D E T A I L S WHERE: START/FINISH: Paphos DISTANCE: 496 miles PICTURES: Getty and Howard Ashton Left: Getty. Others by Howard Ashton CYPRUS OFF-SEASON C then crossed the Mountains in February UK member There’s than more summer to Cyprus beaches. Cycling Great ridesGreat AGAIN, I PUSHED MY LADEN BIKE AGAIN, MYLADEN IPUSHED WAS GEAR GRANNY NOT LOW ONCE ENOUGH. OFSTEADY AN HOUR GRIND, MYAFTER EVEN Paphos. to back way my on Massif Troodos the cross and (Lefkosia) I’d to head Then west. the in Mountains Kyrenia the of end the at sits which Burnu, Korucam and ‘panhandle’, north-easterly island’s the of tip the on Burnu Zafer east, south the in Greco Cape visiting circuit, anticlockwise an make and Paphos from start to –was detail any in not least at or plan, not Ido –for idea My OLIVE GROVES one February. Cyprus explore to Idecided why is which sea, the with company close in me keep that journeys like Iparticularly bike. by countries 60 than more explored now I’ve Greece… and Nordkapp, then then Turkey Newfoundland, and Lapland then Faroes, the Ivisited joys. also but tribulations, and trials their had tours first My excursions. short than more anything upon embark to competence and confidence the Ihad before awhile took It wheels. two to Igraduated nine at and three, of age the –from Flyer Gresham red a bright was –my first atricycle riding Iwas But old. years eight Iwas until unaided walk As a student, I used a bike to get about. about. get to abike Iused astudent, As muscle coordination, and couldn’t and muscle coordination, impairs which palsy, cerebral with born Iwas walking. than me to easier come always has ycling Howard Ashton and . Rural tranquillity surrounded to aturn-off taking behind, road main busy the Ileft as improved mood My tarmac. the dry sun re-emerging the letting and clouds the away hurrying wind brisk the gloomy. was forecast the radio; my to Ilistened above, drummed rain the As seat. a with me provided trike Achild’s plastic roof. metal abadly-fitting with outhouse an found massive villa, still under construction, and a Ispotted Irode. as shelter for look to west… the in sky dark threateningly the to drawn was however, attention, My mountains. the of bulk snow-streaked the by filled was south the to view the where , at countryside the into out breaking suburbs, the through gently Iclimbed away. far weren’t rain of squalls but skies, blue bright to Iwoke toughest. to join the E906 main road and head south. head and road main E906 the join to Idescended as lost soon was gained height The tarmac. the on feet flat two my put to me required Troodos the when occasions many of first –the walking then pedalling, first climb, slow along, with began morning Next ONWARDSPUSHING grove. olive an of margin grassy the on camp day, Imade that far ride to need no With me. There was temporary respite at least, least, at respite temporary was There Ibegan closer, drew rainstorm the As the was journey the of stage last This circled the island and OFF-SEASON CYPRUS | CYPRUS OFF-SEASON TOURING cycling My is well. is all that assured are they when ‘bravado!’ of proclamation the to turns quickly concern the but explain, to easy Not injured? he Is okay? he Is Iwalk. how see onlookers consternation when the of adegree initiated has road. the on out when repairs most handle Ican hand. left my by awkwardly) (rather operated both tube, down the on are levers gear My pedals. flat on feet my of arches the with Ipedal cleats, or toe-clips into feet my get to enough flex not do ankles my because but models standard are lifestyle. cycling-camping a with associated tasks the in frustrations to lead can which My dexterity is compromised, so. especially leg and arm right my limbs, four all affect does but severe particularly not is palsy cerebral My PALSY CEREBRAL H T I W My arrival in many villages villages many in arrival My anumber) (I own cycles My CYCLINGUK.ORG GREAT RIDES GREAT CYCLE

