A few years ago, when the idea of spending winter somewhere warmer first appeared, Tenerife was the obvious choice. Mostly for logistical reasons. I write a little more about that in my article about cycling routes in Tenerife. Several later trips also ended on the island, usually with a 40 km climb up Teide. Until 2025, when WizzAir launched a direct connection from Wrocław to Gran Canaria and ticket prices finally outweighed curiosity. You may have heard the opinion that Gran Canaria is more boring, has only a handful of roads, and its climbs aren't particularly steep. And partly, that's true. But the first 60 km loop impressed me so much visually that I think the decision was already made right there: "next time, here again."
- Gran Canaria vs Tenerife
- Where to stay in Gran Canaria
- Where to ride in Gran Canaria
- Planning cycling routes in Gran Canaria
- What to eat and drink in Gran Canaria
- What to wear in Gran Canaria
- Same time, next year
Gran Canaria vs Tenerife
Tenerife is definitely a cycling destination, and year after year you could feel cycling tourism growing on the island. Last year it welcomed nearly 8 million tourists, while Gran Canaria got around 4.7 million. You can see the difference everywhere. And that's actually a plus.
From a cycling perspective, these are two completely different worlds. Completely. In Tenerife, if you're staying near sea level, it's basically impossible to ride a 50 km loop with less than 600-800 m of elevation gain. To be safe, assume at least 1000 m up. Unless you're just riding a few kilometres to Lidl, in which case there's a chance you'll manage to keep the climbing down to 200-300 metres.
Gran Canaria is much more accessible in that respect. From the place where we lived for almost three months, we could ride to Taurito and back, which gave us 120 km with less than 1000 m of climbing. Most of that elevation came from lots of short little rises, while the whole route ran alongside the ocean because the GC500 hugs the coastline.
Long story short: Gran Canaria may be less steep, but the road to Pico de Las Nieves is still around 40 km with 2000 m of climbing. There are plenty of places to properly destroy yourself and then have a very nice descent afterwards.
Another thing is road quality. In my opinion, Gran Canaria wins this one quite comfortably. Sure, there are roads that are much better climbed than descended [route link], but for the most part the tarmac is genuinely excellent and you can send it downhill fullgas without constantly wondering which pothole will launch you into orbit.
And since we're already talking about roads, Gran Canaria means canyons, roads disappearing deep into the island, and a northern part that is completely rideable. By that I mean that even in the north you can cycle without constantly attacking brutal climbs and plan a pleasant, permanently-green 100 km ride. Tenerife is completely different in that respect. There, sooner or later, something will point aggressively upwards. Gran Can doesn't have Anaga. Shame. But it does have Tabaiba Park. Let's go!
Where to stay in Gran Canaria
It depends, but generally: somewhere in the south. Some people prefer resort towns packed with hotels. Others, like me, lean towards more local places, preferably without Mayfriends and Goodprices encouraging you to purchase absolutely everything your bicycle has never needed.
Still, if this is a winter cycling trip, pick somewhere in the south of the island. Life will simply be easier. That's where people ride. Everyone does it. Social proof. Period.
Arguments? It rains much more often in the north. It's beautiful, green, and full of fantastic roads, but it's better to drive or take a bus there when the weather looks good than spend your entire holiday inside a cloud. I've met brave rebels who decided they knew better. They ended up driving south every single day.
Now that you roughly know where to look on the map, find Taurito, Puerto de Mogan is no longer necessarily ideal, and Maspalomas / San Agustin. Between those points, the weather is basically guaranteed. Full sunshine and very little rain. Why not Puerto de Mogan? Because the local cliff road is closed, so access is only possible via the GC1 motorway, which is absolutely not bicycle territory, or by water taxi to/from Puerto Rico. Fun attraction. Less fun as your regular starting or finishing point. Sure, you could begin every ride by climbing Serenity, but then you'd need to return through Soria. You don't want that.
We stayed in Arinaga, near Vecindario. It's only around 25 km from Maspalomas, but it rained more often there, although usually briefly. It was also cooler and we saw clouds much more often than people staying in the classic southern resorts. And of course: wind. From San Agustin towards Mogan, it was generally much calmer. That's not a 100% rule, obviously, but the wind usually comes from the north. One glance at Windy tells you almost everything. The 2-3 day forecast was basically spot-on. Check the wind, decide where to ride. As simple as pedalling.
From my experience, riding from Maspalomas, I usually started noticing the wind around Bahia Feliz, right where both the coastline and the road begin turning north.
