ROAD BIKE TOUR TENERIFE: MOUNT TEIDE CHALLENGE
With our Road Bike Tour Tenerife “Mount Teide Challange“, you will discover the nature of this Vulcanic Island cycling with your favourite road bike.
A Road Bike Tour Tenerife to the discovery of Teide Volcano
Tenerife is a spectacular volcanic island, the tenth highest island in the world. The summit of the Teide Volcano (3718 m) is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above the sea level in the Atlantic islands. Ride with us on Teide National Park, named World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With this Road Bike Tour Tenerife you will explore the volcano’s forces of nature, the colors, the sky, the forests, the crater and its moonlike landscape.
The Mount Teide Challange Tour is divided in South Teide and West Teide, you can choose what your prefer or you can also do both, for a proper Mount Teide Challange!
Teide Challenge – A challenge for all
Challenging the Teide volcano by bike, cycling suspended between sea and nature, feeling under your skin the power of the geological evolution of the Earth, is something to be experienced at least once in a lifetime, and for you, thanks to the staff of Cycling in Tenerife, a leading company in the field of bike excursions in Tenerife, that will become a reality.
With its 3718 meters height, and as deep again under the surface of the sea, looking from above at the blue of the Atlantic Ocean, the Teide, created 3 million years ago by massive eruptions, is the third highest volcano in the world and the first in Europe, although situated on the African tectonic plate. It is home to a national park. Since the air above the Teide caldera appears to be the cleanest on the planet, the site has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To climb it by bike from the side closest to our base, we divided the mountain into 2 areas, the South (Vilaflor) and the West (Chio). There are also 2 other climbing sides, the North and the East, which we will not deal with in this description, but for which cycling staff in Tenerife can organize tours on request. From every side, however, you will find the most suitable solution for your needs.
South Slope (Vilaflor)
Starting by bike from the south side of Vilaflor, we will cross numerous points of interest, including Los Cristianos, then Arona, about 600 meters above sea level. Just 4 km higher we will cross La Escalona, located at about 1000 meters above sea level, with the first intersection at altitude of another road, coming from San Miguel de Abona. From this point, and for about 6 km, between 1000 and 1400 meters, the landscape is marked by the first wine cellars and the typical crops of Canarian potatoes. Thus we arrive at Vilaflor, located at an altitude of 1400 meters within the Teide National Park, which is the entrance from the south side to the caldera of the volcano, passing the Pino Gordo, the oldest pine on the island, 45 meters high.
Leaving behind the inhabited centers, from now on we will immerse ourselves in a green and fragrant pine forest, which will surround us for about 20 km, until we arrive at an altitude of 2270 and then enjoy – from the strategic panoramic point of Boca Tauce – the incredible view of Pico del Teide and then Canadas del Teide. It will be a vista that will more than reward our efforts, and on the way back we will descend on the west side, creating a magnificent ring showcasing both sides of the volcano.
West Side (Chio)
From the west side we will experience different but no less spectacular places of interest on our discovery of the Teide. It is an ideal track for those who love to savor the experience, as it is softer, longer, with average gradients of around 7%. We will start by bike from Costa Adeje, just 20 km from the modern town of Arona, from the white beaches and luxury hotels frequented by high-class clientele, as well as the tourist areas of La Caleta and Playa de Fañabé. Passing the tourist area, we will enter the road that will take us to the crossroads of Barrio Los Menores, from which we will take the junction of Guia de Isora for our “Bananas climb”, a 9 km climb between banana crops, until we reach the urban center of Guia.
Leaving Behind Tamaimo, which we will see along the climb, we will continue for another 4 km to the typical village of Chio, composed of finoe and case rural houses. Here we will stop at the bar of our friend Rafael, a refreshment point for cyclists, with his appreciated “batido vitamin” of fruit and homemade energy bars, before beginning the last stretch towards the Teide volcano. From now on we only have the last 28 km of constant ascent, with a gradient of between 5% and 7%, the easiest of those on the island but also the longest.
After the first 5 km the view will open to Pico Viejo del Teide, which stands at an altitude of 2200 meters, until we cross the Boca Tauce lookout, where the landscape changes completely, passing from green pine woods to arid and lunar soil, created by lava coming from volcanic eruptions, with the imposing Teide, and in the background the road coming from the south, the famous Tf21 that crosses the island from north to south.
We now have a spectacular and very long descent through pine forests inside the Caldera del Teide, a descent that will take us back to the base of the volcano and therefore to our starting point, but this time downhill on the south side, creating a magnificent ring that will showcase both sides of the volcano.
