Climb Every Mountain.....

a tiered mountain side in the Troodhos

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. We really only cycled through the southern part, which is Greek Cypriot, crossing into the occupied area (Turkish Cypriot ) for just a few hours while we were in Lefkosia. The central part of the island is mountainous and, in many respects, more interesting and certainly more authentically Cypriot in culture and lifestyle than any of the cities by the sea.

archaeological site of Ayios Giorgis on the coast

On the coasts, we were interested in the archaeological sites but it seems that most tourists are there for the resort hotels and the beaches. Although the guide book says that the majority of tourists to Cyprus are British, we feel that claim might be outdated. We hold the position that Russians have become the number one tourist group visiting Cyprus.

Ayios Nikolaos tis Stegis - a frescoed church

In the mountains,  most of the people who live and who work there are Cypriots, unlike the coastal cities where it is useless practicing your Greek thank you to your server in a restaurant , as the wait staff are invariably from Romania or Bulgaria. In the mountains, there are also the French and the Germans who come for the hiking, the scenery and the lovely frescoed churches.  The Russians do not stay in the mountains although occasionally you will see a busload, on a day trip, visiting the wall paintings and icons of a centuries old Byzantine church.

Then there is Minas and me, the crazy and old Canucks, who go to the mountains to bike!!!  

stopping to admire a iew after going over the top of Troodhos

If you imagine having dinner and, when finished, taking your napkin and pushing it in from the edges before leaving it on your placemat, then you will have a bit of a picture of Cyprus.  The mountains rise up in the middle as deep folds where you are constantly going up or down as you move from one deep valley to the next. 

on the way up to Troodhos

 Cycling in these mountains has been difficult and I have pushed my bike on more occasions here than on any other trip we have done – but I just cannot cycle with a loaded bike up hills of 10 or 12 percent. Ups that go on for many kilometres at 7 percent wear me out.  With a steep climb, I only manage 5 kilometres an hour when I ride and I can push the bike at slightly better than 4 km. per hour.  So why waste your energy? At first, I was embarrassed to push my bike. Then I thought, “Wait a minute! I am 65 and I don’t see anyone else on bikes on these roads at all.” Finally I arrived at a rational place. I now think of pushing my bike as hiking – it’s just that my heavy backpack is on wheels and I occasionally can use it as transportation. Ergo, I am as good, and certainly no worse, than those who hike in the mountains. 

the mountains of Cyprus : fold upon fold

a vlllage spills down the hills of the lower Troodhos

stopping to cool the tires on a long down stretch

And, of course, what goes up must come down and I am secretly pleased that I have gone 51 km/hr. on a down stretch. (I can hear Lynda and my son cheering and I can hear the admonishment in my daughter’s voice as she says,”Motherrrrr!”)  

 I really only let the bike go when I am near the bottom of a straight stretch into a valley and I can see the straight hill loom upwards ahead of me. The sign usually says 8 per cent and I do not want to go up 8 percent from the very bottom. It is surprising how far up the hill you can get when you are going that speed and coasting until you can pedal comfortably.

looking down from Pano Panagia

We effectively crossed the southern part of Cyprus, through the mountains on five different routes. For the most part, we stayed in each mountain village for several nights. Our thought had been to cycle in the area without the cumbersome luggage attached. However, the roads were few and the grades so steep that with a couple of short exceptions, we mostly walked or lazed about on our non-travelling days. My biggest challenge came on a day of relatively few kilometres but of maximum and relentless difficulty. We only cycled 28 kilometres but it took me 4 hours and 17 minutes of actual “on the bike” time to do it. The first 18 kilometres was all “up” at grades of mostly 7 percent with occasional bits of 10 percent and some relief at 5 percent. Our starting elevation was 661 metres at Kakopetria and the 18 km climb took us to the highest road point in Cyprus at 1750 metres. There is no village there, just a few cafes and a hotel. We were looking for the plaque that gave the elevation to take our picture in front of it but there was nothing .

Troodhos Plateia - highest road point - 1750 m

 You will just have to believe me that we made it to this point of the Troodhos Plateia all by bike (well I pushed mine on two different short stretches of difficult terrain). Minas biked it all though. The last 10 kilometres that day were a speedy downhill to our hotel in Platres which is the highest village in Cyprus at 1200 metres.  I was feeling pretty successful until the next day when we met a group of men and women in British army cycling gear. They had gone from the coast that morning up to the highpoint of 1750 metres and were having lunch in Platres before going back to sea level.  Just a jaunt of more than 100 km: the first half of it all uphill. Way to burst my bubble!! However, we found out that they were the British army triathlon team who were in Cyprus for training. The next day, descending from 1200 metres to sea level was fun although frequent stops are called for as the hands get cramped and the tire rims get over-heated.

But I do love the mountains if not necessarily for the biking. In the Troodhos , we were impressed by the sheer beauty of the relatively empty landscape. 

the large key to the small door of a Byzantine church - Galata

Nestled here and there at the very heights of the island are the ten Byzantine churches with a UNESCO World Heritage designation because of the incredible painted frescoes covering nearly every square inch of their interior surface – no pictures please! 

roses in front of a stone house - Kakopetria

And finally, there are still authentic stone villages where the traditional houses are built around a courtyard although the double doors leading on to the cobbled streets give you no hint of what lies inside. Profusions of flowers grow everywhere and the Rose Festivals are in the first two weeks of May even in the mountains. The area is the most authentic part of Cyprus we visited right down to the real Cypriot meals: meat, meat and more meat! And I was so hungry that I did eat, eat and eat some more!

Mount Olympus - high peak of Cyprus

No visit to Cyprus is complete without some experiences of the real culture that is found only in the mountains.