I’ve just returned from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, where I celebrated a significant birthday

If you didn’t already know, cycling is my happy place

Thanks to Julie, I got to spend my actual birthday doing just that

She organised a mountain bike ride, which made the day truly special

We usually ride mountain bikes at home, but they're not electric

Living in London near the Thames, the terrain is pretty flat

I’ve ridden off-road before, including completing the London to Brighton ride for charity, but this was something else

We used a local company, Gomera Cycling, who provided us with electric mountain bikes

They also recommended the Komoot app and gave us a couple of route suggestions

On the day, they drove us up into the stunning Garajonay National Park

Early in the morning, we found ourselves riding above the clouds, which was surreal and beautiful

Using the Komoot app as our GPS, we followed the route and eventually descended into Valle Gran Rey, covering about 45 km in total

Afterwards, we caught the Fred Olsen ferry back to Playa Santiago to return the bikes

It was a brilliant way to celebrate my birthday and my first time riding an electric mountain bike!