The first obstacle - crossing the Riviere du Galet
A great route to the coast
Riding into Cirque de Mafate along the river
Mafate, too vast to capture properly on camera
The climb to Piton Maido, leaving early to beat the clouds
The quite astonishing vista on arrival at Maido, looking out over Mafate
Piton de Maido
1800m in the legs disappears pretty fast when faced with this vista
2000m straight down to the sea
Tamarind forest
A guided group to tag onto for the descent
What more is there to say?
A classic Reunion panorama of sugarcane and surf
The climb to Cilaos is a serious undertaking
VTT Cilaos
Cilaos - the EU's influence is everywhere in Reunion
Cilaos with Bras Sec to the left
Those closed bike trails were perfectly rideable
Have you ever seen a more useless map?
The Cilaos road loops back over itself to climb the mountain side
One of the few Reunion beaches
Sugar forms a major part of the economy
What more could you ask for as pre-dinner entertainment?
Pinpins by the coast
Delonix
We enjoyed the many interpretive trails
Vanilla is widely cultivated
Pain-frites gratinee, the Reunion answer to chip butty
The 2007 flow
This lava is still warm after a year
Beautiful colours in the South
Our hotel looks rather more glamourous in this light than it actually was
Fuel for the volcano ascent
Still breathtaking
Undoubtedly one of the best roads I've ever cycled, up to the volcano
It's a big pass, given that you literally start at sealevel
The moonscape of Plain des Sables
Malin on Formica Leo, giving an idea of the scale
Breakfast view from the Gite du Volcan
Little and large: Formica Leo from above with the Piton de la Fournaise in the background
The clouds building up on the horizon - by lunchtime the views had usually gone
The enormous Ramparte de Bellecombe surrounding the Piton de la Fournaise
Lava of various different types
There are some great trails for the 2200m descent from the volcano
Reunion singletrack
Tree ferns - Foret Bebour provided yet another highlight
La Petite Plaine
North Shore, Reunion style
An atmospheric stroll in the Forest from the Gite de Belouve
Tamarinds and tree-ferns
The view from the gite once the clouds began to part
A tough hike down to Salazie
Station Salazie
Salazie
Niagara Falls - seriously!
The final push back to St Denis was surprisingly enjoyable on the coastal path
Our wonderful 'eco-hut'
There are lovely quiet roads to explore once you're off the coastal strip
The descent to Bouillon
The track to Deux Bras makes for good riding
Further up the riverbed, riding is not so easy
Off-road in Cilaos
