Mountain biking helmets don’t do wonders for your sex appeal, and the skin-tight luminous Lycra, body pads and sweat bands are even less flattering than the body harness and tight shoes of a keen climber.Yet haring down a single track in the heat of the Cyprus sun, this is the last thing on my mind. Now all the matters is keeping my eyes on the road, or should I say the bumpy, rock- laden path, trying to avoid any huge boulders that could be detrimental to my life. I am breathing hard, my legs hammering down on the pedals. ‘Just don’t look down,’ I reiterate the words of my guide, ‘your wheels will go where your eyes do.’ Please, God, don’t let me look over the 15-metre drop to my left.

Eventually I get to the bottom drenched in sweat. I have done it. I have made it down a mountain in one piece and the rush is so mind-blowing I want to go straight back up and do it again. Cyprus is not widely associated with mountain biking or other active pursuits, but it has all the right ingredients. Forget all you know about sun-starved Brits drinking and roasting themselves red: the island is a mountain biker’s paradise, so much so that the GB Mountain Biking Team used the Island as a training ground prior to the Athens Olympics in 2004, and earlier this year they competed here in a single-day event, the first of the professional mountain biking season.Another compelling reason to come to Cyprus for a mountain biking holiday is that cycling holidays are all year round – the sun shines for an average of 340 days here.The terrain is varied enough to cater for beginners, with more technical trails for the advanced riders. You can combine the exhilaration of mountain biking with the chance of sea views and a snack of traditional Cypriot halloumi cheese at the end of a hard day’s cycling.

Tucked away in the foothills of the Troodos mountains, stretched across western Cyprus, is a small, pretty village, Tochni, which is quintessentially Cypriot, still heavily steeped in ancient traditions. There are narrow cobbled streets and original stone-built village-homes-turned-villas with rustic character, where the locals sit outside shops and tavernas all day playing backgammon and drinking ouzo.I stayed with Cyprus Villages in one of their renovated guest houses, which had its own pool to chill by after a hard day’s cycling, with stunning views spanning the countryside all the way to the sea. My holiday home had three double bedrooms, with a veranda, and a fully fitted kitchen and lounge, bath and shower, but I spent most of my time on the patio or in the pool. Set in a hillside orange grove, it was one of a cluster of newly-converted houses and the perfect private retreat  for a family or group of friends. The owner was on hand, and introduced us to Ben, an experienced, knowledgeable guide, who knew the area like the back of his hand. It was under his tutelage that I learned that speed was my friend.

On Saturday morning Ben took me out for what he described as a ‘gentle cross-country ride’. It started out high and tree-lined, winding down slowly with each bend to reveal postcard views of the rocky, empty coves below. A little later we were bombing down dusty, winding tracks through eerily deserted villages whose crumbling homes are now occupied only by the goats and pigs of nearby farms.

The western part of the island is blessed with miles and miles of tracks and trails through diverse scenery: mountains, gorges, river valleys, wild forests, coastal plains and rocky outcrops. The tracks are uncongested, deserted even, but few are signed or marked on any tourist maps, which is where the assistance of a knowledgeable guide comes in handy.
As the day wore on, Ben’s speed picked up, and my competitive nature propelled me forward. ‘Keep your finger over the brakes but try not to use them at all,’ he shouted back to me, through a cloud of dust. My adrenalin was peaking, and my heart trying to thump its way out of my chest as I flew down the side of a mountain, my wheels barely skimming the rocky path.

As I reached the bottom each time, I was grinning from ear to ear, and eventually Ben asked me if I wanted to try some more technical, demanding routes. I did, but the heat of the day had now taken hold, and it was a long, arduous ride back. So I opted for a swim in my villa pool, some meze at a local taverna and an early-morning rendezvous with Ben instead.First thing, came the artery and lung-bursting experience of ascending the mountain. In a masochistic way I loved battling the numb bum and thigh burn all the way to the top, it made the blood-tingling speed on the way down all the more sweet.

The ‘single track’ path, as its called in mountain bike lingo, was about as close to ‘sketchy’ as tightrope walking between the Quala Lumpa towers with no safety net. The hill climb had left me trembling, a normal reaction, I was told, ‘it’s just the strain to your muscles’, but I pushed myself nevertheless. This time I took it at my own pace. With a sheer drop to my left, my hands were sweating, my calves were throbbing and I felt like getting off and walking, but my inner voice urged me on, until finally the track widened out and my inner speed demon returned. It was then that I realised why so many people get addicted to the sport: it’s bundles of fun, and every run down is a tangible achievement. It felt so good that I vowed when I got home I would use my dust-collecting Kona more and make the most of the British trails.  



Getting there
Cyprus Airways operates flights to Cyprus from London, Manchester and Birmingham.  For reservations, log on www.cyprusair.com or call 020 8359 1333

Staying there
Izzie stayed with Cyprus Villages
( www.cyprusvillages.com.cy ). Guesthouses cost from £23 per person B&B.

Activities
Mountain bike hire and guides are available from the following: Cyprus Villages Bike Centre www.cyprus-villages.com and Wheelie Cyprus www.wheeliecyprus.com
Bike hire costs £10-£13 a day, and guided tours cost upwards of £10 a day, depending on level of skill and whether the tour includes a transfer.For kids’ bike hire there are babyseats, trailerbikes, 24” MTB and 26” MTB, from 13,5 inches framesize.

More info
For information and a free guides on cycle routes, contact the Cyprus Tourism Organisation on 020 7569 8800, or download from www.visitcyprus.com