The (famous) Apeiranthos Climb
Climbing up the Apeiranthos climb with a steady rhythm
Sometimes when I talk to sports cyclists in Athens about cycling on Naxos - and especially about climbing on Naxos - the name "Apeiranthos" comes up. This seems to be a famous climb. In fact it's not as steep nor is it as long as some other climbs on this island.
I think it earned its notoriety as a function of being so central and on the main road of the island. You ride up from town, it always goes a little bit up and up, depending on your route with a few short bits here and there. Then you come to Filoti, you pass that village and bam, it goes "up" for real now. This is where you notice how "climby" Naxos can be.
The climb is about 4.8km at an average grade of 5%. There are more notable qualities to this climb too: It has a very steady grade, the road is reasonably wide, and it has very nice views. It's definitely one you should ride up when you are here.
The church that marks the start of the real climb after Filoti
A look at the start to see how far it goes
My first attempt at this climb happened more or less by chance. I had just re-started road cycling. It was only a few days after having brought a road bike to Naxos. I ventured out to Filoti, and then thought to myself: "I will just look around that bend and see how this climb feels on the first meters." I went around the first bend, it wasn't so bad, so I kept on going. After a while of admittedly not very fast climbing I thought that this upcoming turn right there must be the end of the climb. Surely the road will turn around there and pass by Agios Giannis and head down to Apeiranthos?
Instead I came to the spot where a side road turns off to Danakos. A helpful sign informed me that Apeiranthos was still 4 kilometers off. Outch. Good for me that the sign doesn't tell the full story, the top of the climb is not in Apeiranthos itself, so by this point there is only about 1.7km of climb left. I managed to go to Apeiranthos on that very first ride and came back the same way.
Filoti, seen from the road to Apeiranthos.
Going down too
Speaking of the way back: This road is also a nice road to roll downhill. You get all the view without the sweat. The mostly wide bends and good road surface lets you pick up some speed. But take it easy, watch out for traffic, and be safe! Remember this is one of the main roads of the island. You are quite likely to meet a bus or coach here. Even if the road is relatively wide, there isn't all that much road left when a coach goes through the turns, so watch out!
Twilight, facing downhill.
For most of the way up, the road hugs the left side of the mountain. You twist your way up, with the mountain to your right, the view (and the depth) to your right. As the road bends out and in on the mountainside, often it appears as if the last bend is reached - bringing your hopes up in case you were already tired. The true sign of the end approaching is when you see a bend with a telegraph pole on the outside of it.
On that bend the road turns inside towards the mountains. You are not done with climbing just yet, but you can see the end. The real end of the climb is reached at a point called Agios Giannis (St. John), named after a church there. There is also a big cafe/restaurant called Rotonda (very nice views, decent food). Opposite Rotonda is a restored windmill. This (the spot on the road, not the windmill) is where the climb is over and the road rolls gently down to Apeiranthos proper.
The road hugs the side of the mountain.
A climb for beginners?
With this being one of the climbs with a steady gradient on Naxos, I like to go up here with beginner road cyclists. You can start to teach pacing and getting a good rhythm here. It's long enough, but not so long as to leave people totally exhausted.
The downside would be that there is more traffic than on some other roads.Also there are few places where you can stop outside the road if there is a need to regroup or instruct.
Apeiranthos in the evening light. The village is not at the end of the climb, the road goes down a bit again.
- Length:
- 4.8km (starts shortly after exiting Filoti village)
- Grade:
- 5% average. I find it is one of the most regular climbs on Naxos, fitting for a main road where lots of buses and coaches go up. There are not steeper parts. You can get on a good rhythm and enjoy this climb!
- Road surface:
- Very good road surface.
- Traffic:
- This is one of the main roads of the island. There are the regular buses, there are tourist coaches, there are rental cars, and of course the locals are moving on this road too. In the main tourist season it can be a bit annoying, but still this is Naxos not a road in Athens!
- Wind:
-
Even though the main direction of the road is towards the North-East, I find a North wind on this climb to be less annoying than it would appear. It seems that there are many places where the mountain gives you a bit of shelter from the North wind. The North wind can also help you in the first stretch till the proper start of the climb. Still if the wind is strong, prepare for some added resistance!
(When continuing on the road Apeiranthos - Stavros Keramotis, you might encounter that North wind again later, with much more resistance.)
- Get there:
- The climb starts just as you exit the village of Filoti. (Obviously the road has been going up for a while already when you get to Filoti, but here is where things go up for real.) To get to Filoti the most simple solution is to follow the main road from Hora to Halki and on to Filoti. Other options exist to get to Halki.
Strava stories:
This being one of the better known and more central climbs of Naxos, there is a bit of competition for the Strava segment. Sometimes good attempts trigger runs by other athletes. I admit that holding the KOM for about a month some years back still makes me grin sometimes, even if it was at a time when the strongest guys hadn't appeared on the scene yet. If you want to have a go at it, I suggest selecting a day with a mild North wind. Good luck!
Filoti at nightfall, from the road to Apeiranthos.