Can I Ride up Mount Teide in February and How Fit do I need to be?

Hi All

My wife wants to go to Tenerife at the end of February next year and stay in Puerto de la Cruz.

I’m wondering if its possible to ride up Mt Teide that time of year and if so, what it might be like? I realise its in the Canary Islands but it also does seem quite high, so seemed worth checking if anybody has a) ridden up it and b) at a similar time of year.

It seems like quite a long continuous descent so I’m guessing might be easy to get caught out it its not super warm.

I’m reasonably fit but was planning on mainly cross country and trail running this winter so I’m wondering what is the minimum amount of cycling I could do over the next few months and still ride it (i.e without it being a horrible test of nothing but sheer willpower), if anybody has any experience.

Also, just on the off-chance, if anybody has hired any bikes in a similar area and has any recommendations that would be great too.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, comments, pointers anybody might have, cheers

Well, it’s got to be a better time than my ride up in August this year.  Started at 7am and still used up all 3 litres of water before the top  + feeling slightly faint from the heat. Heading back down the descents near midday was like having a hair dryer blasting in your face!

Weather indications here suggest, as you suspect, that it could be v.chilly up top in Feb. https://epicroadrides.com/destinations/cycling-spain/tenerife/#tab-con-21

Fortunately I was able to refill up near the top as drinking water in the sinks of a mountain museum toilets.

However I was staying on the Las Americas side so can’t really comment on going from Puerto de la Cruz other than apparently you’ll a more attractive side to go up.  It’s definitely more a long endurance grind than anything else so just stay well hydrated and top up the carbs every 20 minutes or whatever suits you.  I had a trial pack from Precision Hydration which did an excellent job in that respect.  i wouldn’t say it was particularly difficult gradient-wise – i’d have thought XC and running will prepare you well especially if you get in some longer rides/runs.

I rode it February 2022 from Los Christianos. It was a long slog from thete 24 miles uphill but never a super steep gradient. I took a few rest stops on the way (to take photos honest It was chilly at the top and I’d taken an extra gilet, some arm warmers and a light waterproof. I hired a bike from FreeMotion. They had a wide range of bikes but I chose the cheapest carbon 105 with a 34 cassette on the back. Fitness wise I was 60 and I’d done maybe 2500 the previous year but not much over the winter.

As with any high mountain, the weather can be changeable, sometimes in very short order. Take a windproof and proper gloves for the descent, maybe even a Buff or similar for your head. Watch the wind too.

You’ll probably feel a bit of a pillock riding up a mountain carrying all that crap but you’ll be glad of it on the way down!

It’s just a long slog up there. Have a look on Strava at the various segments, it should give you a rough idea of how long it’ll take.

If it’s a long fast descent in the damp, extra layers and wind resistance will stop you getting hypothermia. I can confirm that “this is not fun” not even type 2 fun!

I’ve done it in August ( Hot) not a climber  but if you take your time it’s not super steep.

Got a bit lost or carried away on the decent down to Puerto de la cruz, went down the motorway slip road instead of an underpass so take note on the way up.

Hi All,

Thanks for the answers and tips.

Sounds like its potentially doable then, subject to keeping an eye on the weather and preparing for the descent.

I’ll try and take some pics and remember to post them on here if I do get up there, cheers.

I tried to do it years ago.  Set off a bit late and it was getting hot.  Got bored of slogging uphill 2/3 of the way up and getting knackered so gave up -)  Its a long slog IMO.  Hired a scooter to ride up the next day 🙂

Have a think about which direction you want to do it. Clockwise means fairly horrible ramp after ramp on the way up, alpine type switchbacks all the way down. Anti-clockwise means coming down said ramps with either masses of speed or masses of braking, but possibly a more engaging climb up the switchbacks.

FWIW I did it clockwise, which worked for me. I did it in March is good weather, but the crosswind along the top plateau was fairly terrifying – you do not want to go off the road there! (Think 10ft drop onto sharp volcanic rock). Think I took 2 750ml bottles and was fine, if running out of steam at the end. Overall there was 8,500ft of climbing over 69miles

I went at the end of Feb 2020 from Costa Adeje, not long before Covid hit that resort! I loved it, and the weather was a pleasant 20+ but yes, a few layers are needed for altitude and the descent. No idea about the ride from that side of the island, but the one I did was incredibly long (one of the longest climbs in Europe), but mostly pleasant. It’s a hell of a climb but the scenery is incredible, as are the views if the weather is kind. I did it after a fairly inactive winter and was fine – it’s all about pacing yourself and getting used to a long old haul. I found the least pleasant part of it was getting in and out of the resorts, as the roads are fairly horrible and there’s no proper cycle routes. Enjoy!

It was mountain biking I done but had a good day out with ride base Tenerife, they had lots of roadie type things in shop

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Did that exact ride from PDLC in February of this year. Strava says the round trip was 58 miles, just under 8000 feet of ascent, moving time 4.44.

I didn’t need anything other than jersey and shorts but I did have a jacket with me – I could see it being chilly on the descent on some days.

I stopped at the cafe at Aguamansa on the way up – there isn’t much from there until you get right up high.

Had completely missed the Puerto De La Cruz part – mine was from Adeje so a very different route

As others have said it will be chilly. We were riding there in mid January one year and the roads were closed for half way up for snow. Other times it’s been shorts and t shirt weather.