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The Rough Riderz tour of Tenerife in April of this year gave me the chance to check the accessibility of different natural trails for MTB visitors to the island. I also took the time to test the fantastic new man-made installations created at Bikepark Tenerife, in Tegueste, located in the northern-most region of the island. We received a warm welcome from the management at the park, who encouraged our input regarding the 'fourcross friendly' routes they are currently developing, to eventually create Europe's first fully accessible facility dedicted to DH mountain biking action!
This is my report on the various trails and locations that I visited, which are all suitable for both 2 and 4 wheel riders to experience and enjoy! After finding an accessible room in apartments on the edge of Los Cristianos, I spent the first couple of days just settling in, enjoying the local tapas and wine bars, and catching up with old friends. Then, on day three I began five awesome days of pure downhill! Along with mis amigos Matt, Miriam and (our expert guide) Manu, we began exploring the different MTB delights that this amazing island has to offer...
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So our first trip meant an early start for a 25 mile drive up into the mountains in the south, to find the beginning of my favourite trail of the trip. From San Miguel we joined the tourist road through Vilaflor, Spain's highest village (around 1400m above sea level), and continued up towards Mount Teide, into an area known as Las Lajas. At such an altitude the view over the clouds, of Tenerife and her neighbouring islands, was absolutely breathtaking.
We parked above the pine trees (the Corona Forestal), on the edge of the volcanic basin, just a few yards from the top of the trail. We unloaded all the bikes and got ourselves kitted up for the short push along the trail to the first main descent.
The upper section of the trail is wide and gravelly, with a good gradient and some tight, twisty bends to tackle. Our descent became gradually steeper, with bermed corners, and with ever-increasingly rougher terrain. Towards the end of this section we found an interesting shortcut on the wide looping trail, which we decided to have a go at. So we turned off the trail and bombed down the steep slope, littered with loose volcanic rocks and stones, desperately trying to keep control of our bikes. After a mad 30 seconds of what seemed like riding down a bed of marbles we were relieved to rejoin the original track in one piece!
The next stage of the ride took us into the pine forest with more twisty bends with the track covered with pine cones. The gradient was good throughout this section, with irrigation pipes occasionally cutting across our route and creating some good small jumps on the faster sections. We stopped and found some shade for a quick drink and a breather before tackling the two small ascents on this route. This gave us a moment to really appreciate the sights and sounds of our environment, with the refreshing smell of the forest and clean mountain air.
As we fired out of the edge of the forest the track became faster and rougher, with some steep drop-offs and a mixture of good natural jumps. The further we got the dustier it became as parts of the south coast came into view. Along this last section we passed a number of fincas (local farms), and encountered rockier ground bringing us through the final section which gave us a really interesting selection of different corners and jumps to overcome. Here the rough stuff ends and the tarmac begins! We rode down through a small village, and after about a mile or so of fast downhill and hairpin bends we finally reached Los Olivos in Adeje. Time then for a butty and beers!
Click here to view video footage of this trail.
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The next day of the trip we drove north to La Laguna and headed into the mountains once more! We parked up in the clouds at Las Lagunetas, an area 1400m above sea level. We had coffee and doughnuts in the nearby bar whilst chatting with some local motocross riders before kitting up, and hitting this heavily forested trail.
Popular with both MTB riders and motocrossers, this wide and woody dirt trail took us through the spooky fog created by the clouds. A good gradient meant plenty of speed, and the compacted earthy surface gave a fairly smooth feel to the ride. The top section features lots of wide corners, some of which had great natural berms. The tighter corners were equally as fast but more technical and included obstacles such as tree roots, fallen branches and the odd jump.
Coming out of the mist, we came through a small clearing in the dense woodland. Here the trail's terrain changes. In this second half of the run, the ground becomes drier and dustier, with plenty more good bends and a great series of jumps. Underground water pipes again provide an interesting variety of lumps, bumps and jumps to test the abilities of any rider. This excellent track ends as you enter the village of Agua Garcia. Happily the end of this route brought us within a stone's throw of another good bar. Result!
Click here to view video footage of this trail.
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Set in Tegueste, the excellent man-made trails available at Bikepark Tenerife are well worth a visit during your stay. Whilst some of the trails remain unfinished, with more planned, there are still many sections currently suitable for fourcross. When I arrived at the park I was met by the owner Zeno, who kindly provided a quad-bike for my uplifts after showing me the three sections of suitable track.
The first route I rode is actually designed for beginners. It's nice and wide, but still has some very good features. These include several table-tops, sections of northshore, bermed corners, and small dirt jumps. Some alterations to this track are planned in order to remove dangerous obstacles and flatter sections of the terrain to make it easier for anyone to ride.
I also rode another track aimed at the more experienced rider. This is a great trail for both 2 and 4 wheel MTBers. For me, this trail was the most fun, as it was the best match for my level of skill. They are currently working on linking the upper section of the park to make the whole of this trail fourcross-friendly. As a result I had to set off from a spot in the woods about 2/3 of the way up. Despite this, I found the whole route fast and exciting. Narrow sections of woodland, hairpin bends, rocky and heavily bermed corners, and a series of table-tops and dirt jumps made this ride a real adrenaline rush!
The final route I test-rode was the section designed for expert riders. This black run incorporates parts of the current hardcore trail already being used. The plan for this unfinished track is to re-route fourcross bikes around the narrower parts via a different path, to avoid dangerous obstacles such as very big drop-offs and narrow northshore sections. In the interests of safety, I felt it wise to ride this track with caution, however when the fourcross alternatives are finished this will give any rider a big buzz!
Whilst we have not yet had the time to check out the following trails properly, we understand that they are all good, wide natural routes for fourcross riders of all levels.
- Observatorio Geofisico to G�imar
- Los Organos to Puerto de la Cruz
- Las Mercedes to Santa Cruz
- Cruz del Carmen to Taganana
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