I also wouldn't recommend staying in towns located higher up unless you're fine with cold mornings, cold evenings, and even more clouds and drizzle. For context, we spent a month in San Miguel de Abona on Tenerife at around 500 m above sea level. It was nice, but life was definitely better down below. We ate breakfast outside on the terrace exactly once, after sunset hoodies were mandatory, and almost every morning we looked down towards beaches drowning in sunshine while sitting just beneath the clouds. Without sunshine, obviously. A friend who spent ten days in Teror on Gran Canaria had a very similar experience. Lovely town, but starting every winter holiday ride in drizzle isn't exactly a motivational masterpiece.
Where to ride in Gran Canaria
So now you're staying in the south...
Everyone stays in the south! This is where cycling lives. And cycling culture here feels, surprisingly, much stronger than on Tenerife. That's not only my opinion. If you're coming for a few days or a couple of weeks, there are several absolute classics you need to ride. They're not classics simply because they're the only roads in the south, but also because the views score maximum points on the holy-shit-this-is-beautiful scale. Or, phrased more politely: it's pretty.
I'll tell you what is worth seeing. Once you know the individual pieces, building your own loop of the desired length becomes much easier. Supposedly. If not, ask me.
Serenity
Let's start with Serenity. The climb begins at the junction of the GC200 and GC605. It's a twisting road with huge views over a picturesque ravine. Not particularly steep. Quite long. More precisely, around 9.5 km from the junction with about 650 m of climbing. Expect several stops for the traditionally Polish reaction of "Jesus, this is pretty." People call it the Stelvio of the Canary Islands and, honestly, the comparison isn't completely ridiculous.
Now I'll briefly switch into digression mode, because before attacking Serenity by turning off GC200 onto GC605, you might consider continuing a little further along GC200 towards Los Azulejos de Veneguera. What's there? Green rocks. Pretty ones. Green.
If you continue further on GC200, you'll eventually arrive in La Aldea de San Nicolas, where you can turn onto GC210 and... well. This is one of Gran Canaria's problems. Closed roads. Closed loops. Weren't we supposed to be riding Serenity?
Another digression: GC200 once continued towards Agaete along a spectacular road carved into the mountainside, but that section is closed beyond a viewpoint... which, naturally, is also worth visiting. Taking the aforementioned GC210, you can ride towards Artenara or towards the legendary Valley of the Tears. But then you skip Serenity. On the other hand, you can reach VoTT from Artenara and make a loop. Understand? No? Keep reading.
So: Serenity and GC605. After you've completed the 9.5 km climb, another small problem appears. At the moment, September 2026, GC605 between Presa de Las Ninas and Ayacata is still closed. Supposedly only "during working hours", supposedly "you can get through on weekends", but sometimes they work later, sometimes something happens on weekends, and Guardia Civil rather enjoys standing there. If they are there, discussion time is over. Turn around. Been there, done that. I have two pine cones and a rock.
Luckily, shortly after Mirador El Mulato, right at the top of the climb, there's a turn into another ravine: Soria. The connecting road features a very special kind of surface consisting mostly of potholes held together by occasional fragments of asphalt. You can ride it on a road bike. Preferably not your own. Seriously though, take it slowly and you'll be fine. It's not so bad that you need to get off the bike, but you'll spend several minutes weaving around holes and various objects that apparently decided to become part of the road.
Soria
So, Soria. A road worth descending and climbing. At the bottom, it starts near Arguineguin at the junction where GC505 branches off from GC500. GC505 is the destination, because it ends exactly where you probably expect: at the Presa de Soria dam.
A mandatory stop is Casa Fernando and a glass of mango juice. It's also a brilliant training road, something confirmed by the number of pros we passed there. This was also a mildly depressing part of the climb, because the Swiss Thomus team apparently had short intervals scheduled that day. They'd fly past us uphill at a considerably higher speed, turn around to recover, pass us again, turn around, and shortly afterwards... fortunately, shortly afterwards we finally reached the top and ordered mango juice at Casa Fernando. You've already dropped a pin there on your map, right?
From there you can either return the same way or climb the previously mentioned pseudo-asphalt to Mirador El Mulato and descend Serenity.
Ayagaures
The next ravine is Ayagaures. Read the name a few times. It's not Ayaguares. I used to say that too, until one day I actually read the town sign. At first I assumed they'd made a typo. Turns out they hadn't. So: Ayagaures.
You can make a nice loop here and it's worth riding it in both directions. If you've only got time for one version, though, I'd recommend Maspalomas > Ayagaures > Monte Leon > Maspalomas. That's the proper way. That's how it's done. That's how they ride it during the Gran Fondo. Why complicate things?
