Mount Teide in Tenerife is one of Europe’s toughest climbs – rising from sea level to well over 2,000m in one foul swoop.

The climb has become a favourite for WorldTour teams and riders, thanks to its altitude and the warm year-round climate of the Canary Islands. In fact, Sir Bradley Wiggins used Mount Teide to prepare for his Tour de France win in 2012 and Team Sky continue to use Tenerife to fine-tune form ahead of the summer.

But it’s not just for pros and Tenerife is an equally popular training camp destination for sportives riders and amateur racers looking to escape the European winter. It’s a climb we also know well, being the location for our RCUK 100 bike test and video shoot.

In this video from the Col Collective, Mike Cotty is your guide on Mount Teide, starting the climb from El Médano.

“Cycling from El Médano you actually face one of the shorter of the six main routes, just 51km(!) up to the Teide plateau,” says Cotty. “Most comparable in terms of average gradient and length to the magnificent Col de L’Iseran from Bourg Saint Maurice in the French Alps, Teide is the only place in Europe where you can climb continuously from sea level to 2,100 metres in one go. It’s not the gradient, it’s the length that really takes its toll on this one.”

You can see Cotty tackle more of cycling’s toughest and most iconic climbs here.