About 10,000 cyclists pass through the Free Motion centers a year
It’s early morning and we walk near Playa del Inglés, south of Gran Canaria, one of the great tourist centers in the area. Among large tourist blocks, we guess the central base of Free Motion. It is a large, well-equipped establishment, with activity from early in the morning, people coming and going, cyclists from half of Europe asking about their bike, adjusting the machine, plotting the day’s route… almost without leaving the hotel.
Its neon green logo is familiar to anyone who has traveled and spent the night in Maspalomas., as they can be seen at the entrance of various hotels, always with their bicycle ready for the restless traveler who wants to sharpen their form on the slopes of Gran Canaria. They always have a bicycle ready for the traveler from among the 1,500 that make up their fleet, without having to take their own on a trip.
The origin of Free Motion has Austrian roots and begins in the last century, since 1999 with Michael and Sandra. Today they have ten stores on the three islands, of which seven are in Gran Canaria.
It is easy to meet a Free Motion guide in Gran Canaria
The high season begins with the month of October.
“We have all types of cyclists, groups or professional teams come” Marko Faraguna, head of the stores at its headquarters in Playa del Inglés, tells us. Around you an endless number of perfectly identified bicycles and mechanics working on getting them ready. Nobody is still, the activity is constant, although we cannot say that it is frenetic.
“We have many well-known cyclists here, Chris Froome and Iván García Cortina come to mind. They have all come to ride and get ready for many years.”.
In the same premises, Free Motion es Shimano Service Center.
But Marko continues: “The majority of clients are between 40 and 60 years old, all cyclists with great passion, because you have to be in shape here, there are hard climbs, from here to Pico de las Nieves there are almost 50 kilometers with many climbs. Put on a 34 pinion gear and row a lot upwards”.
“Here the compact triumphs” ends.
In Gran Canaria there are not only hills, from where we are the road leads to the Vecindario area and the airport, to ride outside and even “There is also the Barranco de Ayagaures, which has little slope and is a quiet area”.
How many cyclists does Free Motion serve?
About 10,000 clients a year, a figure that speaks of the hustle and bustle that happens on the island: “When people come from Europe or other places they love the climate, then the roads and the climbs, the viewpoints, with these volcanic landscapes.”.
And he speaks from his own experience: “I remember when I was here for the first time, going to San Bartolomé, all the time recording with the phone”.
“Dunes, volcanic rock, peaks like Roque Nublo,… everything is fascinating for the cyclist. The island is not very big looking at it on the map, but the number of roads, ravines and valleys”.
Marko recommends that we know “Arucas, in the north, with a very beautiful church, in the north of the island, Teror and Puerto de Mogan, is like a small Venice”.
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2023-11-01 13:24:02
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