The actual climb into the village, and you'll notice where it starts, can either be a sub-two-minute fullgas effort or a relaxed little spin. Nobody is checking. At the top you can stop for coffee, or continue straight towards Monte Leon and enjoy the views from the viewpoint. There is a chair.
If you're starting from Maspalomas, this is a short loop, so I'd treat it as a recovery-day ride or as an add-on to something longer.
Fataga
Direction: Fataga. This is where the possibilities really start opening up.
Starting from Maspalomas, ride through Arteara towards Fataga and stop at Mirador Astronomico. Fantastic view over the Grand Canyon. Stop. Look. KOMs can wait. You'll probably miss Arteara because it's tiny and slightly off the main road. In Fataga, grab a coffee or some other Coca-Cola-type substance because a very scenic climb to San Bartolome de Tirajana is about to begin. This is the kind of road where you ride, look around, and admire things.
What next? You could return the same way, but I'd strongly recommend continuing to San Bartolome and, if you're heading back south, going through Santa Lucia towards Vecindario or Aguimes. The descent past La Fortaleza is an absolute visual "bloody hell". Ride it and you'll understand. That's where I mentally redefined my sense of space.
Important point: DO NOT turn from Santa Lucia towards Temisas. This is one of those roads that is much better climbed than descended because of the surface. Everyone does it that way and, for once, this isn't a trend worth rebelling against.
Ayacata, Tejeda, Valley of the Tears
From San Bartolome you can also head towards Ayacata, then either straight to Pico de Las Nieves or not-so-straight via Tejeda. From Tejeda you can continue to Artenara and descend to the GC210/GC606 junction, which marks the beginning of one of the biggest ass-kickings on the island: the legendary Valley of the Tears. The name is not accidental.
There is, however, another problem worth monitoring. GC606 is also under construction, although the works were supposed to finish in September 2026. If they haven't finished, then they are still ongoing. Look at that. A cycling guide and suddenly philosophy.
As for the roadworks, cyclists are sometimes allowed through while crews are working. Outside working hours, roughly 8-16, it's usually open, and I've heard weekends are generally fine too. I personally got turned around twice by a very determined Guardia Civil officer and had to return from whence I came.
Still, save this route: Ayacata > Tejeda > Artenara > VoTT > Ayacata.
Tejeda
If you're not in the mood for major suffering, you can also ride Ayacata > Tejeda > Pico de Las Nieves > Ayacata. It's worth doing this loop in either direction. The views are spectacolarious. Especially around Tejeda, with Tenerife and Teide floating on the horizon and Casa Forestal de Pajonales plus Parque Tamadaba filling the foreground. I don't know how many times I stopped there. At least twice.
Aguimes, Guayadeque
Aguimes is also worth visiting, along with the Guayadeque ravine and a fantastic coffee/cake/pancake stop overlooking the whole canyon. When you reach the end, head towards La Era and sit at one of the tables on the terrace. You're welcome.
It's worth visiting the ravine fairly early because of its orientation and the way sunlight enters it. The first time I rode there, on a cloudy and windy day, the place did absolutely nothing for me. You're climbing, your bike computer says 10%, but visually it somehow looks flat. Trees and mountains on both sides. Mountains at the end. You ride like that for 10 km thinking, well, what a magnificent ditch. But when I came back with sunlight, the views and textures painted across the slopes became a completely different story. It was, however, still a 9 km climb averaging 8%, topped off by a deeply unfriendly double-digit finale.
The turn into the ravine in Aguimes isn't obvious and basically sits right on a bend in the main road. Pay attention.
La Pasadilla
All normal people ride to Pico de Las Nieves through Ayacata, but you can also get there via Ingenio and Cazadores. While Ingenio > La Pasadilla is merely another ordinary climb, La Pasadilla > Cazadores occasionally throws 20% ramps under your wheels and kindly allows you to recover on sections at around 15%, which isn't really recovering.
There is a reason why the route to Pico from Arinaga, where we were based, is around 35 km via Cazadores but 55 km via Ayacata. I'll leave the maths to you. This is also why between Ingenio and Pico we mostly saw cyclists coming down.
A road for connoisseurs.
Speaking as a connoisseur of going unnecessarily fast: downhill, it absolutely delivers. I even grabbed a TOP10 on Strava there. I'm going to brag about it. Why wouldn't I?
Pico de Las Nieves
Pico is worth visiting at least once. Ideally, you won't hit clouds. Even better, you'll end up above them. The view from the top in that scenario is also spectacolarious, despite the fact that riding through the clouds at lower elevations is usually cold and damp. Worth suffering through it for the blue sky at almost 2000 m.
There should be a drinks truck at the top. If there isn't one, it means there isn't one.
