Europe's Undiscovered Cycling Gem
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- I don't often do vlog style videos, so let me know if you enjoy this type of content! The video doesn't even scratch the surface of the quantity and quality of great riding to be had in Greece.
Thanks to these guys for the bike rental, route suggestions and everything else:
www.getactivel...
This is what always baffled me as a Greek. I live in Athens and we literally have a 20k 5% climb, a 10k@6.6% and a 8k@7% all within 30-40 minutes from the city center and a bunch of hills in the city and next to those big climbs. Greece is amazing for cycling and in Athens there's plenty for everyone, both alpine and pancake flat. It's actually a really active city as far as cyclists. Especially the riviera, which is teeming with bikes.
Very interesting. What do you mean riviera? Around Glyfada/Vouliagmeni area? I also explored the Mystras area and Mani. The mountains between Kalamata and Mystras...wow they are huge.
@@PeakTorque basically the coastline all the way from Piraeus to Vouliagmeni, pretty much pancake flat for about 20k if I remember. And then from Vouliagmeni to Sounio another 40k with minimal climbing on 100-200m long soft climbs and mostly flat.
Most cyclists go there, mountains don't really get the love they deserve although they too are packed, especially during weekends.
@@ThisIsANameBruh i was working near Sounio once doing a research project for Vestas wind. Its a lovely area and the first time i drank Greek Coffee. I didn't let it settle
...rookie mistake.
@@PeakTorque well, if you're ever back in Athens I'd love to give you a tour of the mountains in the area!
Used to go on holiday there as a kid every year. Definitely a cycling paradise pretty much everywhere I went.
In recent years, cycling has risen a lot in Greece.. Keep cycling Petros from Greece 🇬🇷!! Living in Greece Sun Sea and Coffee love it!
I think the reason why cycling isn't as big in Greece is that there is a preconceived notion that it's dangerous, because a lot of roads tend to be in terrible condition and drivers can be a little crazy. Also, cycling infrastructure in major cities like Athens and Thessaloniki is not on par with other European countries, so people just don't put cycling in their daily lives. Having said that, cycling is in fact getting bigger and bigger the last few years.
I really enjoy your content, keep it up!😄
Thanks for bringing that up. Greek mountain routes are a cycling paradise with loads of climbing
Great video! Lefkada is a real cycling gem for sure
I am deeply enjoying this content, please do more!
Thank you for sharing your rides in Greece. I live in Zakynthos (also one of the Ionian islands) and I've just got back from another biking trip in Kefalonia. If you have time, go to Kefalonia and ride to, or have lunch/coffee/drinks at, a village called Assos on the west side. The Fiskardo area/loop is also stunning. You will be even more AMAZED. But please don't tell too many people! And if you want to visit Zakynthos we can show you some pretty spectacular rides too.
Haahaa, you have obviously never ridden your bike in Rhodos or Crete. Pure biking paradises! Greece rocks! :D)))
P.S. Isn't Zakynthos that island with the ship wreck in the bay with lots of base jumpers?
@@DilbertMuc I have been to Crete and it's super nice there too. In fact, there are loads more places I have been to in Greece that are top-notch for cycling (e.g. Peloponnese, Trikala .. etc). I only mentioned Kefalonia because it was close to where Peak Torque was at the time. Yes, Zakynthos is indeed famous for "Shipwreck Bay" that base jumpers used but it is now banned (quite rightly).
@@jubeeju Crete and Rhodos have those fantastic cistroses growing everywhere. Their mediterranean fragrance gives me instant holiday feelings when cycling down there. Don't know about Zakynthos. Maybe that island is too far north. I think I need to visit Zakynthos next time to figure that out. :D)))
Certainly agree with you. Lived in Greece for a few years in the 90's and raced for a team in Thessaloniki. Back then there was a pretty non-existent scene even though mountain biking was starting to get a little bit bigger. Even rode their national champs and Tour of Rhodes one year. I still remember some of the rides. My brother and I did the longest rides we have ever done when we rode from Thessaloniki to some of the ski centres that were about 100 kms away. We had never seen or ridden on roads that just kept on going up and up for nearly 20kms but the descents on almost empty, smooth roads were fantastic. Really smooth rides and really hilly but you could find flatter rides if you knew where to go. Some of the climbs were epic, descents were even better. Riding in the larger towns and cities required a good life insurance policy though. I remember talking to someone back then who wanted to start a eco-tourism and bike-hire business because he believed that more and more people would want to travel to Greece to do things like bike riding. I said that I thought he was wrong because people only go to Greece for the beaches, How wrong was I?
