BIKES

From left to right:
Ed Ersil, John Uphoff
and Paul Hughes
chainset. This will mean you have a smaller
chainring at the front and allow you to turn
your legs a little faster for a given speed. Also,
at the back, the bigger the largest sprocket is,
the easier it will be to turn the pedals.
If you’re going abroad, test your legs on a
climb near you and ask yourself how the
gradient compares to what you’ll be doing on
your trip. Take a look at the route profile
where possible and be realistic on whether
your gearing will suffice. If in doubt, ask at
your local bike shop.
I was provided with a tiny chainring at the
front and a big rear cassette on the hire bike
and it made all the difference. It meant that
rather than losing momentum I could
maintain a more regular cadence on the
steeper parts that I was struggling with. It
offered a welcome respite and meant I didn’t
grind to a halt when the gradient kicked up.
Halfway but no house
After a section of undulation we started the
climb proper. There would be no break until
we’d done at least 16km of the mountain. I
was fixated on the halfway point; in my mind
there would be somewhere to refuel and relax
before the second leg, but in reality it was a
quick bite of a bar and banana on the
REAL RIDERS
Ed Ersil
Age: 50
Occupation: software engineer
Location: Ottawa, Canada
“As a cycling enthusiast, this was one of my
most enjoyable and challenging cycling weeks
ever. I really enjoyed the tough hills, scenery,
and the quality of the rides. I want to come
back next year.”
John Uphoff
Age: 60
Occupation: retired
Location: Low Habberley, near Kidderminster
“I picked Tenerife because of its reputation
for long climbs to the volcanos. The UK has
many fantastic hills but none with the distance
that I wanted, as I trained for this year’s Etape
du Tour.”
roadside. I didn’t care. I whipped my shoes off,
lay on the dusty floor and gulped down a can
of Coke. I was quickly reminded I needed to
get up though.
Marcos was friendly but firm when it came
to keeping to a schedule. If I’d had the option
of lazing there for longer, I would have, but it
would have been so hard to get going again.
Not only that but we would have risked not
making it back in time. When you’re taking on
something this big, it’s really important that
you don’t stall too much or you run the risk of
not making the distance.
Never-ending story
I never thought I’d make it to the top. I really
didn’t. The way I usually cope with hills is by
either knowing I can see the summit, or
counting down the minutes until I know it will
be over. But rather than minutes, it was a case
here of counting down the hours.
“In reality I was blown way by how long
and difficult the climbs turned out to be! Six
days of climbing was as much mental as
physical. The daily challenge was to keep
pedalling and not be overwhelmed by the
climbs. Riding above the clouds was magic.
“Tenerife Bike Training, the Delgado
brothers, made the rides. Having the support
van, to carry extra gears, drinks and food, was
the only way to do 35k’s of climbing in one go.
“I cannot wait to do it again.”
Paul Hughes
Age: 47
Occupation: landscape gardener
Location: UK
“A fantastic experience that we will be doing
again next year. It’s a great challenge to test
your fitness both mentally and physically. I
highly recommend Tenerife Training; great
lads, very helpful. I have been on so many
sports-type holidays but this was the best.”
It felt never-ending; there was no
excitement that we might be nearing the
summit at any point before around four hours
in. And because I knew we were nowhere
near the top, it was an odd place to be
mentally. There have been few cycling
challenges that I thought I wouldn’t complete
— this was one of them. I started to think ‘if I
make it to the summit I’ll be so happy!’ and
imagined telling people I’d got to the top as I
knew how proud they’d be. This isn’t a feat
one completes every day and the element of
achieving something so big drove me forward.
Everything hurt. My legs were begging me
to stop. My shoes were hurting my feet and I
wanted nothing more then to take my helmet
and shoes off.
Rewards
And then I saw a sign that told us it was
4km to go to the top. I was euphoric; I
SEPTEMBER 2014 CYCLING ACTIVE 101