You can reach Pico in several ways. The most obvious is Fataga > San Bartolome > Ayacata > Pico, but you can also add variations such as Ayacata > Tejeda > Cruz de Tejeda > Pico, or choose the aforementioned fairly brutal Ingenio > Cazadores > Pico. For longer options, you can climb through Vega de San Mateo and take GC15 towards Cruz de Tejeda. From there, either turn onto GC600 and head for the summit or continue to Cruz de Tejeda and then, once again, head for the summit.
Bring clothes. It will be cold. More about that later, so keep reading.
Northern Gran Canaria
From Maspalomas you can also ride a loop through Aguimes > Telde > Vega de San Mateo > Tejeda > Ayacata > Fataga. That's roughly 120 km / 3000 m UP, circling Pico de Las Nieves without actually attacking the summit.
If you have the opportunity and the weather looks good, it's worth heading towards Arucas, with its magnificent church that's particularly impressive around sunset and after dark, and visiting places such as Firgas, Moya, Teror or Agaete. The north is wonderfully green and absolutely worth exploring if you have enough time and logistical freedom.
And the winner is
If I had to rank individual road sections by their spectacolariousness coefficient, it would look something like this:
- Santa Lucia > La Fortaleza > Aguimes, epic descent
- Serenity, climb or descent
- Maspalomas > Fataga > San Bartolome, in either direction, beautiful canyon
- Ayacata > Tejeda > Cruz de Tejeda > Ayacata, either direction
- Guayadeque
⠀Using these as building blocks, you can create several fantastic routes. Once a few roads reopen, which should still happen in 2026, combining these little micro-loops will become much easier.
GC500, or how to ride something almost flat
I mentioned earlier that Gran Canaria also allows for reasonably flat rides.
GC500 from Maspalomas to Taurito and back is around 60 km / 600 m UP. From Arinaga, it was around 100 km / 800 m UP for me. Most of that elevation comes from lots of little wrinkles rather than one proper climb, so it's generally an easy ride. And although GC500 is technically a main road, it's not particularly busy because the GC1 motorway runs nearby.
The most noticeable traffic is around Arguineguin, Maspalomas and Playa Amadores. From Amadores to Taurito, traffic is practically nonexistent.
Heading the other way, GC500 also stays reasonably flat and you can ride from Maspalomas through Aguimes towards Telde.
Worth it? Mostly as part of other loops. It's not nearly as scenic as TF28 on Tenerife.
Las Palmas
And why haven't I said anything about Las Palmas yet? Because riding into the capital is not something you absolutely need to do.
It's definitely worth walking around. Cycling, less so. Visit Vegueta, knock on the door at napa.cc, take a walk along the promenade.
For a completely non-cycling recommendation, visit Poema del Mar. It made a huge impression on me. Especially because every time I thought the tour was basically finished, it would pull another jellyfish out of its sleeve.
Gran Canaria hidden gems
On Tenerife, outside the main routes, you could find plenty of extreme climbs, test sections, which basically means more brutal climbs, and... well, climbs. Gran Canaria hides much more of that stuff in its gravel side, which I'd like to explore properly next time.
You can leave the tarmac almost immediately from sea level, for example by heading into the ravine towards Fataga. Plenty of MTB and gravel riders start from the car park in Maspalomas beside the road towards Ayagaures, right next to Centro de Salud at the beginning of GC503.
One road that barely gets mentioned anywhere and which I'd definitely recommend is the descent from Las Vegas, near Valsequillo, to Lomo Magullo on GC132. Beautifully fast.
You can already feel the influence of the north there. Everything becomes magically green.
If you ride through Temisas, it's worth descending into the village itself and continuing towards the cemetery. Important: do this on a day with good visibility, because the whole point is the view.
While riding GC551, which connects Aguimes and El Cardon, you'll eventually notice switchbacks climbing towards Camping Temisas.
If you enjoy climbing, turn onto them and continue all the way to the end of the asphalt. You return the same way.
On the road between Ayacata and San Bartolome, there's also a turn towards Presa de Chira. That's a hidden gem I absolutely do not recommend.
Almost no views, but the asphalt is terrible. In my opinion, not worth the time. But...
...just above San Bartolome, in Agua Latente, GC654 branches off from GC60. The asphalt isn't spectacular there either, but the little loop towards Rosiana is quite scenic and bypasses part of GC60 before rejoining it ahead of Santa Lucia. I'd recommend riding from Rosiana towards San Bartolome, meaning uphill, and descending on GC60.
If you've already seen monumental La Fortaleza from GC65, the Santa Lucia > Vecindario road, you might as well ride directly towards it. GC651 branches off in that direction.
