Everything Julia, Maria and I knew about the Azores so far, we got from the weather forecast at home. And even the Azores high was a fallacy.
As we step off the plane on the main island of Sao Miguel, fresh, salty Atlantic air blows into our faces. The sky is grey and the steep mountains in the distance are a lush green. So the islands don't seem to lack regular irrigation from above. But it's not cold for the end of October. I can stuff my down jacket back into my hand luggage.
Of course, we didn't set off on this adventure completely unprepared. Of the nine inhabited volcanic islands, the two easternmost, Sao Miguel and Santa Maria, are said to be particularly suitable for biking. We even find tour operators on the internet who advertise an enduro paradise. We contacted one of these organisers in advance and they were already waiting for us at the airport: André and André grab our bags and load them into the car. On the journey to the hotel, André 1 wants to know why we didn't opt for the more southerly Canary Islands like most European bikers. "Because we want to experience something special," Julia says. This makes the two Andrés visibly proud. "You will, you will."
It is still dark when the two guides pick us up the next morning. But just as we reach the highest point on the island, the 947 metre high Pico da Barrosa, the sun stretches its first feelers over the eastern horizon. A play of colours begins. A circular lake, framed by a white sandy beach, glows pale green further down. The first contours begin to emerge in the forest, which is still black, and then it too shines in unreal, rich green tones that contrast sharply with the azure blue sky. We can hardly get enough of the colours. "We also call the Azores the Hawaii of the Atlantic," explains André 2. "You'll see why in a moment." The guide waves over a handful of local enduro bikers who want to quickly ride the longest trail on the island before work. Then it's our turn.
We leave the crater lake on the left and follow the path along a ridge. For a long time we have a view of the sea, but then the path plunges into dense vegetation. A tunnel of roots and lianas. At first, the blue sky peeks through the tangle of trees from time to time, but then the lush greenery closes in completely. The trail becomes a rollercoaster with no emergency exit. Right round, left round. The tyres grip the peaty ground, from which a slippery root pokes out every now and then. Sometimes a berm catches me, sometimes a drop lurks after the hairpin bend. I only just managed to avoid the last one. Then suddenly I hit an open meadow: Full braking. I almost crashed into André 2 and Julia, who were passing a couple of Azorean cows. 200,000 cows live on Sao Miguel. That's almost one cow for every inhabitant. Unfortunately, the animals also like to roam the island's trails, so bikers should always be ready to brake. When we come to a halt at the small harbour of Caloura, André 1 is already waiting for us with the shuttle. We ride halfway up to Pico da Barrosa. At a hairpin bend, a wooden sign points to a popular downhill route. "If the descent gets too steep for you, always keep left. We've built chickenways there," explains the guide. And it's not just once that I'm glad of this alternative.
After this descent, we roll down the road to Ribiera Grande. The largest town on Sao Miguel's north coast has just 6400 inhabitants. A long sandy beach lines the shore, with lots of little black dots in the water in front of it - surfers! So this is the hotspot of the surfing scene. We follow André to a so-called Casa de Pasto. A bar that you wouldn't recognise as such from the outside. Inside, however, the dining room is full and the waitress is juggling plates of hearty home cooking. We get hold of the last free table and are served a carafe of red wine without being asked. André immediately puts his hand over it: "Be careful, this wine is not allowed to be imported into the EU because of its high alkaloid content. We only drink it mixed with Laranjada, our passion fruit lemonade, otherwise you get hallucinations." This spritzer really does taste marvellous. Especially with the meat stew and the fried squid. For dessert, there's pineapple, which tastes exceptionally fresh and juicy. "Hawaiian pineapple!" mumbles André with two pieces in his mouth. "If you want, I can show you the greenhouses later. They belong to my father."
Change of scene after three days: we board a small propeller plane and fly over to Santa Maria. It is the southernmost island of the Azores and not particularly large. While Sao Miguel is about the size of La Palma, Santa Maria is not even half the size of Elba. We touch down on a completely oversized airstrip and realise that the climate here is much hotter and drier - and the topography is unfortunately much flatter than on Sao Miguel. New bike guides welcome us: Hugo and Miguel. They can already see the doubt on our faces, but are able to reassure us: "Only the west is so flat. In the east of the island, there are mountains almost 600 metres high with sensational trails."
At 587 metres, Pico Alto is the highest point in Santa Maria. Its mountain range runs from north to south. The clouds often get stuck here, says Hugo. But today we are lucky. From the summit antennas, the view extends over the entire island. From the flat west to the hilly east. Hugo points to the fine lines that disappear into the jungle below us: "Seven trails are waiting for you here on Pico." The first is called the Aeroplane Trail, which starts at Point Zero. In 1989, a Boeing 707 crashed in the fog here on Pico. All 145 occupants died. We pass a memorial plaque commemorating the tragic event. Behind it, we roll into a rollercoaster trail through open terrain until we once again enter a jungle flow with smaller and larger surprises in the form of roots, steps, drops and berms. From time to time, lianas with small thorns whip into my face. But then the thorns get bigger: in the last section, the trail winds through a tight trellis of cacti.
