Rural Destinations
: Troodos
Troodos Cycling
Troodos is ideal for all year round biking. It
provides excellent biking terrain, quiet paved roads, breathtaking
scenery and plenty of fresh air. The
Cyprus Tourism Organisation is about to launch ‘Troodos cycling routes’,
a 57km cycling path around Troodos National Park, complete with road
surface marking, directional signage, area maps and a comprehensive area
bike guide. The project is being co-financed by EU Structural Funds.
Most of Troodos main and loose surface roads are
suitable for mountain biking. Two recommended routes, combining a
variety of surfaces:
Troodos Square – Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis -Troodos
Aquare Start/finish Point: Troodos
square
Distance: 36km
Route: Troodos square (1,730m – 0km),
Karvounas (1,190m – 9km),
Platania (1,090m – 10km), Agios
Nikolaos tis Stegis (850m – 18km)
Troodos square (1,730m – 36km)
Surface: Paved and loose surface forest road
Difficulty Level: High, 21 speed bike in good condition
Description: The route follows the main road,
descending from Troodos square past Karvounas main road junction and
further down to Platania picnic site and forest station. From there the
route swings left along a forest road to reach Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis
Church (number 17 on the Troodos Area – Western map). The church, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, is covered entirely in frescoes dating from
the 11th-17th centuries. The route then passes briefly along the paved
road from Kakopetria to Prodromos villages, before joining the loose
surface road on the left leading back to Troodos. After 12km of steep
uphill the route goes past the entrance to the chrome quarry. It then
reaches the Troodos-Prodromos main road back to Troodos square.
Troodos Square – Psilo Dendro – Kalidonia -Troodos
Square Start/finish Point: Troodos
square
Distance: 18km
Route: From Troodos square (1,730m – 0km),
Psilo Dentro(1,185m – 11km),
Kalidonia waterfall (1,300m – 14km),
Troodos square (1,730 – 18km)
Surface: Paved and loose surface forest road
Difficulty Level: Low, front fork suspension bike
Description: The route follows the loose surface
road, past number 54 on the Troodos Area – Western map heading gradually
downhill in a southeast direction towards kremmos tis keramis. It then
swings westwards to reach Psilo Dentro area. From there the loose
surface road goes uphill for about 3km to a fork, where the right road
leads to Kalidonia waterfalls and the left road continues to the
Platres-Troodos main road, where another right turn leads northwards
back to Troodos square.
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