Bicycling Fuerteventura

I know you Brits make a national sport out of discussing the weather, but isn't it nice to get away from the cold and wet for a while as well?   No excuses really, as the low-cost airlines can sometimes bring you down to the Canary Islands for less than the cost of a nice dinner at a restaurant.  My new plan is go to south once in a while to top up on some Vitamin D.

Fuerteventura was our latest jaunt, and wow was it nice.  We got lucky with the weather, it wasn't windy at all while we were there, so we had sun and warmth galore.   Great to go running in just shorts and a t-shirt in the dry air with no chance of rain!   We did some hiking as well, walked in the sand dunes (lovely!), and saw some Moray Eels while Scuba diving.  We even got to see the full moon rise over the ocean.  But mostly, the roads in Fuerteventura are made to be bicycled on, and I can't help raving about them.  I rented a mountain bike (only because the shop had no road bikes), and went out riding on the roads of Fuerte.  With the weather cycle of very light winds during our visit, it was gorgeous bicycling weather.  The island is fairly volcanic, but the grades on the roads tend to be fairly gentle, so it never seemed too difficult.  

I went out biking several days in a row, and even went around the hilliest loop on the island, through Betancuria.  It turned out to be the nicest mountain loop I have ridden in years, maybe ever.   After quite a steep climb up to about 600 meters out of Antigua, the road turned downhill, and I zoomed through Betancuria and a few other small towns.  Another short climb, and then it seemed like miles and miles of swooping downhills, with the ocean in the distance and the morning sun in my face.  The traffic was light, almost non-existant, and the smooth blacktop was free of bumps, rocks, gravel or anything dangerous.  It is quite a sparsely populated island, and in the hills, apart from the beautiful new road, it was hard to believe anyone lived nearby.   The wintertime sun meant that it wasn't too hot, and that I wouldn't get sunburnt too quickly, and that there was time to savor the views of ocean, beach and mountains. 

Anyway, I loved the biking in Fuerteventura, hope you enjoy the photos, and perhaps I'll bring my own bike someday for a longer tour of the island roads....

Facebook photos of the hike, and other adventures on the island are HERE.