Troodos loop: a full day in the Cyprus mountains

The Troodos range is the reason to bring a bike to Cyprus. Within an hour of the coast you go from 30 °C and sea haze to pine forest, switchbacks and air cold enough that you stop to put the liner back in. This loop is the one I recommend to anyone with a single free day.

Route

Leave the coast early and head north on the B6, then branch off towards the mountains. The climb to Platres is the warm-up: wide, well surfaced, with long sweeping bends. After Platres the road narrows and the fun starts.

• Coast → Platres. Easy climb, good place for the first coffee.
• Platres → Troodos square. Hairpins in the trees. Watch for gravel on the inside of bends after rain.
• Around Olympos. The highest point of the island. Usually windy, often ten degrees colder than the coast.
• Down through the wine villages. Small roads, stone villages, a lot of slow tractors. Lunch here.
• Back to the coast on the main road while you are still awake.

Things to know

• Fuel up before you climb. Stations in the mountains are few and close early on Sundays.
• Weekend mornings are busy with cyclists and other riders. Weekdays are empty.
• Local drivers cut corners on blind bends. Keep left of centre in your own lane and assume someone is coming.
• In winter the top can have snow; the road is cleared, but shaded bends stay icy until late morning.

The first time I did this I underestimated the cold at the top and spent twenty minutes in a café holding a cup of tea with both hands. Bring a layer.

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