Riding Gran Canaria with Blake Samson
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 This trip was all about catching the first light, each day. I was out there for 6 days and every day I got to see the best of Gran Canaria's sunrise and sunset. Something very refreshing to witness a new day been born and end. As hard as it was to wake up every day super early, it was worth it. Just to see that sunrise over the ocean. |
Gran Canaria has a great sunrise to experience.
If you ever get the chance to watch it, go for it.
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| There is a lot of excellent, wild and natural trails to ride on this island. I got to explore most of what the island had to offer. This particular spot was on the south-west coast of the island, a perfect location for the early morning sun. The trail was a bit easy and simple, with small climbs, fire roads and great viewing points along the way. Great for a family trail ride. |
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| Travelling through new lands and trails has to be the best thing to do on a bicycle. The freedom to roam and cover vast amounts of miles has its benefits. This place offers loads of great riding, from very rocky to rock/dust and then my favourite. The small volcanic course dirt, it's like oversized sand. It's light, very course and its great to carve, skid and get loose on. |
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| The highest peak of the island is the Pico de las Nieves, at 1,950 metres (6,400 ft). And this is the view it offers. |
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| This is an impeccable example of rock to dirt. I loved this trail! It started at a small car park at the top of this very high point and it was non-stop to the ocean. The whole trail is 2 hours of descent with some of the best views I have ever seen. I would go back just to ride this trail again, it was unreal. |
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Where to next?
It's not all about riding up hills, There are a few trail sections that are not ascendable, the outcome of hike a biking to the top of a trail is well worth the visa and the decent. That's what Gran Canaria has to offer, a lot of great downhill trails. With the downhill being so great, there is aways the uphills and they are killer!!
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| For me the sunrise and sunset shoots are my favourite. It just adds an extra element to the photo. This spot was a hour hike a bike to get to the top. The views were breath taking, but the terrain was a different story. Very demanding, regards to steep rocky decent, much like this one. |
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| Night-time approached quickly after such an epic day. What's best refreshment than a cold beer and a dinner with pasta shaped in bicycles? |
Early morning mission - hike and shoot a huge slope.
It's always good to try, because you never know how the final image will look like until you make it happen.
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| This trail started in the small village of Tejada. This trail wormed its way through the valley to a small town called Lomo Santos. It was a single track trail with steep decent, through the the volcanic growth, narrow paths with a vertical drop on the left and right. A great trail, that if I was to go back, I would ride this trail again. |
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| Having an astonishing trail in front of you with perfect weather is exactly what I was looking on at this little island dropped in the North Atlantic Ocean. Conditions like this make any trail "the best trail you have ever ridden" and this is how I felt there. |
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| Riding through a huge rock field puts you and the terrain in perspective. The feeling of being small and riding this terrain is over whelming. |
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| Spectacular trail in the gorgeous, golden light. You know you've found a good one to ride. |
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| Another beautiful day comes to an end. |
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| When you find a natural jump in the trail, you have to steez it out. Whip, tabletop, anything makes that moment on the trail well worth it. Found this perfect lip on this trail, I had to hike back up and hit it a few more times. |
 | The freeride and dirt jumper side of me is strong! This was that moment where I said: "I can flip this!". I kicked the lip with my shoe and... a piece of an old and broken roof tile. I crashed a few times, but in the end, I did land one. To this day, I think it's the hardest thing I have ever flipped - Blake Samson |
Welcome to our chicken-cave. Coffee?
A bit rocky on the inside, but still, quite cosy.
OK, jokes aside. Yet, we really lived in the cave during our stay at GC. It was a genuine hole in a solid mountain, but with all necessary facilities for comfortable holiday.
The place we stayed at is called Casas Rurales de Guayadeque. The thing what made this place so uncommon is the fact that they are caves. Caves that have been carved out of the mountain and turned into homes and a place to stay. I was blown away by the thought of riding the mountains and hill tops around and then returning to our cave to sleep in the mountain. I have a very unique sense of feeling. I loved it. The other thing that blew my mind was the fact that the restaurant just a 100 meters walk away. Was built in a cave too. But, this wasn’t any old cave. This was the biggest cave I have ever been in. The Tagoror Restaurant is located in Mountain Land in the top of the Guayadeque Valley, a valley that extends from sea level up to 1,423 meters. I would recommend this a place to stay and defiantly a spot to visit. The food is amazing and very affordable, the accommodation is well priced as well. You just have to book in advance, as there is only 6-8 rooms I think.
There was a path right behind our hotel, which lead to the center of the island. Our curiosity won and we had to check what going on there. We hiked out...
These are old sheep/shepherd courters where they would rest for the night or to escape the harsh weather. These buildings are now not in use and most are just ruins. This one is still in use, but for other reasons.
Nowadays they are for passing hikers who are hiking through the mountains and just need a place to rest or even a shelter for sleep overnight. For me, it was a superb place and time of a day to crash for a couple of hours before more climb ride.
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| The air around that apple orchard was heavy and thick of sweetness. And this was work of one, drunk spiders. |
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| Gran Canaria has to be my favourite of the Canary Islands that I have visited, so far. I've already been to Tenerife and Fuerteventura out of the seven sister islands. And even, if I am yet to explore the other four islands, I think that GC has it all, From harsh, volcanic landscapes to the evergreen woodlands in the mountains. Riding this trail was truly amazing, demanding at the times, but that's a big part of riding on this kind of terrain. |
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Found this great spot right on the sea front. It had loads of jumps, turns and lines to ride.
The locals have been busy building, it was refreshing to see that there is life with in the mountain bike freeride/dirt jumper scene out here. The best thing about this spot is that the sun rises right out of the ocean.
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| This little hip to bank was too much fun. As you can see the terrain is amazing to ride on but, its a very demanding to dig and shape well. Helmets off to the locals for being dedicated to digging out there. |
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| The coast line is very dramatic, with paths carved out by the local fisherman. So go on for ages, some are short but fun to ride and some are just plan silly. If you pick well you could explore the whole coastline on these paths. |
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| I couldn't ask for anything more. I'll be back Gran Canaria to ride your grounds soon. |
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| Early morning sun, the temperature at a chill, but with a bike in between your legs, perfect dirt to carve your own trail. Shooting nugs never been this easy. |
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The guide took us on a really good ride through some scary canyons and lovely singletrack.
Great experience to have.
Funny though, I was the only English dude there (everyone else was German. .. even the guide) and I was the only downhiller too, but half of the group gave up half way up the main ascent!
This was made even funnier seeing as I rarely ride up hills and I was riding a hired bike, and all the others were xc riders who had their own bikes and helmets etc.!!
Great sunshine and great loose gravely trails with stunning views
Great riding whoever takes you
PS. f*cking predictive text....
Apart from that it was spot on, great fast dusty trails and a good way to escape the mudfest that is winter in the UK. Similar experience to @oldmanDan, one english guy with 5 Germans and an Austrian guide, took 5 mins explaining to the Germans what was coming up on the next section then all I got was 'ok English, we go downhill, fast.'
Great video!