Gran Canaria Diaries Day 2: December 4th

Now over the past decade I’ve been on many an organised training camp, normally to rid the typical winter weather in an attempt to kick start the season in the best possible fashion. I remember sitting in evening seminars with pro riders dishing out plenty of hard earned knowledge on everything from training though to nutrition. All worthy stuff except one point that still brings a smile to my face today. On arrival the week’s agenda was communicated to give everyone an idea of what to expect. Days had been booked off work and time was priceless so needed to be used to the full in order to return home satisfied. It’s more than acceptable to have a transition day when travelling so I was excited and eager to hear about the first proper ride of the camp. That’s when smiles turned to silence. “Listen up chaps” said one of the organisers. “Having spent the day travelling yesterday the first proper ride will be used to ease yourself into the camp. Day 2 will feature some rolling terrain and a short coffee stop before returning on the same roads back to the hotel. We’ve got a slightly longer ride planned for day 3” Hoo-freakin-ray! Day 3 and we should finally get a descent ride in......Did anyone realise I’m only out here for 7 days and the agenda also had us down for a recovery ride and an easy day before travelling home (apparently so you don’t get sick from pushing yourself all week on the bike!) I kid you not, I’ve had tougher workouts pushing my trolley around Sainsbury’s than what was planned for that week. So, taking heed of their advice and with the voice of the organiser still echoing around my mind years later it’s only right that I should start with an ‘ease yourself in’ approach to the week.

I’d mapped out a nice route, heading East on the coast before tracking inland to hit the mountains. Although it was a beautiful blue sky above my apartment on departure, precarious dark clouds loomed along the coast and a constant headwind made the initial hour harder than planned. I was constantly checking the sky in the direction of the mountains and it was looking much more favourable so I switched my original plans and headed in their direction earlier than I thought I would be. I now had a cross/tail wind but more importantly instead of heading into the apocalypse I was approaching warmth and blue sky with every pedal stroke. It’s impossible to predict the weather on the island as there are so many micro-climates going on its untrue. What I did know is if the weather held I’d want to make the most of it.

With this in mind I climbed to Santa Lucia, a picturesque little town, on the GC65 then onwards on the GC60 to Ayacata before swinging right onto the GC600 past Rogue Nublo. As you get closer to the centre of the island its decision time as to which route you want to take. The mountains were tranquil, so quiet it was as if everyone was at work (oh yeah it’s a Thursday so they were). I think I’ve made a point of climbing to the highest point of the island, Pico de las Nieves, at 1,951m every time I’ve been here. Last time the weather was foul, thick rolling mist, single digit temperatures and strong winds. When the conditions are like that you really don’t want to attempt it. Yes it’s stupid, yes it’s darn right dangerous and yes, that’s exactly why I did it. Needless to say there was nobody else at the top when I arrived and in the centre of a cloud there’s not much of a view, but that’s not the point. Despite being freezing and with a 2km drop in altitude to contend with the feeling of making it to the top that day was one of the best I had all week.

Today the conditions were perfect, and the ascent made all the more easy because of this. At the top the views were spectacular from every angle. In the distance it was easy to see the peak of Mt Teide at 3,718m (Spain’s highest mountain and the highest point in the Atlantic Ocean) on the neighbouring island of Tenerife.

With the highest point on the island in the bag it would have been easy to say “job done” and enjoy gravity all the way back to sea level but I didn’t feel like I’d ‘eased myself in’ sufficiently so headed on the GC600 towards Vega San Mateo and then on the GC15 towards Cruz Tejeda. I could see to the North that the roads were shrouded in cloud. The wind was picking up too so maybe I’d be in for a battering later in the day. The roads were wet and I could feel the odd spot of rain. It really looked nasty in that direction. The route I had in my head was going to take me to Tejeda and back on the GC65 to Risco Blanco, and I have to say what a genius route choice this turned out to be. The south was still experiencing plenty of fine weather. Since I’d struggled for the first hour of the day into a headwind I decided to retrace my steps along the GC65 to the coast and get my own back by taking advantage of the rip-roaring tailwind back home. It was the perfect way to end the ride and with over 8 hours and 3,500 metres of climbing in the legs I feel content in saying that I’m now ‘eased in’.

For Day 2 GPS info click here

Find out the real meaning of the word 'Diamond' tomorrow...