At Fatpigeon.cc we have an adventure bucket list. That list is loaded with well known 'dream adventure' destinations like Patagonia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lapland and such. Cyprus wasn't on it, but we wanted to change that. 

So with a blank canvas of expectations, we arrived at the airport. The lure of November sun, mountains and beaches was enough for us Dutchies to fly to this island in the Mediterranean to test ride our prototype gravel route. 

Day 1: Pervolia - Argos, 107km, 3.260m+

We were stoked to finally start the trip that we’d been planning. We expected remote hills, sea views and Mediterranean vibes. But right from the start, all these ‘fine’ expectations were completely washed away by an even better reality. 

To be honest, that already started as soon as we left the aircraft - a warm 25 degree breeze welcomed us on the island of Cyprus. Next to the pool of our hotel in Pervolia and wearing shorts we quickly built up our bikes and then went for a good meal with our Cypriot gravel friend Mike.

When the alarm went off the next morning around 04:50, we jumped into our kit, turned on our head & tail lights and left from the local lighthouse. With a calm sunrise above the sea on our left and with hunters on our right, we headed south along the coast. Glamourgravel^TM right from the start led us through olive plantations and over cliffs towards the first hills after 30km. 

“Best trip of my life so far!” said Jeffrey, even before we had completed that first hour of riding. And we were just getting started! Golden hour turned the sea into liquid gold. And it was this same liquid gold that we left behind us when we went up the first killer climb. A mighty view, while grinding the 42x42 gears! 

Through gravel mountain passes with picture perfect switchbacks we went deeper and deeper into the mountains. Ancient white chapels, bright gravel roads and remote mountain villages formed the scenery of the day. 

We knocked on the door of a closed restaurant at lunchtime. The owner turned on the lights and decided to make us three big Halloumi/tomato sandwiches - two for immediate consumption and one to go. It was pretty sweet that the locals were just so willing to help to serve you with local delicacies!

A never-ending gravel climb took us out of Arkapas and into the night. The advantage of darkness is that you don’t see the double-digit gradients coming. You just feel them absorbing all the energy from your legs. 5km before we reached our destination, Agros, we hit a paved road. It was quite remarkable that a 12% gradient on the road felt almost relaxing after all those next level gravel climbs earlier that day. 

Rodon Mountain Hotel marked the finish of the day, where we enjoyed our much-needed rest, before we headed out to climb even higher the next day!

Day 2 Agros - Pomos, 142km, 3.440m+

The fresh mountain air around the town of Agros and the hard work on Day 1 made us sleep like a baby. A quick breakfast at 5am in our rooms stuffed us with all the nutrients we needed and off we went, into darkness. 

Riding up a gravel mountain pass with sunrise is hard to beat. The village, where we just left, was getting more and more distanced on our left. On the right we had this massive vertical rock formation. Our eyes were still tiny and crunchy, but our smiles were already wide and proud. While the whole island still seemed to be sleeping, we were out there, having this next level gravel experience in full swing. 

Wineries, remote gravel switchback climbs and hazy mountain views formed the scenery of the first couple of hours until we reached the Amiantos Mine. Cyprus has a rich history in copper mining and apparently, it’s this exact ductile metal where the island got her name from. 

The route continued upwards, over a very smooth paved road. Passing ski slopes were the first signs that we were riding at altitude. At nearly 2.000m we reached the highest point of Cyprus - Mount Olympus. Although this was the physical highlight of the route, a thick mist blocked the views and so the only experience we had was a lack of oxygen. 

A long downhill and a double lunch later, it was time for the final part of the day's route. A snake-like gravel descent led us to the Kykkos Monastery, where we explored this mighty place and had a proper meal. In order to get from the remote mountains into the coastal town of Pomos, we needed to descend this steep downhill. We made it safely and had a celebratory beer and moussaka in town, before we headed to our beach villa.

Day 3 Pomos - Pafos, 96km, 2.250m+

The 3rd and final day of our Cyprus bikepacking adventure was the shortest and had (on paper) the least elevation. Therefore, we decided to take it easy in the morning and get the full experience from our beachfront villa. Waking up with the sound of the sea, opening up your blinds to see the waves hitting the rough shore and having nothing to worry about, besides just riding your bike. Doesn’t get much better, right? 

A quick dip from our private beach and a double breakfast later we headed about a kilometre inland, in order to ride this elevated, winding gravel road through endless lemon plantations. We had about an hour of riding on this picture-perfect road with the sea on our right, before we turned left and hit the jackpot. 

The Swartberg Pass in South Africa and the Colle delle Finestre in Italy are world famous gravel mountain passes. But the unknown pass we rode after turning away from Argaka… Priceless! 

It was hot. ‘Sweaty weather’, as we could tell from the drops on the inside of our glasses. And it was November! Luckily the trees around the fire roads we were riding provided the shelter we needed. 

Roughly halfway into our ride, the landscape changed. Quite a hard cut, especially when looking behind you. The remote mountain forests made place for hilly wineries, shorter (but steeper) climbs and more and more picturesque villages. It was as if all of a sudden, we went from Girona to Tuscany. From one gravel heaven into another. 

After the last ‘wall’ was climbed under a red sunset, the final 25km were mainly downhill. The feeling of descending mountainous gravel in the dark truly is something special - just you and your bike, following a little line on your GPS. 

At around 7pm we arrived at our hotel in Pafos, the 3rd and final coastal town of our trip. We went out for dinner, where we had some local grilled specialties and enjoyed a traditional dance. 

Cyprus exceeded our every expectation. Perfect gravel, beautiful views, extremely kind people, summer weather in winter and an incredible diversity in scenery. This island, this route, this terrain and guided by these people… this was bikepacking how it should be done!