On Cyprus racing specialists, touring cyclists and mountain bikers will all find just the right exciting challenges in a Mediterranean climate with a delightful combination of sea, beaches and mountains

The island has perfect weather for cycling, especially in the months between October and April, when temperatures range between 15°C and 25°C, while annual rainfall is also quite low in comparison to European countries. What's more, unlike other European or Mediterranean countries, the strong headwinds that are a bane to cyclists, here are rare.

But what makes Cyprus stand out as a heaven for cyclists is its compactness. It is like a whole continent condensed into a small island. The third largest island of the Mediterranean, Cyprus combines attractive beaches with pine-clad peaks, busy modern Europeanised towns and tranquil old stone villages, vineyards and olive groves and ancient ruins. The short distances mean that there are rapid changes of terrain entailing a variety of different road surfaces over short distances.

Within the space of 10 km you can go from rocky to clay, and steep to flat, enabling you to experience all surfaces within a short period of time, and making the island into one huge mountain bike arena. Bikers can hone their skills on the unique trails of the mountains of Troodos or Machairas, or in the Akamas region, riding steep slopes that have been ridden and tested by many world champions. Quiet roads add to the attraction.

In addition there are no legal barriers to cycling anywhere on the island except of course on motorways.