Deffo continue with this style of videos 💪🏼
Been cycling in Greece since 2001 except COVID years. I have my road bike permanently in Ioannina Greece which is down the road from Lefkada. My family and I we just love the island and the amazing beaches and the lifestyle, it’s a must visit
Just wait until you ride in Crete. The natural diversity of the landscape, the multiple mountain ranges (road goes from 0m to 1750m), and the sheer size of the place make it a cycling paradise. The fact that the top cycling teams are located there and many pros started from Crete is by no chance.
Definitely next on the list...ive seen some photos. Heaven!
Heading to Rhodes soon to race, your video is enticing me to see more of the islands, not a hard sell from a rain-soaked Ireland! 😁 thanks for sharing good content and context for what to expect on the bike
You should try Rhodes. Loads of cycling clubs, conti races, great roads and ”huge” climbs. Love it!
There is a fairly big cycling community in Greece and is indeed a hidden gem.
Covid made Greece a paradise for cycling but in a normal tourist season traffic is unbearable between April-September
And local drivers are not very respectful of anything smaller than a car
If you even need any tips for cycling in Crete let me know :)
What's the weather like in October and March? Still good for cycling?
@@bobqzzi it's perfect riding weather for me actually. Just warm enough (about 25C), and still pretty mild weather. But there is more chance of rainstorms in October than summer.
Nice vlog though! Keep these coming really appreciate it as I’m currently in quarantine again.
Greeks love their food and coffee, so that goes without saying. Looks bright like Australia. 👍Enjoy!
Hee hee first! 🤣👍
And no disc brakes 💪💪💪
Rhodos and Greece are the new bike destinations in late autumn because they are the last two islands that remain still sunny and warm while all other islands are affected by the cold and strong northern Meltemi wind and continental Europe enters the winter season.
Just been to Kefalonia (October) You need to luv hills. Great scenery, super quiet roads & super friendly locals. Would recommend 28-32mm hard wearing tyres. some of the roads are dusty/gravely and watch out for jaywalking goats...Much preferred Kefalonia over Majorca....
I was in Ithaca/Kefalonia in September. Ithaca even quieter as barely any tourists.
Total lay agree. I have a house on the Aegean island of Leros and keep a TCR comp 0 bike there. Great place to ride, especially if you like climbing. Totally under rated. Someone will wake up to what a paradise GR is for cycling sometime soon.
Coffee is the most important. I live in Spain for last 10 yrs and biking with groups is very motivating especially when you do long rides.
Nice video cool to see you out on the bike looks a great place to ride. It would be cool to see more videos like this.
i knew which country you were talking about from the first frame before you even said anything! amazing place to be 'stuck'.
Dude I love your channel but seriously where can I get that jersey, it’s fabulous and I love being seen, please tell me
Check out unfound.cc
I was gonna ask the same. I have no idea why cycle clothing companies make such muted and dark jerseys. Give me some orange or tie-dye!
Looks picturesque. The scenery is lovely but I think I'd prefer the climbs in Holland instead.
lol
Try crete too, it has nice roads and people are relaxed and no road rage!
And no disc-brakes! #savetherimbrake
I went to Cyprus for Christmas a few years ago. It was good cycling there as well. Plus, they drive on the same side as us in the UK.
Awesome video !! Greece really is a hidden Gem !
Greece is great country with amazing people!
Way to make someone jealous!! What a place to cycle...
yep, that was enjoyable thanks. Never considered Greece as somewhere to cycle in
"Hills everywhere".....to hell with that.
Wow. This is an amazing vlog.
Could retire to Greece some day. Hope it's still good in 20 years
I wish I could get stuck there! Cycling, boating. Lemonade like I never tasted!
That jersey is 👌
Are you serious? 🤢🤮
@@andyjonathan2486which color don't you like then?
@@ProMunkie to each their own. I think my t-shirt looked like that while attending an Indian Holi Festival.
Greeks will love telling you that it's super dangerous to ride there but actually, the drivers almost universally (out of the cities) are so confused that you're on a bike that they'll give you a really wide berth, and a little honk to let you know they're passing. I think that perception, the intensity of the financial crisis that the country is emerging from, and also the fact it is brutally hot for 4 months of the year plays a part in why there aren't so many cyclists. But there definitely are more young cyclists in and around Athens.