55 GREAT RIDES | OFF-SEASON CYPRUS |

TOURING TIPS ONLINE Passing the Forest Ranger Fact file Get touring feedback station, I enjoyed a gently from other Cycling UK sloping, traffic-free road through members. Visit bit.ly/ C Y P R U S touringforum CIRCUIT a wide valley filled with pine trees. The conical foothills then began to DISTANCE: 496 miles over 25 days, close in around me and the road steepened. riding 11-43 miles per day. After an hour or so of steady grind, even my ROUTE: An anticlockwise circuit, granny gear was not low enough. Once again, starting and finishing in Paphos, via , Larnaca, Cape Greco, I pushed my laden bike. Famagusta, Dipkarpaz, Zafer Burnu, It was a beautiful valley. Little cabins Kyrenia, Korucam Burnu, Nicosia, and snuggled into side ravines or clung to the Troodos. tops of steep slopes far above the river. CONDITIONS: Chill winds, gale force Small patches of land had been terraced and at times, with brief spells of warming cultivated for olives. Almond blossom here sunshine. Thick snow on the highest and there brightened the scene. road across the Troodos Massif. I was heading for Livadia, still some ACCOMMODATION: Wild camping, distance uphill. Entering the village of except for a few nights self-catering in Paphos at the start, two nights in , fat drops of rain began to fall so I a hotel at the end, and three nights in decided to stop early. Finding a patch of flat Tony’s Guesthouse in Nicosia. ground to camp on wasn’t easy! BIKE: Open-frame Orbit 531 Gold A weak sun appeared next morning as Medal (1995). I embarked on my push up to Livadia. It HIT FULL IN THE MAPS: Borrowed and then wasn’t too many paces, thankfully. Soon I’d subsequently lost. left it behind and was trudging up the narrow FACE BY THE GALE, I’M GLAD I HAD: Warm gloves, a street through the village of . pocket radio, at least one absorbing Grape vines arched above my head. An old I LOWERED MY HEAD book, and porridge oats. man out in the street washing potatoes in AGAINST THE ICY NEXT TIME I WOULD: Not go so early a bucket offered me cake and lemonade. in the year! I’d also take some sweet Troodos was now only about 20km distant. FLAKES WHIPPING chilli sauce to pep up the pasta. A chilling freewheel took me down into FURTHER INFORMATION: My book, the massive topographical amphitheatre TOWARDS ME ‘Pasta Punctures and Perseverance!’ that cradles the towns of and covers this and other trips. It’s available in paperback from . A heavy mist curtailed what would be another morning of hard graft. authorhouse.co.uk, Waterstones, and must be a splendid view; I was still around The road ahead made a tight turn into the Amazon, priced £27.95, or for Kindle 1,400m above sea level. The road west long climb I’d seen the afternoon before. from Amazon for £3.99. Royalties followed a contour line, offering an easier The one consolation was that the wind was from sales are being donated to ride. Soon the verges were decorated with then at my back. Soon I’d crossed the snow SCOPE, the UK Charity supporting those affected by cerebral palsy – as dollops of melting snow, and tiny burns line. At the top of the first incline, the road is the fee for this article. dribbled off the rock-and-pine slopes. made another tight turn and I was hit full in I had resolved to reach Troodos that the face by the gale. I waited for it to abate CYPRUS Dipkarpaz afternoon but reconsidered, seeing the road before lowering my head against the thick climbing steeply again. I pitched camp in a confetti of icy flakes whipping towards me. copse of pines bordering the road. A thick The gradient eased but I was still plodding Nicosia blanket of needles made a comfy bed. upwards. My shoulders ached and my hands Troodos were starting to feel numb despite my BEYOND THE SNOW LINE gloves. Whilst the tarmac was clear of snow, Paphos Limassol It was a chilly night at this elevated camp, the countryside was smothered to a depth of especially as my sleeping bag hadn’t fully 30cm and more. A black 4×4 approached. As dried out, and there was little warmth next it reached me, the driver stopped, reversed morning. A southerly gale began to blow. It 50 metres, and stopped again. He jumped

56 CYCLE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 out with a camera, shooting pictures as I Above left: continued walking towards him. But he didn’t Troodos Square at 1,700m above want to talk and was soon gone. sea level. Howard Further up the road, the guys on sentry was hungry, tired, and cold but not duty at the military camp looked cheesed hallucinating: there off. Across the road from them, cabins and really was an ice- cream van caravans on a campsite were smothered in snow to the point where their shapes were Above: Howard’s last camp before almost obliterated. the final descent to Finally, as I rode into thick mist, the road Paphos and the sea levelled out. Within a few minutes, I was in Troodos Square, 1,700m up. The snow was slushy, the air very chill, but at least it was calm. A couple of cafés were open, as were a few market stalls. Customers were scarce. People had driven up to marvel at the snow and were walking around well wrapped-up against the winter cold. I was wearing three top layers but my legs were bare below the knee; no wonder they were staring. I didn’t linger. The downhill road was one that I’d ordinarily relish, but the pleasure of freewheeling from this altitude was diminished by the bitterly cold air. I took the descent steadily, relishing the panoramic views to the south, where a flotilla of toy- sized boats bobbed in the bay at Limassol. Soon I’d passed below the snow line and the mountain range was at my back.