When I started this website back in 2008 (yes, getting on for 14 years ago…) I came to the whole endeavour as a naive touring cyclist. When I wrote ‘Crossing Europe…’ many people commented upon how they had enjoyed experiencing the cycling journey from southern England to southern Italy from the perspective of an inexperienced two-wheeled traveller who, quite frankly, didn’t know what he was doing for much of the time. That epitaph has become increasingly tenuous in the past decade as, inevitably, I have learnt what to do. I’m still learning but it would be disingenuous to continue to refer to myself as ‘naive’. Or rather it is in the world of cycle touring. I still consider myself to be very inexperienced in many other areas of cycling including the one that involves donning tight lycra and heading out for the day with minimal kit on a bicycle designed for speed…
Which is perhaps why I’m getting quite excited about travelling to Tenerife for a week in mid-February. It won’t be cycle touring. I’ll be staying in a luxury hotel for five nights (not a tent), pulling on bright lycra (rather than a smelly t-shirt and pants) and heading off on a lightweight carbon bicycle at speed. (Well, perhaps…) I’m genuinely looking forward to being, for a few days at least, that naive cyclist that I was back in 2008. Not a naive touring cyclist but a naive racing cyclist.
That said, I’m not going to compete in any races. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. As mentioned in previous posts on the topic…
…I won’t be taking either Wanda (my touring bike) or Ronnie (my commuting bike) or indeed Reggie (my famous but sadly neglected original touring bike that continues to spend its retirement in my cellar, rusting…) with me to Tenerife in February. The plan is to hire a bicycle from the hotel. And I’ve just been taking a look on the hotel’s website to see what they offer. Here are a few pictures:
Looks impressive, no? The hotel provide a few more written details:
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BIKE CENTRE
Our Bike Centre offers everything cycling fans or professionals might need for their sport. Certified by Bike Friendly and supported by Bike Point.
- Safe bike storage space with lockers
- Free use of the toolbox
- Bike wash area
- Bike rental, from amateur to professional level, road bikes, electric bikes, M bikes
- External technical support from Bike Point (extra charge)
- Special gift on arrival
- We offer several route recommendations you can download (QR code)
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I wonder what the ‘special gift upon arrival’ might be… A water bottle? A puncture repair kit? The code for the defibrillator?
Tenerife will certainly get the full โCycling Europeโ treatment. Once I get home expect a detailed write-up, an episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast as well as a short film. (In addition to the endless tweets whilst I am there of courseโฆ)
Iโll be heading to Tenerife courtesy of Jet2Holidays. It’s one of the company’s โcyclingโ destinations. I’ll be staying at the Dreams Jardin Tropical Resort & Spa in Costa Adeje.
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