Road bike training camp in spring: Start of the season on the Canary Islands of Lanzarote and Gran Canaria
Jörg Wenzel
· 13.10.2023
They are only around 100 kilometres off the coast of Morocco and are therefore a year-round destination with an average temperature of 20 degrees in January. We recommend two very different areas there: the comparatively flat Lanzarote and the mountainous, wild Gran Canaria.
Lanzarote is a winter haven for endurance sports enthusiasts, for many years mainly triathletes, who can get the Ironman starting place for Hawaii on the northernmost Canary Island at the beginning of May and train eagerly for this in winter. In the meantime, however, word has got around that the island is also probably the best racing bike destination in the archipelago. Near Haria, it presents itself as a North African palm oasis, on the stormy beach of Famara as an otherworldly sandy desert and in the Fire Mountains as a reference to the surface of Mars. Although it is hardly possible to put together a 100-kilometre route with less than 1,000 metres of elevation gain on Lanzarote, unlike on the extremely rugged Gran Canaria, Lanzarote's gradients are moderate and only exceptionally reach double-digit percentages. The longest climb on the island is around 600 metres in altitude. However, the wind can be more energy-sapping than the mountains. Large sprockets are therefore a must. The latter applies even more to Gran Canaria, where the few flat passages between the airport and the tourist centres on the south coast are unattractive. If you want to experience the beauty of the island, you have to head inland - and on the volcanic cone of Gran Canaria that means climbing. It's almost impossible to find a 100-kilometre tour with less than 1,500 metres of elevation gain in your legs; ramps of 20 percent are not uncommon. But the ride through the wildly rugged mountains and the exhilaration on the winding descents down into the gorges or to the sea are simply exhilarating.
Lanzarote may be ideal if you want to do basic training. But I don't just see the training aspect. That's why I love the gorges and mountain roads of Gran Canaria - even if my spring form doesn't suit the climbs there at all. - Jörg Wenzel, TOUR travel editor
Info about Lanzarote and Gran Canaria
Start of the season: Year-round destination. In contrast to Lanzarote, Gran Canaria has a weather divide where the north-east trade winds accumulate. The mountains separate the hot and dry south from the cooler and rainier north
Temperatures19 degrees (March), 20 degrees (April) are average maximum temperatures on the coast, in the mountains of Gran Canaria the temperatures are often still in single figures.
Journey: Direct flights in four and a half hours to Lanzarote or Gran Canaria, depending on the German airport from 300 to 450 euros (return journey, without bike transport).
Topography: Flat to hilly (Lanzarote), extremely mountainous (Gran Canaria).
Locations: On Gran Canaria the south coast around Maspalomas, on Lanzarote Puerto del Carmen, Las Caletas, Costa Teguise, Club La Santa...
Weekly rate for hotel and guided tours: From 700 euros per person in a double room with half board; only a few organisers (such as Huerzeler on Lanzarote or free motion on Gran Canaria and Lanzarote) offer accommodation plus guided road bike tours.
Bike hire: A dozen bike hire companies (e.g. free motion, Cyclo Canaria, Lanzarote Bike or Huerzeler) - six days bike hire costs around 110 euros (carbon frame with Shimano 105 groupset), top racers up to 240 euros.
5 more destinations for your road bike training camp in spring
Plus points - that speaks in favour of a training camp on the Canary Islands of Lanzarote and Gran Canaria
- Mild climate all year round
- Many hours of sunshine and little rain (except in the north of Gran Canaria)
- magnificent landscapes
- Small roads with little traffic
- If you don't book a bike package, there are plenty of hotels to choose from, including inexpensive ones
- Direct flights from several German cities
- Large selection of hire bikes
- Several providers who lead tours
Minus points - that speaks against it
- only air travel makes sense
- Few organisers offer all-inclusive packages
- Hardly any flat routes on Gran Canaria that allow basic training
- Lanzarote is very windy
