My finace just suggested going to Lanzarote during the holidays for a week and I to get some sun and I of course had the immediate and obvious thought: where could I rent a bike??? Would totally appreciate any ideas on that subject and/or places to stay (looking for basic clean/safe/near beach but as affordable as possible)?
thanks,
Jack
I live in Europe and been looking for a winter training session in Lanzorate. This place looks good and I know a lot of clubs do their camps there - http://www.clublasanta.com/Triathlon-6169.aspx
I believe they help organize the IM race and you can rent nice carbon cannondale’s, too.
Good luck.
Howdy,
Club La Santa rent bikes but unless you are staying there you will need a rental car to get to that side of the Island (west coast). It is a great place to stay though with the outside 50m pool and other sporting activities.
Puerto Del Carmen has most of the accommodation and is on the East coast. Its where the swim and the run of the IM are. I think the swim course is marked year round, there is a line of buoys out from the main beach.
There is a small bike rental place in Puerto Del Carmen, I don’t have the name of it but the last time I was out there we rented road bikes from him (German dude) at a reasonable daily rate.
Some beautiful beaches in South Lanza if you get there, lovely for open water swimming (West coast takes brunt of wind and swell).
Enjoy,
Ray.
La Santa certainly sounds like it would fit the bill. I got back 2 weeks ago. One of my friends had hired a very tasty Scott CR1 from “Pro Bike” in La Santa village.
I can also recommend the restaurant Verde Mar in La Santa village, run by Debbie Jones, an ironman vet!
Thanks to all for the suggestions. One last question: can anyone recommend the best routes to ride on the island? I will be based out of Puerto del Carmen and will likely go for around 40 miles a day with maybe one long day if the fiance allows!
thanks,
Jack
I’m going this friday to Lanzarote for a week holiday (christmas). I can’t wait to go swimming in the sea! I’ve been swimming for months in a horribly chlorinated local swimming pool in London. I’ve been in La Santa before and I seem to remember the lido was chlorinated, I’ll only take it as a last resort.
Anyone fancy exploring some of the calm sea waters of the south/east?
If we have no boat to supervise we might as well get some flippers.
I will spend some time with my family but I’m aiming to have a swim every day even if it is a short one.
Monty
Let us know how the water is - I am going in 2 weeks and wondering if it will be worthwhile/warm enough to bring the wetsuit for some swimming after we ride!
Thanks to all for the suggestions. One last question: can anyone recommend the best routes to ride on the island? I will be based out of Puerto del Carmen and will likely go for around 40 miles a day with maybe one long day if the fiance allows!
thanks,
Jack
There aren’t that many roads anyway on the Island so you can’t really get lost. Beside the small bike shop in PDC (out of the village along the beach on the left hand side about 3 km from the center you will see on a balcony a bunch of bikes. Nice German dude, very helpful) there is a good biek shop in Arrecife (where you will land) by ‘the tallest building of the island’ as it was described to me. Strange, but extrenely obvious when you get there. There are 2 shops one street apart: the bike shop is great, the tri shop is not as good.
Check the IM bike race course and website, it’s a good start.
From PDC go through the village and join the first bit of the bike course (this cuts out a boring straight road on the IM course), toward Yaisa. From there you can carry on straight to the sea, turn right on a stunning little road, then right again at the end back to Yaisa again. You can go back or turn left toward the famous Montana del Fuego with a nice view in the natural park and the lava field (tourist place to visit there where you can have your steak grilled on naturally hot lava. The ground is still pretty hot). At Mancha Blanca you turn right back toward PDC.
Other ride (longer): from PDC meandre toward Teguise, up to the two main climbs of the IM Mirador de Haria and Mirador del Rio, then back to PDC.
The best is to rent a car (very cheap there), visit the island (nice emerald lake by Casa del Golfo just after you turn right back toward Yaisa on the first ride) and use the car to drive to a place and ride from there, for instance drive to Teguise, ride the climbs and go back via the Jardin del Cactus (to visit with fiancée :-). Check out the little fish restaurant by the port, just after the village itself (can’t remember the name, but very romantic). Much better than all the tourist traps along the beach.
You can run along the beach and turn back at the very furthest point (about 10km loop, repeat 4 times for IM marathon), or go out of the village along the other side going South-West.
Take your wetsuit: the atlantic sea is not that warm and although nearly all hotels advertise a swimmign pool, they are all pretty small. Watchout the sun: with the wind it doesn’t feel too hot, but it burns …
Have fun, it’s a great place.
I’ve been surfing in the north coast a few times in winter and spring. Over there you definitely need a wetsuit. The wind doesn’t let it cool down.
The south if sheltered from the wind could be different I’ll let you know