Easy Does It

After what seems like months of illness and injury, I finally got away on holiday with Sally yesterday to Costa Teguise, Lanzarote.

The back and breathing are now fixed and the antibiotics have kicked my ear infection into touch. I’m healthy again.

We’ve been firm fans of Fuerteventura, it’s Canary Island sister to the south, for the last few years but this year we decided to try somewhere different for a change. A 4.45am alarm saw us picked up at 5.30am by the taxi. We were already checked in and Jet2 now allow you to weigh and tag your own bags and you just wheel them over to the bag drop and dump them. Super slick and easy. We had fast track security and airport lounge passes too, so I think we were through security and munching breakfast and coffee in the lounge by 6.30am. It’s definitely the way to start a holiday. No stress, no drama.

The plane was away on time at 9am and landed about 20 mins early at 1pm. We collected our bags pretty quickly and then onto the bus and to the apartments in about 40 mins all in. Jet2 were great again.

As we were checking into our apartment I got a call from the bike hire place telling me they were closing for lunch. It transpired I’d booked my hire bike from yesterday rather than today but they were cool and we agreed I could pick it up this morning instead.

Our apartment is lovely. Travel agent Sally delivered. Pool side with a sun-filled terrace and a massive King Size bed too. We unpacked and went for a wander to get our bearings and ended up smashing a beer with Nachos and a Greek Salad. As you do.

For our evening meals we play a game now. We write down all different types of food we like plus a couple of random choices and a joker to make up the 10 night stay and each day we take it in turn to choose. Sally went first and it was Tapas. It’s up to the picker to do a bit of research and find somewhere that does the food, Tapas this time so we ended up at a small place called Bar Moon and it was delicious.

Tired from all the travelling we came home a bit earlier and had an early night.

This morning I picked up my MTB hire. A Cube Attention SL. It’s on the small size for me (Medium) but it will do with it’s 1×11 gears and a basic air fork. I got it back and did my suual tweaks and checks (fit a pump, tools, saddlebag etc)

After a morning coffee and wander to the supermarket to pick up some food for lunch this afternoon I went off on a 40km loop. The map said I could follow the seafront bike path before picking up an offroad trail but that ended abruptly at a beach so I had to retrace and find my way back around. Once onto the coastal gravel track I soon left the resort and meandered up and down quite a rocky trail which was a test. It’s quite similar to parts I’ve ridden on Fuerteventura. Remote, rocky and desolate. I didn’t see a soul. I don’t think I’ve ridden and MTB in anger since the last time I rode an MTB in anger 12 months ago in Fuerteventura. It took a while for me to relax and chill a bit as my fitness isn’t 100% since my recent ailments.

As I turned inland the wind really got up and made progress hard work. My core was smarting from the effort. That needs some work. Eventually I popped out onto some lovely smooth asphalt and began a steady climb away from the coast into the hills ahead. When I reached the first town of Guatiza the gradient eased then I headed across a plain peppered with walled, black volcanic fields with cactus, crossed the main arterial North/South A road and then bang straight into a 25% climb. Here I unshipped my chain as I selected first gear which meant dirty fingers trying to pull it out from behind the cassette. I was annoyed I hadn’t checked my gears when I picked the bike up. Back up and running I popped out on a road which I can only describe as real life Zwift. Imagine, jet black, carpet smooth tarmac where signs say Cyclists take precedence over cars and cars must give them 1.5m of room when overtaking. This was a road built for cyclists. It was a fucking hard climb into the wind but empty and fantastic. Just one car passed me. Wide too.

Eventually I topped out and turned onto a busier road although still quiet in UK terms. This gently dropped and climbed again before a sharp turn left for home and downhill towards the coast. All the cars. Every single one, passed me wide and safely.

My route took me briefly offroad and I had to endure a couple of windy uphill sections again before the fastest part of the route saw me doing 60+km/h past the golf club. I looked at this segment on Strava later and saw the fastest had clocked 99.7km/h or 62mph. Mental. It is steep and dead straight for half a mile though, so it’s safe.

The route I had plotted seemed to take me round the houses. Left, right left before I popped out on to the coastal path for a nice, easy spin back to the apartment. It was hot and I was done.

45km in the bag