Surfing and mountain biking in La Pared

In the morning a mountain bike tour through the Istmo de La Pared
Surf in the evening to rinse off the sweat

The Canaries are a surfing Eldorado and Fuerteventura is often referred to as the European Hawaii. But for other sports such as mountain biking, Fuerteventura offers ideal conditions.

Hello surfers and bikers,
In today's article I am writing about one of my other sports passions that I still have besides surfing. Like almost all surfers, I'm always looking forward to winter and snowboarding.
Due to the Corona crisis, this was unfortunately not possible last winter and I could not plan a trip into the snow for the coming winter.

But back to the actual content of this article ... If snowboarding is like surfing on frozen water, then mountain biking is surfing over mountains and trails. In the mountain biker language one says “trails” about the paths. “Surfing trails” is a common phrase in mountain bike jargon.
For surfers who have had little contact with mountain biking up to now, these comparisons will not sound very promising. After all, surfing the Internet has absolutely nothing to do with surfing, which we know and after which we have partially changed our entire life.

I only discovered mountain biking again after a break. As a teenager, I was often out on my mountain bike and put all my pocket money into my MTB. Nevertheless, it would have been difficult to arouse this feeling of surfing on a trail with the bikes of the past.

In the last 10 years, mountain bikes have changed fundamentally, there are new types of bikes, racing formats and much more.
The real evolution for me is that there are really good full suspension (we bikers call these "fully" mountain bikes).
 

Mountain bike enduro tours at La Pared

As a teenager, I couldn't have afforded a mountain bike like the one I have now. But now I have an enduro mountain bike, most of which I bought second-hand on various bike sites and built it myself.

In mountain biking, enduro refers to bikes that are primarily designed to allow you to ride downhill quickly and safely, but still be able to ride the bike up the mountain on your own and without a lift.

When this downhill ride takes place on the right trail, so that you can use the edge of the path as a banked curve in curves, use small hills to accelerate by pumping and simply jump down steps in the path, that's a lot of fun.

The suspension and geometry of the mountain bike allow completely different speeds on the descent and if you know your trail better, you will come to a point with the mountain bike as with surfing where the curves and jumps are so fluid that the so-called "flow" is created. Without exaggeration, you come to a point where you have the feeling of surfing down the mountain on your bike.

Fuerteventura may not have a real mountain range like the other Canary Islands, but since you always start from above sea level, tours with significantly more than 400 meters of altitude as a downhill route arise very quickly. That is no less than for tours in the European low mountain ranges.
 

Mountain biking in the morning and then surfing in La Pared at sunset

In the area around La Pared there are suitable trails for mountain bike tours on several sides. In the Istmo de La Pared, the part that is described as the narrowest point between the east and west coast of the island, there are not only dunes but also many paths on which the sand is compacted and ideal for mountain biking. There are some easier descents here where you have to actively help get the bike going. Thanks to the soft surface, you get a real freeride feeling.

Those who like it a little crisper can explore the trails that meander to the highest mountain in the area, the Cardon. Those who have enough strength and stamina can make a detour to the small pilgrimage chapel on the Cardon.

In the afternoons you can wash off the sweat and dust from biking with a surf session on La Pared beach. What more do you want?! :)
 

Conclusion

There are several good routes for mountain biking around La Pared. With the right bike, you can descend a few meters in altitude and get that real mountain bike enduro feeling. Then you reward yourself with a surf session on the long beach of La Pared.