Although Tenerife Known to many as the ideal winter destination for a cycling holiday, you can visit it all year round. The main reason for this is the ‘Teide’. The island’s giant, with a height of more than 3700 meters, is a must-see spot and creates a divide on the island. The mountain creates a microclimate in combination with the trade winds. That means that you can enjoy cycling on this Canary Island in all seasons. Not for nothing is Tenerife a favorite among professional teams and it was for years the training location of Annemiek van Vleuten. Local Bjørn de Vos from Bikepoint Tenerife has been living on the island for years. After a nice conversation, he gave us his 5 tips for a cycling holiday on Tenerife Given. Enjoy!
Tip 1: The green north in the summer, the south in the winter
When you go cycling in Tenerife, choose the south in the winter. In the summer, you’d rather go north. ‘In the north, the landscape is greener and more inviting than the slightly warmer south’. This is a small indication of the microclimate on Tenerife. Due to the Teide, in the winter you’d best be in the south, where temperatures are generally higher. In the north, it’s a bit cooler and in the high summer it’s better than the hot south. Note that it can also get chilly in winter. Choose a fun route like Route 3, which you can also find in our Komoot Collection.
Tip 2: If you are in the north anyway: drive in the Parque Rural de Anaga
According to Bjørn, Parque Rural de Anaga is the most beautiful place to visit in the summer. There is a varied alternation of green climbs. You are constantly cycling in the forest and in nature. The vegetation is very specific: you find eucalyptus trees interspersed with beautiful rock formations. What makes it truly unique: you have the best view of El Teide from Anaga. From Anaga you can see the giant Tenerife Good at getting you up to speed (and you can actually only see how huge this mountain is). When you drive up the climb to Pico del Inglés, you have 22 kilometers ahead of you with a gradient of four percent. That’s pure joy on two wheels. Cycling in Tenerife is great.
Tip 3: Don't miss Masca
Cycling in Tenerife is synonymous with El Teide, but there is much more to discover. According to Bjørn, the area around Masca is one that you should definitely visit. ‘It is a much greener area, which is also very challenging for the average cyclist. You find less forest here, but it is beautiful, volcanic rock.’ If you are unsure whether you are sufficiently trained, Bjørn has an extra tip: ‘We have a solution for even less-trained cyclists, namely an e-racer.’ And that’s fine by me. Because the climb from Masca to the Mirador del Cherfe is four kilometers long and has an incline of 11 percent (!) Which is a painful ordeal. The perfect hairpin bends, however, soften the pain.
Tip 4: Tenerife is a training island
This may be an obvious question, but let me mention it anyway: on Tenerife, there are no flat roads. If you go cycling for a 60-kilometer round, you’ll be at around 1000 meters altitude pretty quickly. That’s quite different from a round along the promenade. According to Bjørn: ‘it’s a real training island; pros and amateurs come here to get better; that’s what really sets it apart from other places.’ So if you’re thinking of having a quiet cycling weekend, ‘then you might better rent an e-mtb or e-racer from Bikepoint Tenerife’, jokes the cheerful Dutchman. There’s a solution for everything.
Tip 5: Here you can get the best cortado and lunch
Coffee and cycling are almost synonymous. The hashtag #coffeebeforecycling can be seen quite often and you’ll find bike coffee shops almost everywhere. In Spain that’s a little different, but if you need to have coffee somewhere in Tenerife, there’s only one place according to Bjørn: ‘Bar Parada in Chio It’s a real deal for cycling enthusiasts. The interior exudes cycling. He won’t say for sure if it’s the very best cortados, but the quality combined with the interior certainly deserves a mention. If you then want to sit down for a good lunch after a long ride, there’s a second tip: UBUNTU in El Médano. This café, started by two ladies, offers everything, including a lot of variety. VEGAN options. Ideal after a long climb of El Teide.
About Bjørn and Bikepoint Tenerife
Bjørn de Vos has lived on Tenerife for 22 years and knows the island like the back of his hand. He is a born Flemish, but he ended up settling here. Initially because of windsurfing, but later he switched to cycling. By now, together with three partners, he has a thriving business with multiple locations where high-quality race bikes, (e-)MTBs and e-riders can be rented. They are currently mainly active in the south, but there are also plans to expand to the green north of Tenerife. If you choose a cycling holiday in Tenerife, you will Bikepoint Tenerife a nice starting point.
Want more information about cycling in Tenerife? Then go to our Dedicated bicycles on Tenerife page. There you will find tips on hotels, bike rental and routes.
Questions & tips
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