Sa Ka Woulé - Cycling in Guadeloupe

Think of the caribbean and you'll probably dream up some images of sandy beaches, clear waters and palm trees but some islands are different. James Beaumont flew out with his bike to Guadeloupe in the West Indies.

Despite being several thousand miles from the French mainland, Guadeloupe is a French département, as French as Paris or Provence in many ways, but it's still unmistakably Antillais or West Indian. Although amongst the West Indies, the locals don't go in for cricket and haven't heard of Brian Lara. Instead they love cycling, as well as football - seven out of the current first choice 11 players have their family roots in les Antilles.

A few years ago I was riding with a French club and the team received an invitation to ride the Tour de la Guadeloupe, a week long race. Back then, I didn't know where the place was and the race didn't seem too special. But my fellow team mates were so desperate to get this freebie trip that they were coming up with all sorts of lame reasons as to why they should be selected ("I've been there on holiday so my local knowledge will help" or "Pick me, I go well in hot weather"). In the end the manager got so fed up with the constant pestering from riders that he declined the invitation.

Just like riding France at times

Just as I was getting ready to go on my first ride, it started raining heavily, fat drops exploding on the waxy banana leaves everywhere. But the rain finished abruptly and steam was rising from the roads as I headed onto the roads. My first impressions were great: smooth roads, just like in mainland France, but this time I was riding through forests of banana trees and bamboo with reggae and zouk music beats coming out from houses.

Roadside energy food

Riding along the Nationale 2 coastal road, there was a lot of traffic but everyone gives the cyclist room, lorry drivers would always wait for a safe time to overtake. The coastal road is hard work - one minute you're passing a sandy beach, the next there's a hard climb away from the sea and there are some severe gradients. Given it was December, I wasn't on top form and knew it only too well when the road went up but then I wasn't alone, even passing drivers had to use first gear to crest the steep inclines.

The road to the coffee plantations

To get off the main road, I headed towards the old coffee plantations up in the hills. A gentle gradient at first, I crossed a noisy river, then the road pointed up towards the blue skies. The French say "toute à gauche" or all to the left meaning you drop the chain into the little ring and then sweep through the gears until you find your lowest gear. I had 36x21 and it wasn't enough. I was grinding my way uphill, the torque from every pedal stroke forcing my front wheel off the ground. The involuntary wheelie made steering harder and it felt like everything was falling apart, my head felt swollen and my heart rate was maximal - all within the first 500m of a three kilometre climb. The high humidity meant that sweat didn't evaporate, it drips into your eyes, your hands slide on the plastic of the brake hoods, your socks get wet. I often came close to stopping but the road was so steep I didn't want to put my foot down. For one I'd never get going again and I thought my cycling shoes and cleats would offer little grip and I'd slid back down the hill! I zig-zagged my way up, weaving across the road to reduce the gradient. Riding up had its rewards, you could see some of the neighbouring islands including Montserrat, it's volcano smoking and steaming.

Guadeloupe is in fact made up of several islands but most people in France know it for its two main islands, Grande Terre and Basse Terre which are only separated by a small salty river. Basse Terre is about 70km long and 30km wide and whilst 'Basse Terre' means 'low land' it's the the hilliest island in the caribbean, with its active Soufrière volcano topping 1467m whose summit is often shrouded by clouds. For a long ride, you can ride across the middle of the island, taking the "Route de la Traversée", cycling in through tropical rainforest to ride over the Col de Mamelles.

I enjoyed this climb. Starting from sea level, the road quickly gains altitude, heading towards the cooler rainforest. Beside the road was evidence of a recent earthquake which had caused landslides and cracks in the tarmac. The higher you get, the quieter it gets as the jungle chorus of sound of frogs, birds and other animals diminishes. Riding up, I came into some rain. Usually, I hate riding in the rain but it fell in big cool drops, as if you could ride between the raindrops if you wanted to stay dry. By the time I was at the top, I was amongst the thick clouds, the odd car creeping by with its lights on, the drivers staring oddly at me. It was still 20oC and a lot warmer than London, so there was surely nothing too odd?

Later in the week, I joined up with some locals. It's easy to meet people on the roads as many islanders are sports crazy. Lots ride their bikes, decked out in logoed club kit as well as the usual Crédit Agricole and Quick-Step kit, just like in France. Some clubs have training rides but most rides are with friends and many locals just link up when riding, since the island isn't too big they tend to head for the same roads, avoiding the gruesome climbs.

The Sunday club ride

There are plans to bring the Tour de France here one day but the eight hour flight mean it's an impractical thought. A shame, since the islanders are probably the keenest cycling fans I've ever seen, far more so than the Belgians. I'm suprised that the French teams don't go there for pre-season training. It's a great island for holidays, no more expensive than anywhere else in France but it's far away, although you have to travel far to get somewhere warm in December. Apart from cycling, you can do the usual watersports like swimming, diving and surfing but the islands are big enough for you to explore the places away from the coasts, where you can go walking in the cooler mountains and swimming in hot rivers. Many places are not at all tourist spots and often if you want to do something like diving or kayaking in the mangrove lagoons, you have to ring up a local and make an appointment, so he'll arrive with the equipment you need. It might sound like a hassle but it means the nicest parts of the islands aren't overrun with tacky tourist attractions and it's nice to meet the locals. If you're thinking of going there, just avoid May and June when it can be extremely hot for cycling and late September or October when the hurricane season is in full force, altough locals say there are rare and only last three days.