Even riding out of Athens is incredible in comparison to most capitals. Living in athens, you've got Ymmitos and Mount Parnitha, both climbs that go up to/above 900m right out of the city, as well as a 25km climb out to Skourta via Fyli. Pretty fantastic to be in the city for breakfast and immediately out into quiet, long climbs through forests to start a ride. Decent tarmac everywhere, stop for lunch and it'll be like 9 euros. I'm part greek so I'm biased but it's my favourite place to ride especially because you don't feel like part of a crowd. Just worth bearing in mind you will probably want extra water than you'd normally need.
Also check out Evia, Pelion, the Peloponnese and around Ioannina for more great climbing.
thanks for the info, looks amazing the scenery
So beautiful there!
Was not expecting to see Vassiliki in this video, you should do some windsurfing whilst you’re there!
Vassiiliki!! Spent many weeks there - windsurfing is ace in the afternoon :)
You should come to KEFALONIA, the island below lefkas. We have a larger road network and a more hills to climb. Also we have mt. Ainos at 1650m, the highest point of ionian islands
I did go to kefallinia too :) But i hid in Foki cave...
Next time you visit ionian islands come to kefalonia to give you a tour of the island! We are many cyclists here!
@@pkporto definitely will.
Cost is a big issue re: popularity. Young people just don't have disposable income in Greece. Pricing says cycling is a rich man's sport now, unfortunately. P.S. Club Vass used to be my Mecca as a teenager.
Not true. Any fool can maintain and ride old gear for pennies. If just takes a bit of effort. Pantani used to rebuild his bike every night. Sure carbon is expensive but its also utterly irrelevant to being able to ride a bike. Used 10 speed 105 on an alu frame and you're good. Be interested how that's a rich man's sport.
@@ironmantooltime Pantani was an Espoir nearly 40 years ago. Don't be ridiculous.
@@pmcmpc why's it ridiculous? He didn't have any money, before he was pro he basically built his bike himself. The fact you don't get this raises serious questions for me, wanna be spoon fed your whole life little baby? You seriously telling me you can't build a decent ebay bike, wtf get a life.
@@ironmantooltime wow someone thinks Amazon and eBay are arms open no matter what country you live in.
@@sswan46 oh yea what am i saying the second hand market is unique to American market. I won't bite, you can't build your own bike if you're short of money, you're just not a cyclist. Whats up, still pissed mommy and daddy didn't pony up for that 10k euro frame?
Man I totally agree but you got to ride in Crete you are gonna love it
Had to subscribe. Lefkada resident u see!
I’m on holiday in Crete and I couldn’t understand why there weren’t loads of cyclists tackling these amazing climbs?!?
Because wherever you go, dogs will chase you. Greek have no clue how to build a fence to keep their dogs from attacking people. They do not care to be honest. That is my experience on Corfu at least. Hit the tarmac twice because of it.
What time of year would you go though, in the summer its possibly just too hot?
Dreaming of traveling again.
Im in 14 days quarantine In a hotel now in Asia. I had to travel back to UK for an emergency, and went back via Europe, so wanted to make the damned most of it.
@@PeakTorque smart 👍🏻.
@@PeakTorque You on a world tour? I thought you lived in the UK. Where in asia? I am in Taiwan. Would love to visit family in UK, but just seems impossible with all these stupid restrictions!
@@hcw199 I live in Hong Kong. I went back to the UK for my fathers funeral unfortunately.
@@PeakTorque Sorry to hear that... All the best to you and your family.
I come from Lefkada and used to cycle there a lot before i moved to the UK. It is a nice place to cycle as the traffic us low and the road network very good (not the roads though). Hope you didn't have any incidents with stray dogs
I did have one dog chase me, but he didnt look stray...he was outside the same taverna every day.
those roads look so smooth id run 21 mm tires no joke
They aren't in many places, they were quite rough like a chipseal surface
There are better places to ride your bike in Greece. With unbelievable forests, steep climbs next to flat, near the sea roads. Lefkada is a small island. There's a place in the north, which is pure magic. In makedonia, chalkidiki.
You were close. If you like climbing you should try the route Igoumenitsa - Ioannina and then explore the mountains in Ioannina. You can plan pretty tough routes there. No sea though.
I planned to but unfortunately did not have enough time. I'd like to explore Kalabaka too. Next time!
@@PeakTorque Kalabaka is beautiful. Well worth to spend 2 days if you are vacationing in Greece. Of course the best part is Meteora.
Yes, Greece, undiscovered.
