GranGuanche
road
5th Editon
GGAR5
25-January-26
the route
and the Audax Pace
This 5th edition of the GranGuanche Audax Road will feature a new route in Gran Canaria, including for the first time iconic roads and epic climbs such as Tauro Pass and the remote GC-210. With 250 kilometres and 6,000 metres of climbing, Gran Canaria will be the longest ride between ferries.
The routes on Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and Tenerife remain unchanged compared to all previous editions, while the loop on the final island, La Gomera, includes small changes at each edition. This year we’ll ride it anticlockwise: the long climb through the Garajonay rainforest is back on the route, and for the first time we’ll descend to Playa Santiago, avoiding the descent from Roque de Agando, which is often affected by strong winds.
The Audax Pace is the fastest possible — and almost impossible — way to concatenate ferries along the route. Compared to previous editions, the Audax pace has been adjusted to accommodate the longer distance. The fastest riders will now rush to catch the last ferry to La Gomera on Monday evening at 20:00, with a few participants potentially even trying to make an earlier ferry. After two days and one night on the bike, they will finally get some rest with a mandatory overnight stop, before riding the final loop on Tuesday morning.
Audax
pace
+
pace
+
Sunday
The Audax starts at 08:00
–
Lanzarote
110km +1.700m
≈ Ferry to Fuerteventura:
Sunday 11:00 – 11:15 – 12:45 – 13:00 – 13:30 (30min)
—
Fuerteventura
135km +2.150m
≈ Ferry to Gran Canaria:
Sunday 17:30 – 20:00 (120min)
—
Gran Canaria
245km +5.500m
≈ Ferry to Tenerife:
Monday 08:00 – 12:00 (80min)
—
Tenerife
145km +3.650m
≈ Ferry to La Gomera:
Monday 16:00 – 18:30 – 20:00 (50min)
—
La Gomera
110km+3.400m
We stop for the night and start riding on Tuesday at 08:00
We expect the first riders to finish at noon.
As always, the hardest island to keep the Audax pace is Tenerife. Most likely participants will take the 12:00 ferry from Gran Canaria, arriving in Tenerife at 13:30. They will then attempt to ride 145 km with 3,700 meters of climbing in just 6 hours and 30 minutes to reach the harbour before 08:00 pm, when the last ferry to La Gomera departs.
Accreditation
Lanzarote
About 20 participants have declared their intention to challenge the Audax Pace. Among them are several well-known ultra racers and lesser-known riders who may well end up among the fastest. No female riders have claimed the Audax pace as their goal, but that doesn’t make the route any easier.
C'est parti!
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
This winter has been colder than usual, and last week’s exceptional rains turned Lanzarote’s and Fuerteventura’s sandy deserts into green grasslands. Luckily, we expect stable and sunny weather all along the week, and the Audax kicked off with a glorious day on the bike, blessed with perfect cycling temperatures, extraterrestrial landscapes, and 5-star gas stations. Some were faster than others… but eventually, everyone regrouped at the ferries.
The ferry itself was far less glorious: with the Canary Islands under a coastal alert, the two-hour crossing turned into a true roller coaster. Most participants reached Gran Canaria in the evening — some grabbed a hotel room, some rode a few more hours until they found a nice bivy spot, and a few pushed through the night and into the mountains, where temperatures are expected to drop below zero.
across the night
Gran Canaria
The sharp end is getting sharper at each ferry. After a long and cold night in the rugged mountains of Gran Canaria, nine participants made the 12 p.m. ferry to Tenerife, still committed to the infamous Audax pace.
Sunrise found them on the final climb: the GC-210, barely used by cars, where recent rains have turned sections of deteriorated tarmac into proper gravel. The steep, narrow road winds up from a deep canyon to the highest peaks of the island, through dramatic landscapes and endless switchbacks.
The hero of the night is Idriss Hamdi. The gifted climber chased the 8 a.m. ferry all night — and missed it by minutes. Catching it would have given him enough margin to hold the Audax pace, without having to rush in Tenerife.
Marija Baranovska made it to the harbour in time for the 2 p.m. ferry, just two hours behind the Audax leaders. Clearly exhausted—thirsty, hungry, still shaking after an endless, steep descent, and yet stunned by the sunrise in the mountains. She rode through the night, stopping only to refill water and grab snacks at a gas station. She’s now planning to climb Mount Teide and catch the first ferry to La Gomera in the morning. It will be another long, freezing night — but she has warm layers, plenty of experience, and outstanding commitment.
The Audacious FIVE
Tenerife
After 24 hours on the bike, they crossed Tenerife over Mount Teide — up and down — covering 145 km and 3,700 metres of climbing in just six hours, just in time for the last ferry to La Gomera. The Audacious five are Idriss (CAP30), Alexander (CAP18), Jochen (CAP17), Roman (CAP2) and Andrejus (CAP13). A longer route, with smaller time windows between ferries… “Nobody will ever make it,” they said. Until somebody did.
And now, as per Audax tradition, it’s time for a mandatory night’s sleep… and mandatory never sounded so good.
Tomorrow morning at 8:00 we’re back on the bikes for the grand finale.
The Gran Finale
La Gomera
The Gran Finale in La Gomera packed 3,500 metres of climbing into just over 100 kilometres, definitely one for the grimpeurs.
Climb 3of4 – Roman attacks and build a small gap over Idriss and Alexander. He knows descents aren’t his strength. Idriss, on the other hand, is a great climber and loves going downhill. So that on the endless drop toward Playa Santiago, the gap keeps shrinking.
Climb 4of4 – Roman digs even deeper, repeatedly checking the switchbacks below — no one is coming. Roman claims this 5th edition of the GranGuanche AUDAX Road: a tough one, and probably the fastest ever.
Marija Baranovska made it to the harbour just a few hours later, as the first female and 10th overall. She arrived before sunset after two nights and three days on the bike.
Exhausted, proud, happy, still processing it all. She ordered a cold beer — a Victoria never seemed more appropriate — and finally enjoyed a fresh salad after countless bocadillos and Snickers. Marija then booked a fancy hotel with a spa and buffet breakfast, only to discover it was a bit out of town… meaning one final climb to finish the adventure.
Outer Detours
Tour Operator
I-AV-0004875.1
