I completed a 6-day cycling tour of Gran Canaria with Marmot Tours. This was my second trip with the UK-based company. I like Marmot because they offer a great value compared to most companies, while providing great service.
If you like climbing, Gran Canaria is a cycling paradise. If you don’t like climbing, look elsewhere. Over the 6 days, I rode 318 miles and climbed 49,700 feet. Each day had a the option of classic route or challenge route, with the challenge option being longer and with more climbing. I only opted for the challenge route on day 5, which meant riding from the sea to the summit. Days 2 and 5 were the hardest days, where we encountered gradients of 16-20%. The weather was generally good, with cool mornings and comfortable daytime highs in the 70s. The first few days it was colder up above 4000 feet, with clouds. The last 3 days saw nothing but glorious sunshine and the high reached over 80. It should be noted, there is less wind in January and except for some well-planned tailwinds to finish days 3 and 4, there was not much wind over the course of the trip.