Dude, thanks. Got a plan for september then i guess. Any tips for accomodation?
Cycling is growing rapidly in GR but it seems more gravel and MTB than road.
Cheers 🍻
Very nice.
Great vid, what helmet are you wearing?
Corsica supposedly good. A Departement of France so French roads, food etc. 30km climbs from sea level. Nearer to us, can go to Nice and get the ferry so do some riding on the Cote d Azur
I rode around Corsica. It's pretty scenic and the interior is, as you note, really hilly. The roads in the interior tend to have lots of livestock and aggressive herding dogs so I wasn't really thrilled about that. And I found the food disappointing; certainly the worst French food I've had. I liked the Croatian islands much better. Fantastic riding and wonderful scenery.
You need to visit Greek cycling holidays run by Steve Frost fantastic cycling and food
You seem pretty well versed in Greek...that was a surprise :)
I would like to live there one day!
Nice idea 😎
Beautiful
Can you talk about Australian track rider bike snap in the Olympics please?
I spent my birthday 2017 on Lefakda and I was kicking myself for the entire time, that I didn't bring my bike with me (I flew in to Bucharest to meet some friends and we then drove down through Bulgaria, so I didn't really have space to bring my bikes)
69th like, why in the world did 2 dislike this great video?
Perhaps they were expecting some engineering conundrums thrown in with a monkey wrench.
Brilliant idea, and absolutely love your Le Col top, what’s the design called?
Hambini and that lady journalist with the large undercarriage both dislike this video.
Looking for my first cycling sunglasses, yours looks damn good! What model are you wearing?
100% Racetrap
Look like S2’s to me.
It's similar to mallorca. Perfect weather, a lot of climbing (both rock climbing and cycling), wonderfull beaches. Just missing the money to be able to retire ar 40 :P
I would say Mallorca is good but there are a lot of flat roads between the big climbs 😜 despite being chunky 88kg i do prefer climbing
@@PeakTorque being chunky with 88kg, lol :D .... I'm 110 kg, not a big fan of climbing tho but it's worth suffering for a nice view :)
come over to northern germany and do some hard classic style races!
How are you dealing with wind roar past your helmet?
Going to ride in Greece this summer ! Don’t know if you mentioned it but it’s also a cheap country if you come from one of the rich country of the world.
Bombing jersey!
What are your thoughts about dogs in Greece, wondered if you had any issues getting chased. Went to Kefalonia and Corfu and had dog chase me while cycling in the past. Not really had that issue in Spain ?
I did get chased once but only on foot. Was a bit strange as normally im the dog whisperer :)
Last week we've done the tour of Lefkada with our gravel bikes, what can I say? 100 km of total bliss!
Ah man! Jealous
you're lucky you didn't get run over - speed limits in greece are minimums, not maximums
Brilliant
What kind of C19 tests and expenses did you have to leave the UK? Did you need to get vaccinated or not?
I've been double vaccinated, so going to Greece was easy, just needed to show proof.
4:40
PT: *h e a v y b r e a t h i n g*
Be nice if they made a UCI tour there
There is one it's cold the tour of rhodes
Am I the only one who really wants that jersey? It's really fcking nice imo but i cant find it anywhere on the internet.
Keep up m8. Land on kefalonia and climb the biggest mountain in Ionion. Mt Ainos 1600 m. There is a brevet organised every year. 210 km with 3100 altitude. And regarding Greece culture that's why we are all fat. Food coffee and beer. 😂😂😂
Must’ve been difficult getting there with Covid travel restrictions?
I just cancelled a holiday in Crete for late July as Greece/Islands are still Amber with the prospect of the EU banning travel from the UK regardless of what that clown Johnson does with “Green countries”
Looks fantastic and I’m really jealous
I just have to suck it up. Its 14 days locked in a hotel room for me now here. So 10 days at home seems like a gift ;)
I went from UK to Europe back to Asia. If I'd gone back straight from UK it would have been 3 weeks in a hotel.
Don't listen to the bs traffic light system. Greece has lower cases than the Balearics, Algarve etc and almost all people working in the tourism industry are double vaccinated.
@@PeakTorque I agree the tragic light system is shoite.
I just think within a few weeks any decision will be taken out of the UK’s hands.
Not too hot?
I love this channel and the awesome engineering analysis topics-but what in the world are you wearing?!?! 🤨
No vlogs please! The internet is full of them. What we are here for is for rare high-quality technical stuff explained in laymen's terms.