Over 2,000m above the shimmering blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, I’m cycling across Tenerife’s sun-scorched volcanic caldera, past meteorite-shaped fragments of glistening black obsidian, eerie red sand dunes, twisted needles of rock and the stark 3,718m cone of the Teide volcano. This is the high-altitude lunar landscape of Tenerife’s Teide National Park – a world of strange volcanic formations, hallucinogenic colours and one unique two-wheeled challenge.
PLAYGROUND OF THE PROS
Tenerife – a beckoning blip in the Atlantic Ocean, 300km from Africa – has become one of the key training gounds for the world’s best cyclists. The best elite riders of recent times, from Sir Bradley Wiggins to Primož Roglič, have come here to boost their aerobic fitness and sculpt their climbing skills in the airless landscapes. The island is popular with amateur riders, too, thanks to its 3,000 hours of annual sunshine. But the Vuelta is the island’s first major international road-cycling sportive.
At 2,034km2, Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s autonomous Canary Islands, and the Vuelta
