’the guys’. We get company on this ride. One by one, they roll into the square. These guys are so-called ‘pacers’. Pedal Greece It offers you the opportunity to gather a group of local cyclists to accompany you on your trip. The great advantage: these pacers know the area and are happy to talk about it during the ride, but also about themselves and Greek culture, for example. It’s just good conversations. The second advantage: if you don’t have such good legs for a while, you can take advantage of the camaraderie in the group.
Go West
Four of us are finally setting off from Sparta. We head west, towards Mount Taygetos. From the start of our ride, the terrain is nicely undulating. We climb gradually from an altitude of 200 to 850 meters. Naturally, the view gets more beautiful with every minute. Meanwhile, we talk a lot with each other. It really feels like home. These guys are really good company. After about an hour or two of driving, we make our first coffee stop. The place we stop at feels authentic. 100% Greek, if you ask me. On the terrace, we join a few locals. That’s also how to bike in Greece.
Further up
Right after our coffee, we drive up the mountains to an altitude of 1400 meters. The climb is a total of 45 kilometers with a great percentage of elevation gain. However, some parts are 10% to 14% meters, which is quite challenging with the sun high in the sky and 35 degrees Celsius. I’m having a hard time, but complaining isn’t an option. The more pedal strokes, the more mountainous the view becomes. Just before the top, we are treated to a stunning view. A view with the Mediterranean Sea in the background. Perhaps the most beautiful was the descent back to Sparta. But I’ll get back to that later.
From Sparta to Kalamata
Today we’re taking it a little more slowly. This time we’re only cycling 61 kilometers with a ‘just’ 1400 meters of elevation gain ahead of us. We’re driving from Sparta through the mountains to Kalamata, and finally ending up on the beach. How cool is it to be able to splash in the blue water at the end of your ride? And if you can also have a nice lunch of pancakes afterwards, that’s fantastic for me!
I am eventually joined by three other guests. Doros a.k.a. Alexlak will ride with us from now on until the last day. Also Loukas, aka. Loukassoulos He rides with us, but only to the top of the climb and afterwards he returns to Sparta. We would have gotten even more ‘pacers’, but we unexpectedly received a visit from Petros, the Greek youth champion. He is also going up to the top with us.
The climb turns out to be the spectacular Langada pass, from which we descended yesterday. This road connects the cities of Sparta and Kalamata. It is by far the most beautiful mountain pass on this trip. It is similar to the spectacular ‘Gorges’ in France. The big difference: here you are completely alone. The climb is truly fantastic, full of hairpin bends and overhanging cliffs on the way up.
Outlook
When you ride up the hills and down the small slopes, you get a breathtaking view of the mountain, the landscape, and the sea below. Simply put, it is a breathtaking climbing experience here in Greece.
As we say goodbye to Loukas and Petros, Doros and I head down towards Kalamata. Once again, we check into a nice hotel for two nights. Once inside, we both quickly change from bib shorts to swim shorts and head to the beach. To swim and to have a good lunch. A cycling holiday in Greece is an absolute must-do.
Peloponnesos routes
Thanks to Pedal Greece We were able to cycle these beautiful routes.
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.