After yesterday’s VO2max session I had thought originally about a recovery gravel ride today but I saw someone was organising a road ride. So I ended up doing that. According to my garmin it never dropped below 0 but we seen a lot of ice and snow. My mate avoided a flooded road only to find the side of the flood was slush brown ice. So rather than turn on to it I kept a straight line and freewheeled through the flood, hoping that there wasn’t a massive pothole. Fortunately there wasn’t and we all stayed upright. I had thought we were going to be soaked give the forecast (rain was keeping the temperature up) but we just beat it.
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First day in paradise, and man it’s great to finally be riding outside again, in shorts mind you.
First ride set out from the hotel in South West of Tenerife.
It was only 3k to Playa San Juan, and from there , it is only up. The start of the climb is a well paved road, that winds through the banana fields. After around 10ks, I reached Guía de Isora, and Chio another 5 ish k later.
From there the climb up Mount Teide is only 3 more huge hairpins, the lower two of which are through the „Corona Forest“, a needle-leaf forest. From the third hairpin out, it’s a lot more exposed. You can see the snow capped Pico del Teide, and the lava rock is a lot more fresh looking than lower down the mountain.
The last few Ks were a bit of throwback to my bad experience in Sierra Nevada a few months back. It was super windy, and getting really really cold (5 degrees C). So I stopped for the first time to put leg warmers on, and continued to the „top“.
I was able to hold the power I was planning at consistently, didn’t have many spikes in HR. Very happy with the current form.
I finsihed the climb at 2100m, the climb would continue in a flat down hill from here, and then a few ks later pitch up again to get to 2250m. I’ll see to get that another day, when tackling the climb from the other side.
The view to the much higher peak was great from the pass.
I descended super slowly, like grandma coming home from the shops, some I had passed on the way up zipped past me again, but that’s okay. once I was below 1300m and the winds were a lot calmer, I picked up the speed again. Also, it got a lot warmer and the sun came out.
The ride home was relatively eventless, with the one exception of the great Peter Sagan passing by me.
Not bad for an ordinary Wednesday.
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After last night’s party I thought I’d go for a recovery ride with temps at a mild + 2-3 deg (36-37deg F). I had thought originally to do a new ride off road over Benarty Hill but when I got near Kelty the heavens opened 
I expected showers but this was persistent so with water going downhill faster than I was going up (even on flat sections 
) I stuck to the closed road/ cycle path to Lochore. I thought initially about going to the otherside of Benarty Hill on road and rejoining my originally planned off road route but with the rain persisting and me setting off later, I decided against the detour and looped round to the Balingry Hill Road. When I got back to Kelty it stopped raining so I went for a wee explore of the Forrest tracks in Blairadam to warm up. It worked for all but my chemo damaged feet and fingers but by now I had got the explorer bug and I went on. Lol, the rain never really stopped but as I started to descend it got heavy again. Once home and warmed up the positive temperatures were 'feel like -4-5deg C (24-25 deg F) 
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Festive 500 update:
Haven’t been feeling well and its been raining, except for yesterday. So my Festive 500 started Monday and Tuesday in the garage, on the trainer:
using grocery store bike:
because Wahoo won’t sell an adapter for XDR freehub.
Although I didn’t feel great yesterday, the roads were dry and I put down 4+ hours outside. After about 40 minutes I was on the bike trail network, away from cars, and made it to the American River Bike Trail for some wildlife viewing:
with yesterday being the calm between storms, a lot of cyclists and runners and walkers on the trail.
And then straight to Dust Bowl Brewery for a gathering of the Wed Worlds crew - one of the few “no ride” nights of the year. I was the only one that arrived by bike in my kit
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I have an XDR free hub on my Kickr Core 2018. Maybe I’m missing something.
https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices/indoor-cycling/parts-components/xdr-xd-freehub-buy
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Well, I’ve got a Kickr 2017 and called Wahoo at least 3 times and was told to pound sand and buy a new Kickr… Wouldn’t have this problem had I bought a Neo back in October 2017. Sad panda.
slow, soaking, and solo ride to complete my 400 hour moving time goal for 2022.
Excuse me while I continue wringing out everything I wore…
Slothfully slow…
Theme song:
Because all I could think of, on that cold slog, was going to Costa Rica, slothfully basking in the warmth, and having a Drinkee 
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And a couple more days in paradise have passed and it just gets better.
