Holiday/Training Report, Lanzarote, August 2020
On Thursday 6th August, I flew out to Lanzarote with my dad and sister. We had had a whole family holiday booked to our usual absolute favourite destination- Club La Santa, however COVID-19 had scuppered those plans. Instead we decided to rent a villa in the quiet area of Playa Blanca on the south of the island. The announcement by the FCO to advise against all but essential travel to Spain including the Canary Islands on 27th July left us with a big dilemma- to go and potentially face a 14-day quarantine when back or to cancel…. Writing this, I’m now in day 7 of quarantine and the holiday was TOTALLY worth it!
I didn’t have any planned sessions from Tim as I wanted to stay flexible with balancing time with my family and I was unsure about the cycle and running routes in this part of the island. However, once I had sussed out the area, I planned my rides and runs in a similar fashion to what I usually do under Tim’s expert guidance!
I had 4 fantastic rides whilst there. I have never taken my own bike to Lanzarote before (always hired from CLS) and had also never planned my own routes (Hugh/mum usually doing that!) so this was a new and exciting experience. The guidance mum gave me was 1) check the wind direction and 2) avoid the main motorway. The week I was there, the wind was a constant 20mph+ in a southerly direction meaning that I would have a solid headwind for half my ride distance and a cracking tail wind on the way back (should I choose a northernly route). I’m terrified of cross-winds so wanted to avoid those!
On Friday I went out on a short 22 mile loop (984ft elev.) towards El Golfo and the lava fields to check I had put my bike together ok, to get a feel for the winds and cycling on the right side of the road again. The winds were tough but I gave it a bit of welly having had fresh legs from my Thursday travelling day and came back with a big smile on my face! I did a short 15min run off the bike and very much enjoyed the pace I was reaching with the tail wind!
On Saturday I planned a 50 mile route (3,022ft elev.) up to CLS and back via Timanfaya. The 25 miles of solid headwind and long climb were tough but the views in Timanfaya were amazing and it was nice to wave at the familiar sight of the CLS lagoon. The tailwind home was again cracking and I got a PB from La Santa up to the Tinajo roundabout (a route I have ridden and raced MANY times) which was cool.
On Sunday I wanted to explore Playa Blanca by foot (running!). Frustratingly I had forgotten to bring my best running water bottle so I had to limit my route to what I thought I could manage without water- an hour. I left early so that I could run along the beautiful Avenida Maritima without it being too hot or busy. It was a beautiful run and I really enjoyed the 8 miles of very different landscape to London!
On Monday we were quite busy with family plans so I went for a quick spin around the 22mile el Golfo route again. I gave it some extra beans up the hills and again really enjoyed!
On Tuesday I went out and did my 8 mile run loop again. I aimed to do some negative splitting but set off a little too fast which made it more of a speed pyramid by the end. The highlight was seeing loads and loads of beautiful cats along the coastal path. There is a charity in the area which feeds the local stray cats and it must have been feeding time!
Wednesday was my final whole day in Lanzarote so I planned another long ride (54 miles, 3209ft elev) towards CLS but with a bit more exploration of the middle of the island. This would mean cross-winds but I put my brave hat on and faced my demons. It was a tough ride - 1/3 headwind, 1/3 crosswind and 1/3 tail wind, however I was extremely pleased to have managed it!
On Thursday morning I popped out for a short 5k recovery run in the dark before heading to the airport. Unfortunately, the government had not changed its stance on the Canary Islands quarantine so we were due to face 14 days of being confined to our home boundaries- so sadly no running!
Alongside my training, I spent some quality time with my sister and dad- doing lots of pool chilling, float races and underwater handstands! I got up quite early every morning (pre-7am!) to do a bit of my essay for uni, train and then be able to relax the rest of the day! Lots of sangria was consumed, we went out for tapas, paella and cocktails and did several BBQ’s at the villa. On our last day we climbed Montaña Roja which had the most fantastic view!
I had the best time holidaying and training in Lanzarote. Not everyone is fond of the cycling out there- the winds are tough and the landscape is interesting… but I really enjoyed developing my cycling skills- braving the winds (without Hugh the windbreak!), climbing and descending roads with increased confidence, navigating myself and managing to keep myself entertained on my own for 3hrs+. I missed our usual CLS experience but I felt that I had a better training/relaxing balance than I would have had (which I very much needed!). I felt extremely safe out there- both on and off the bike. Cars give you more than enough room to overtake and fellow cyclists wave. In the few restaurants we visited, all waiters wore masks, all customers did if they weren’t eating or drinking and tables were very spaced out. Our own private villa with a fab pool certainly helped us too!
So now I am in quarantine and have an epic two week “cyclist” turbo plan from Tim which has been keeping me busy. Report on that to come next week once I have been released back into society!
Megan Powell