At lunchtime, we stop off at a small bar in the bay of Praia Formosa for a café pingal - the local name for an espresso with a shot of milk. Santa Maria is the centre of music festivals, Hugo tells us. John Lee Hooker was the last big attraction here. The postman rattles round the corner on a scooter. Hugo greets him warmly and introduces us to the man in the grey uniform: Nuno Aguiar aka Káká, a downhill biker from the very beginning. He moved from Sao Miguel to Santa Maria a few years ago and immediately started looking for new trails using old military maps. He found the trails on Pico Alto, but they were completely overgrown. He cleared the trails with a shovel and hoe. Since then, it is no longer just the island of musicians and divers, but also of bikers. Unfortunately, Nuno can no longer spend as much time on his bike due to his job and family, so Hugo has taken over the maintenance of the trails. He makes sure that all the trails are ridden regularly. However, he sometimes closes particularly busy trails so that they can regenerate. After all, they have big plans for the trails: the Enduro World Series is due to be held here in 2018. Everything has to be perfect by then.
We shuttle up to Pico a few more times to experience as many of these trails as possible and then roll down to San Lorenzo in the evening. In a colourfully painted beach bar, we order a Cerveja de Pressao, the local draught beer, and look out over the lapping Atlantic waves. We should come back soon, before this biking paradise is no longer an insider tip.
INFO AZOREN
The precinct
The Azores are a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 1369 kilometres from the European mainland. Geographically, the nine inhabited islands are divided into three groups: Santa Maria and Sao Miguel form the eastern group, Terceira, Graciosa, Faial, Pico and Sao Jorge the central group and Flores and Corvo the western group. Pico, the highest peak on the island of the same name at 2351 metres, is also the highest mountain in Portugal. However, Sao Miguel and Santa Maria offer the best infrastructure for biking. Here you will also find bike shops, shuttle providers and tour guides.
Arrival
The most convenient way to fly from Germany to Sao Miguel (Ponta Delgada, PDL) is by direct flight with SATA International Airlines. Prices for flights from German-speaking countries range between 350 and 650 euros. SATA Airlines takes the bikes free of charge after prior registration, plus 23 kilos of normal luggage. Flight duration: approx. 4.5 hours. You can get from Sao Miguel to Santa Maria almost daily at low cost with the domestic Azorean airline SATA Air Acores. Bike transport is no problem. The flight time to Santa Maria is 15 minutes.
Best time to travel
In contrast to the Canary Islands, 1500 kilometres to the south-east, the Azores are not influenced by the north-east trade winds. Here, the winds swirl across the land from all directions and bring high humidity with them. Rain showers can therefore occur every day. The oceanic-subtropical climate ensures a maximum of 26 degrees in August and a mild 11-16 degrees in February. The ideal months for biking are May, June, September and October, as this is when the humidity is at its lowest and the temperatures are 22-24 degrees. Incidentally, the famous Azores High really does form here. Together with its counterpart, the Icelandic low, it determines our weather patterns in Central Europe.
Bike tours
The trails are rather difficult to find on your own. Azores Adventure Islands Tours organises the complete trip to both islands, including airport transfer to the hotel, bike shuttle, guiding and bike hire (Haibike). You can book a programme of, for example, five days plus two days on Santa Maria. The bike guides on Santa Maria as well as on Sao Miguel are very good enduro bikers, but also organise other adventures such as canyoning, surf sessions in Ribera Grande or SUP on the Lagoa Azul (crater lake). Info: www.azoresadventureislands.com and www.smatur.pt
Bike shops
There are bike shops on Sao Miguel and Santa Maria. However, you should bring your own special or unusual spare parts. It can take up to two weeks to deliver spare parts to the Azores.
Accommodation Most accommodation is located in the main towns on the islands. On the island of Sao Miguel, it is best to choose accommodation in Punta Delgada. From there, you can reach the three bike regions in the east, west and north with a maximum shuttle time of 45 minutes. There are classic Portuguese hotels, nice little bed & breakfast establishments and boutique hotels.
Tip: On Santa Maria there is a modern youth hostel in Vila do Porto (approx. 13 euros per night) with an infinity pool. Info about www.hihostels.com or the boutique hotel Charming Blue Casa dos Monteiros in Vila do Porto from 40 euros p. p., info: www.charmingblue.com
You must have done it once
- Visit the only tea plantation in Europe: On Sao Miguel's north coast, you can visit the Gorreana plantation and then sample a green tea at the factory: www.gorreana.de
- Take a dip in the hot pools of Poca da Dona Beija in Furnas (Sao Miguel): www.pocadadonabeija.com
- After the last trail, enjoy a cold beer and a pizza or burger with the other locals at Santa Maria in the Central Pub in Vila do Porto. www.centralpub.no.comunidades.net
Bike events
- Enduro festival in Faial da Terra (Sao Miguel) in February, info: www.bikesafaritour.com
- Azores Challenge MTB: Multi-day stage race in September, info: www.azoreschallengemtb.com
Info General www.azoren-online.com
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