I did a pretty short spin yesterday, because we went hiking and stargazing on mount Teide. I can really recommend doing that when you’re here, it’s pretty spectacular!
Didn’t take any pictures, as I had done the exact route through the banafields when I did Teide the day before, so just a picture of the sun Setting from Mount Teide:
Today I did another big ride. Setting out from the hotel to Los Gigantes. From there, it’s a long, winding and beautiful climb to get to Santiago del Teide. Once you pass over the mountains, the landscape gets a lot more green and lush. These mountains „protect“ the south western coast from the rain and therefore get a lot more irrigation. Luckily, not today!
Once I reached the coast, its a few „flat“ kilometers to Buenavista del Norte. Following this road further, you’d get to a beautiful climb along the coast and eventually to a lighthouse. I decided for a shorter ride and turned left, to get back to Santiago del Teide, through Masca.
Besides the Teide itself, this is probably the most (in-)famous climb of Tenerife, and rightfully so.
The first 12k are relatively steady, and easy to handle. I was a little gassed by the time I got there though.
Then there is a pass with a short downhill, another short steep climb, before you pass into The Valley of Masca.
A marvel of natural beauty, and really reminiscent of the green mountains of west Maui, Hawaii.
I then bumped into pro cyclist Maciej Bodnar, whom I knew from being a helper of Contador a few years back and a very good TTist on Bora. He now looks a lot like Sagan, being on the same team 
.
We had a short chat, he liked my helmet and bike, and said the mountains are not for him.
And yeah, that next mountain, especially after 2300m in the legs is brutal. The climb out of Masca is 4.5k, over 10% average in gradient, with many, many pitches of 14 and 15%, riddled with cars. I even had to stop for a car being towed, after the driver fried the clutch (European cars still have that 
).
The climb was really beautiful, but I was clinging on to dear life here.
The view at the top is a good reimbursement though:
the descent to Santiago is not great, on pretty terrible roads and full of cars still. From there, I took the upper roads, that are much quieter to get back to the hotel. I am regaining some confidence in my descending, but try to be mindful here. Tenerife is hella windy.
All in all, a great last ride of the year, and an amazing experience!
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Epic and great pics!
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Beautiful and spectacular area of Tenerife to ride. But also very steep - and with some sketchy descents 
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That explains why our guide up Masca guided us up to a mini bus (no descent) which I was glad of as I was enough of a Wuss going down the wide Teide descents
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I’ve got your warm weather holiday riding trip here pal:
Got out today for 36 miles and a couple hours with a good friend who is about to undergo a serious round of radiation and chemo over the next couple months. He needed to get out to ride for mental health so glad we could connect.
Temps were pleasant, low 50s (deg F) which is unseasonably warm in PA. We were frozen last week, and temps go under 32 each night, so there is ice in shady spots to be concerned with.
Obligatory Map and SRM plots. So much red…
On a personal note, I’ll be taking some time away from the forum for the winter. Have greatly enjoyed exchanging outdoor ride snippets with all of you. And of course, the beer thread.
Very best of the New Year to y’all and hope 2023 is filled with marvelous, epic and rad outdoor riding for everyone!!
-Darth
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Peace out 
and see you on the other side!
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The last club run for the year. It had been torrential yesterday and it was supposed to stay cloudy but dry but typically the skies cleared sometime overnight and the soaked roads were treacherous in places 
So we stuck on the main roads to the cafe.
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After the cafe most folk wisely went back by the small roads around Knockhill. A few of us went the main road over it. I smashed it to the first crest but soft tapped to the peak it as its always icy there. I was proved right and the rear wheel was a bit squirmy a few times. I later found out another mate who wasn’t out with that had come down there. Fortunately it was only an ouchie face for him.
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Draining the pool for the 3rd time in last 10 days…. Endless rain in west coast forecast. I hate Wahoo’s 2017 Kickr / v3 support policies but broke down and bought a v5 and XDR freehub. Wahoo is on my never again list. Never again.
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That’s probably why we’re getting so much snow in the mountains. 30% above the 30 year average snowfall this year. 190” so far.
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that beige tarmac is beautiful