Ever heard of the Troodos Mountains? We certainly hadn’t. But even in scorching August, once you’re 2,000 metres up largely-undiscovered hills, you may well become hooked. The landscape on Cyprus ranges from the flat eastern coast, to the rolling hills of the south, and high mountains in the north and west. The full programmes have not yet been released, but the little-known Mediterranean destination could be the ultimate location for a training camp — whatever your cycling level.
Canyon bikes for hire
If you don’t want the risk and hassle of packing your own bike onto the airplane, Aspire’s hosted cycling holidays can rent you the latest Canyon model road bikes. They have bikes for both men and women, and they work out at (roughly) €250 for a week’s rental, with a minimum of three days. The Aspire packages include (if desired) a mechanic, but if you hire a Canyon then all maintenance and bike adjustment is free of charge.
One of the range of Canyon bikes for hire
Although you will be discovering the roads and routes on Cyprus during your stay, Aspire have also teamed up with local tourism guides who can point you in the direction of the best restaurants, bars and local food markets.
Chic hotels with bike storage
All of the hotel partners that Aspire has on its books cater for two-wheelers, and have been chosen to guarantee their cycling clientele with spacious rooms, a place to their bikes and Olympic-sized swimming pools. We suspect they will be wonderful, but not cheap. (Bear in mind this is a new destination for organised cycling tours and training, so expect odd looks if you are wandering around the hotel reception dressed only in lycra.)
The Aspire Team
Aspire Cycling was originally launched in Berlin, in 2014, when a group of bike-crazy enthusiasts set up cycling hospitality tours in and around the German capital city. The Cyprus team includes a “head of bike guides” as well as a head mechanic and a guy called Tony Martin — before you get excited, we are pretty certain this is not Der Panzerwagen.
Keep an eye on the website, which is clearly in the process of being finalised, because you might get an Early Bird discount to “Europe’s next top sports training destination”. If you’re lucky…