On an island with year-round sunshine, water is a precious commodity. Thankfully this ride on Gran Canaria has a climb that is sure to turn on the waterworks
Words Nick Christian Photography Patrik Lundin
Big Ride: Gran Canaria
What the hell is water? This was the question the late American novelist David Foster Wallace posed in 2005 in a commencement speech to the graduating class of Kenyon College, Ohio. For Wallace the rhetorical purpose was not to get the students to consider water per se, but to encourage them to appreciate the extraordinary in the everyday.
It’s something I find myself contemplating as I stand under a shower so powerful that it is not only blowing away the cobwebs but exfoliating more than a good few skin cells. A morning shower is something I would normally take for granted but on an island where it rains so little, this thunderous stream feels decadent to the point of indecency.
Sitting at the same latitude as the Sahara Desert, Gran Canaria gets only a handful of rainy days a year, even in winter. This makes it a good place to consider the extraordinary nature of something as everyday as water. It also makes it a great place to ride a bike.
Up and away
We set out from the town of Arucas in the north of the island. My guide for today, Eva, has selected the San Juan Bautista church as the official starting point, its three tall towers and neo-Gothic façade making it impressive and foreboding in equal measure. Far more inviting is the nearby Destilerías Arehucas, the local distillery, renowned for making rum of the highest quality. I note that tours of the facility start at 9.30am and can’t help suggesting that we sneak in for a snifter.
On second thoughts, with 122km and 3,387m of climbing to come, perhaps some 80% proof spirit isn’t the best option for a warm-up. As if to drive home the point, we have barely left Arucas before the road tilts upwards and we find ourselves on a 3km haul to the village of Buenlugar, followed by a short descent through Lance (no relation) and onto another climb that continues upwards for a full 23km to Monte Pavón.
Fortunately, at this early stage of the ride the gradients are gentle enough that they can be tackled without going too far into the red, so we are able to enjoy our surroundings, which are surprisingly lush for such a dry island. The flora includes eucal
