From gentle family cycling trips, pedal-pounding biking tours and fun-filled leisurely bike excursions to thrilling mountain bike adventures through bird-filled rainforests - the Caribbean has them all.
Two-wheeling in the Caribbean is a rewarding way to sightsee and appreciate the beauty of each island. Quiet roads, cool breezes and numerous route options offer everything from self-guided bike hire to well-organized trips.There are an array of bike routes to suit every ability and age with itineraries that range from short, leisurely family tours to gruelling slogs up mountain peaks. Unbeatable views of rain-forests, plantations and palm-fringed shores ensure the miles slip effortlessly by, and off plenty of “wow” while you’re in the saddle.
In BARBADOS choose from daily coastline and culture cycling, panoramic cross-country mountain biking, or upscale cycling packages designed for holiday-makers. These come with a professional tour guide, airport meet-and-greet and hotel transfers and are organized to soak up the scenery of back-country roads with bike rental is available. Most cycle tour guides stick to the quieter east coast routes where you’ll spot wildlife grazing at the side of the road. See: www.barbados.org.
Cycling in ST LUCIA is typically along roughshod mountain biking trails that are graded to suit all cyclists from beginner to seasoned pro. Delve into dense rainforest along mulch-sawdust cycle paths that weave up-and-down hills or trace the island’s shoreline on anti-clockwise loop. A round-island trip offers natural challenges for experienced riders, basic trails for beginners, and single track intermediate level loops for advanced bikers with long but gradual uphills and steep, fast downhills. The most Soufrière to Vieux Fort is less grueling with plenty of time for a slow-paced pat of the pedals in order to admire the views. See: www.bikestlucia.com
With its British colonial past, JAMAICA boasts a long cycling history so there are plenty of bike rental and tour operators across the island. Several cycling guides offer trips out across a nice mix of gentle terrain, forested mountains, coastal routes and rolling green hills. Thrill seekers will enjoy the more challenging hairpin bends, blood-pumping ascents and hair-raising free-wheeling downhill routes that characterize the Blue Mountains cycle trails. Check out the Jamaica By Bike website www.jamaicabybike.com for cycling events for all the family, including rides through the scenic Bog Walk Gorge, traversing the historic Flat Bridge along the banks of the Rio Cobre river to Bog Walk followed by a gradual climb over Mount Rosser to Ocho Rios, a spellbinding two-wheeled adventure! See: www.jamaicacycling.com
Fantastic scenery is a contact companion on the cycle routes of GRENADA along miles of old mule trails and dirt tracks are perfect for mountain bikers. Bike rentals, repairs (potholes can swallow you whole!) and spare parts are available across the island. For a genteel meander in the saddle try the peaceful route between Sauteurs and Victoria while the ride through the Grand Étang is a five to six hour cycling challenge up steep hills to a beautiful forest reserve. See Grenada Cycling on Facebook.
ANTIGUA is a great place to sightsee in-the-saddle as the island is small, the hills are negotiable and generally not too steep, the scenery varied. Villages are better appreciated from a slow moving bicycle than from a speeding car - and as you pass through friendly communities you will be greeted by waves and smiles!The island has some good bike shops, a local cycle club and more than a dozen cycling routes (five in the Falmouth area and nine across the rest of Antigua). Pack a cycle repair kit on these thorn-scattered roads as they are as sharp as steel needles! Local guide Ira Fabian - a road bike racer, cycle trainer, Olympian (he represented Antigua in Seoul in 1988) and tourist guide with more than 30 years of cycling under his belt. With Ira, you’ll see Antigua from the best seat in the house — a bike saddle. See: www.antiguacycling.com
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - in Port of Spain, an excellent bicycle shop is owned by a retired professional cyclist who repairs and rents bikes with a passion. In Carnbee, you’ll find a thriving cycle scene with Tobagan riders happy to swap tips, trails and routes - a favourite is the trail between L'Anse Fourni and Charlotteville. See: www.ttcyclingfederation.org
