Cycling in Halkidiki – Greece

Halkidiki that was hard!

After a month off the bikes during our time playing in the snow we were eager to get back to cycling in Greece. The sun was out and roads were quiet. After a stop in Thessaloniki the day prior for some route guidance by Alex at Podilatorama Bike Store and a taste of Greek cuisine, we were excited to head out the following day.

The Halkidiki area is a peninsular in Northern Greece (Macedonia) with three finger like islands protruding out from the coast. Predominantly hilly/mountainous, it makes for a really interesting place to explore.

A loop of 90km with 1068m of elevation didn’t seem to arduous when planning our first ride back after a month off the bikes but following quite a lengthy climb and a strong easterly wind we found ourselves tiring pretty quickly. The highlight of this ride was being able to see snow capped Mt Olympus in the distance… well actually it was the delicious tahini infused style cinnamon bun. 1 ride done.

Our second ride was a loop of Kassandra, the most western ‘finger’. It’s always fun circumnavigating an island and this provided a great location to do so as such, including a wonderful gentle climb and very quite roads. We did cut the ride short though… still getting back to the swing of cycling.

Polygyros & Mt Cholomontas

The third ride is where this area really started to grow on us and why we decided to spend a bit longer in Greece. Pitched up in Polygyros, central to Halkidiki and the old capital of this area, you have a plethora of mountainous roads to play with. We completed a 65km ride with 1700m of gain and were overjoyed by the road quality, winding climbs and epic views. At points you could see My Olympus and Mt Athos, which sits on the most eastern ‘finger’ It’s perfect triangular form looked quite magical from a distance. Strava link

Central to this Polygyros area is Mt Cholomontas, sitting at just over 1000m. It’s this mountainous zone that makes the area such an ideal cycling destination.

Nestled at the top of Mt Cholomontas is a crossroads section providing cyclists with 4 ways up or down this range. The road meandering from the peak over to Arnaia is a wonderful section to cycle along. It’s perfectly balanced with short pumping corners, winding hairpins and it runs along the ridge of the mountain, which equates to distant views South East towards Mt Athos. Added to this was the serene road, good surface and warm climate in February, making this section an absolute blast. We traversed this road on our fourth ride after the Polygyros loop, taking in the same descent north and climbing up to the aforementioned ridge road on a lovely route from Arnaia, approximately 7km long at a 5% average. These two rides were perfect for us at this time of year as we started to gain some form but were still not ready for the real big stuff.

We also had a friendly welcome in Arnaia from Apiototeaouc cafe. This small historic village is well worth a visit; it’s hidden behind the mountains and boasts traditional Macedonian style architecture and cobbles. 

It was this area that had us hooked on cycling in Greece… also the variety of treats and café’s we could stop at for freddo espressos, a sort of blended cold brew coffee that everyone, and I mean everyone, drinks in Greece, probably something to do with the hot climate.

I’d go out of my way to travel to central Halkidiki again simply to traverse the mountain range on various routes

We also had a fantastic run around the mountain on gravel roads, which again would make for a great ride if you had gravel or MTBs – Strava link here.

With a flat lop around Volvi Lake also completed and a good few runs in we were feeling much fitter and back to form. Our next route took us to the east of Halkadiki near Olymipiada to take on a cracking climb through the wooded area by the famous Vavara Falls. We decided to really go for this climb with all out efforts. A review of Strava shows me taking around 40min to complete this 10km climb that averaged 6.2%, sitting me 37/124 and Lorien claiming the QOM! Strava link.

We love to cycle for the enjoyment, however doing a bit of segment research prior to each ride provides us with the competitive thirst we both crave, making our rides that bit more purposeful.

This thirst leads us to researching our next ride where we chose two climbs. The first was quite steep and more about getting up and over. The second climb, sitting proudly on top of the city of Drama with its 8 perfect hairpins, once again sees Lorien nab the QOM and I nip into the top 10. I’d love to spend more time here and regularly ascend this climb, 5km long at 6.9% average with a great view of Drama and the valley below, it’s a perfect session climb. Strava link

Our time in Greece is coming to and end, as we need to head into Turkey to rack up some ‘non-Schengen time’ so we can visit Norway later in the year. We see out our time with three rides.

On the 1^st March we did a relaxed ‘flat-ish’ run out with a bit of flamingo spotting. Having launched the blog on this date, a ride was a must!

The penultimate ride was an out and back climb to the Bulgarian border. With only 20 having completed the segment I had the KOM in mind… but had to settle for 2^nd. This climb was much tougher than the 3.5% average made out. Lorien of course got the QOM! Strava link.

Our final ride is a loop in the East of the country over the hilly area near Alexandroupoli City. As Easter was approaching the traditional seasonal treats were present in many of the bakeries, a chance for us to fuel up post climb on Tsoureki, a sweet brioche bread coated in chocolate sauce, which proved to be a hilarious activity to eat in 22 degree heat. A great loop with two decent climbs, nice. Strava link.

Winter weight gone we were now back! Travelling to Turkey in early March our climbing in Greece would serve us well on what would be some substantive mountain passes to take on.