Ride the Troodos and the coast: cycling Cyprus in winter and spring

Leave the seafront at Molos in Limassol and head out past Kolossi to Kouris Dam. From there the road climbs through the villages of Lofou, Pera Pedi and Platres into the Troodos forest. After 71 km you stand on Olympus, at 1,952 m the highest point in Cyprus, with 2,330 m of climbing in your legs. Teams from Great Britain and the Netherlands spend their winters in Paphos and Limassol for rides like that. The weather is mild, the traffic is light, the asphalt is good, and direct flights link the island to many European capitals.

The best months for cycling in Cyprus are March to May and September to November. Visit Cyprus, the website of the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Tourism, calls spring and autumn the ideal seasons. The days are long and not overly hot. It also points to around 300 days of sun a year, mild winters with little rain and a lack of headwinds.

Each window suits a different kind of week. December to February is for steady base miles. Highs average 14.3 °C in January and 16.4 °C in December, and these are the wettest months, with 8.6 and 9.2 days of rain. March to May is the build, warming from 18.5 °C to 27.7 °C, with the Cyprus Gran Fondo at the end of March. June to August peaks at 35.1 °C in July. That is too hot for long rides in the midday sun, so start at first light. September to November cools from 31.5 °C to 21.4 °C. Autumn brings L'Etape Cyprus by Tour de France, which takes riders up to Mount Olympus.

The table below is theKlub's month by month climate for Cyprus. It shows average daily highs and lows over ten years, and the days with at least 1 mm of rain or snow. It is measured at one point on the island, not on the Troodos summits. Read it for the coast and the valleys, not for the top of Olympus.

The Troodos Mountains hold three road climbs worth planning a cycling week around. The longest is Mount Olympus from the coast. The 0-2000 Cycling Challenge route runs 71 km from Molos on the Limassol seafront to the summit at 1,952 m, through Kouris Dam, Lofou, Pera Pedi, Platres and Troodos Square. It has 2,330 m of ascent, with 63 km of riding uphill. Its final 3.5 km, from Troodos Square to the top, has sections of 16 to 17 per cent. The Troodos 1 loop on Visit Cyprus is shorter and sharper: 37.7 km from Troodos Square down to Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis and Kakopetria, then almost 9 km of steep climbing back past Amiantos, for 1,635 m of gain. The Tour of Marathasa, also on Visit Cyprus, is a 90.34 km paved loop through Prodromos, Pedoulas and Kykkos Monastery that asks for low gears.

Olympus from Limassol is the day to build a week around. It is a long effort from sea level to the island's highest point, with the steepest ramps saved for the end. The Troodos 1 loop suits riders who want repeated steep work. Visit Cyprus rates it very difficult and asks for a 20-speed road bike in good condition. The Tour of Marathasa is the long day out, with switchbacks through cedar forest on the road to Kykkos. The restaurant at the monastery is the place to regroup and refuel. After it, the road runs on to Kampos, with a turning to Cedar Valley along the way.

The Troodos 1 page on Visit Cyprus has a link to download the route as a GPX file, just under the route description, and the Tour of Marathasa page has the same. Load them onto your bike computer before you fly. For the gradients, ask for a compact chainset (50/34, the smaller pair of front rings that makes climbing easier) and a cassette up to 32 or 34 teeth. Take the descents with care in the wet, as some of them are technical.

Base in Limassol or Paphos if the climbs are the point of the trip, and near Larnaca for flat coast roads and easier days. Visit Cyprus lists rides from Paphos in the west, Limassol in the south and Nicosia, the capital. All of them head towards the Troodos range at the heart of the island. The big towns also have dedicated cycling lanes.

Limassol suits riders who want the big climb from the hotel door. The road to Olympus starts on its seafront, and it is one of the two towns where teams from Great Britain and the Netherlands spend the winter. Paphos is the other. It is also home to the Cyprus Gran Fondo, so it suits a group training for an event or riding one in spring.

Larnaca and Ayia Napa share the flat coastal roads of the southeast. They suit beginners, recovery spins and a mixed group where not everyone wants to climb. theKlub's two cycling friendly hotels in Cyprus are both in Larnaca. Lordos Beach Hotel & Spa is a 4 star hotel with a guest rating of 9.0 out of 10, and Golden Bay Beach Hotel is a 5 star hotel rated 8.8. Compare them and other stays on our cycling in Cyprus page. Weighing islands? Our guide to the Best Cycling Routes in Mallorca covers Sa Calobra, Formentor and Puig Major.

Ride on the left in Cyprus, use the bike lane where a road has one, and never ride a motorway, which the law forbids. That is the summary from CyprusAlive, a Cypriot guide site. It adds that drivers must keep 1.5 m from a bike when they pass it. On a two-way road, keep to the left-hand side. On a four-lane road, keep to the left lane.

Helmets are compulsory. Since 2023 a cyclist without one faces a spot fine, the Cyprus Mail newspaper reported. The helmet must be made for cycling and carry the CE mark. Check your lights and brakes before each ride. Because Cyprus drives on the left, many hire bikes have the front brake on the right, the UK or moto setup. Ask the shop to swap the levers, or ride a few easy kilometres before the first descent.

Pick an event first and the rest of the week falls into place. The Cyprus Gran Fondo runs over three days, 26 to 28 March 2027, from Paphos. Its organiser, Activate Cyprus, runs it as a qualifier in the Gran Fondo World Series of the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling's world governing body. It suits riders chasing a place at the World Championships, and a group who want a spring race to train for.

The 0-2000 Cycling Challenge, also run by Activate Cyprus, turns the Limassol to Olympus climb into a race in June. Day two is a time trial from Troodos Square to the top, and day one has three feed zones with water, electrolytes and fruit. Its shorter 1000-2000 version starts just after Pera Pedi and is pitched at road beginners. In autumn, L'Etape Cyprus by Tour de France takes riders up to Mount Olympus.

The Cyprus Sunshine Cup is for friends who ride off road. Founded in 1997, it is one of the oldest mountain bike events in the world. The latest edition on its site was three cross-country races in February 2024, at Ancient Amathus, Tochni and Macheras. For a rider's take on sharing home roads with a group, read The Inside Line with Marta Torà Milà.

Cyprus rewards the rider who plans the week around one big day. Ride Olympus from the sea, then shorter loops in the mountains, and easy spins on the coast while the legs recover. Riders who want company on the climbs can look at cycling holidays with theKlub. Pick your month from the climate table, then download the Troodos 1 GPX from its Visit Cyprus page before you fly.