I also have fond memories of visiting the surfers' spot at Pozo Izquierdo. It has its own atmosphere, with old houses right by the beach, narrow passages between them and surfers appearing through those little gaps. We often added a "small flat loop" there before riding back to Arinaga.
One evening, while riding GC500 just before sunset, I turned into Castillo del Romeral. Surprisingly local, completely untouristy and peaceful. To me it had an almost Cuban vibe with the volume turned down. I planned to stay a few minutes. I stayed almost an hour wandering through the streets and absolutely murdering my average speed for the day.
I also enjoyed El Burrero, mostly sitting around watching aircraft land, or simply wandering through nearby Carrizal.
But this is now full slow mode. The kind of exploration you start doing after you've already been on the island for a month.
Planning cycling routes in Gran Canaria
This will be a short paragraph. Strava or Komoot is completely enough.
You can also find me on Instagram at @adam_jedrysik. Feel free to message me. I'll help, and I can even send you suitable GPX files.
Apart from that, even Google Maps is enough for the main roads. There isn't exactly a maze of streets here. It's quite difficult to get properly lost. You ride the main road towards one place, then turn towards the next one. Go with the flow.
What to eat and drink in Gran Canaria
This section may seem unnecessary, but if you don't know the island yet, read it.
There aren't that many shops. Opening hours vary. Same with restaurants. This is Spain, so the concept of siesta is neither theoretical nor particularly subtle.
If you're riding the standard routes, you'll generally find a shop within about an hour. But you need to drink, and it's always worth topping up your bottle whenever you get the chance. The deeper you go into a ravine or the higher you climb, the fewer towns and shops you'll find. For example, when riding to Pico, Ayacata or Cazadores are among the last reasonably reliable resupply points. After that, it's mostly forest.
What to drink? I think electrolytes belong in the bottle. Throw some carbs in there too. Personally, I use 4Endurance 2:1 and always carry a few dissolvable tablets so I can add more along the way. At shops: water and Coca-Cola/Fanta. Sometimes coffee. But honestly, if you're taking your bike to the Canary Islands, you probably already know how this game works.
What to eat? I'm firmly on team "at least 60 g of carbs per hour". It helps both performance and recovery. Sure, you can attack 100 km with one gel and a bottle of water, but there's a very good chance the route will eventually verify your optimism with a bomba spettacolare, while the following day becomes one of those distinctly average days. Not worth wasting holiday time.
So I take a few bars, a few gels, and along the way there's mango juice, some fruit, cake or the aforementioned Coca-Cola. The moment you start feeling hungry means you're already late. Clock is ticking.
Riding? Eat.
And what about local food, completely unrelated to cycling? Canary Islands. Potatoes and peppers. With sauces.
Good.
What to wear in Gran Canaria
For most routes, the basic setup is enough: bib shorts and jersey upgraded with a good windproof vest and arm warmers, which you deploy when the road starts pointing downwards. Deal is done.
Am I going to recommend specific products here? I don't have to. But I can.
When it comes to vests, I love AMcycling because of the size and wind resistance. They also make nice arm-warmer/bolero options, which can be particularly useful when climbing Pico and the temperature drops dramatically. Regular arm warmers are always in my pocket. Any kind. I only take the AMcycling windproof ones when I know evil is coming, which usually means anything above 1000 m. That's generally where evil lives.
A few words about temperature, especially if you've never climbed from the beach to 2000 m before.
When it's 20°C at sea level and people are sunbathing, the summit can easily be somewhere around 5-10°C even in good weather. Enough of a description? Once we started descending at around 5°C after drinking hot chocolate at the top. Without gloves, my hands would probably still be frozen today. Or I'd still be descending. I passed plenty of brave people wearing full summer kit. They looked blue.
Bib shorts? For me, AMcycling wins here as well because the fabric basically disappears on the body. I also own several other pairs using Elastic Interface pads. Works for me. Quite literally.
And one more thing: don't forget SPF or you'll be wearing arm warmers even on the beach.
A friend told me.
Same time, next year
If you've somehow made it through this entire article, there's a chance you actually enjoyed it. Leave some kind of comment-shaped trace behind. I'd genuinely appreciate it.
And if you have questions, feel free to write. There is basically no week in which I don't get at least one message with a Canary Islands flavour, so come find me on Instagram @adam_jedrysik](https://instagram.com/adam_jedrysik)~.
If you're planning a winter stay in the Canary Islands, or the idea has literally just appeared in your head, that's even more reason to message me.
We'll ride a nice route, shoot some photos, and I'll tell you at least two terrible jokes. Those things.
Ciao!
zostaw ślad po sobie!