We got back from Fuerteventura around 8pm on Thursday night and it was back to work the next morning. Yuck! Stepping off the plane to 9 degs after leaving 22 degs was a bit of a shock.
Post-holiday blues always set in once you are back. Sat in bed drinking a coffee yesterday morning thinking only 24 hours earlier you were on a balcony drinking coffee looking out to Lanzarote and Lobos enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks. I managed to ride to our Birmingham store PM after a busy day catching back up with work. Shorts gave way to a winter jacket, tights and boots again. It was dry though which was a bonus.
We love Corralejo, it was my 7th visit and I’d always go back. However the riding this time was a bit bittersweet for me. It’s a strange place to ride a bike. A road bike is very limited. When we first came you had two roads in and out of town but one has been upgraded to a motorway which only leaves the dunes road. Great you might think but 12 miles out and back at the start and end of your ride on the same road is a bit boring. Most of the road riding is done further south and inland around Betancuria. It’s a bit greener and hillier but too far to ride from Corralejo and back.
That leaves an MTB or Gravel bike. On paper, Fuerteventura is setup for gravel riding and in places it is plentiful and superb. There are more routes out of town to mix things up too. I did take my old Ribble gravel bike one year but I needed 650b wheels and fat MTB tyres minimum. The trails were just too harsh on 700c and 35mm tyres.
The last couple of visits I’ve hired a hardtail MTB but the hire bikes are pretty basic and the coil forks don’t really work because I’m too light for them. I was hoping I’d get an air fork this time but no luck. This time I found the gravel roads had really deteriorated too due to traffic. I rode the coast road to El Cotillo and got literally pummelled and, to be honest, it wasn’t much fun. The constant traffic (pesky surfers and tourists!) has created long sections of washboard-like surface that just rattles your bones. Low tyre pressures helped but it put me off riding it again.
Having thought about whether I would like to ride there again, I think I’ve decided I will give it a go again but I’ll try a full-suspension MTB so I can dial in a bit more comfort.
In other news, I enjoyed the beer and food a bit too much while there so I’m on a mission to lose the weight before The Gravelton in 3 weeks time.
Have a great weekend
Adios