Mallorca: A Cycling Dream Vacation
For the first time since 2018, yes you read that right, 2018, my husband and I took a trip that was not focused around a race. It’s this idea called vacation. Who knew?!
Early in the year we had decided that we needed to do something non race related and Mallorca had been on our list of places to experience. For my husband, it was because his family originated in Mallorca, and he wanted to visit the place where his great grandfather had lived. For me, it was all about the cycling. Did you really think it would be anything else? Mallorca is home to the famous climbs Sa Calobra and Cap de Formentor. And I needed to ride these. So, we researched flight prices, and the end of October was looking good. Flights booked; it was official.
On a Tuesday morning, our final flight landed in Palma, Mallorca. The next few hours were a whirlwind as we gathered our rental car, our rental bikes, and headed East across the island to our home base for the first half of the trip. Alcúdia. A beach town vibe with close access to the mountains to the North and flatland to the Southwest. The rest of the day was for checking into our Airbnb, walking around the town to scope out the area and restaurants, and trying very hard not to fall asleep at 5 p.m.
We only had our rental bikes for the days we were staying in Alcúdia, the last few nights we were going back to Palma to explore the big city, so we needed to front load all our riding. To ease us into the week, our first ride was going to feature Cap de Formentor. The route is an undulating course that starts along the coastline, has you climb, dive down into a pine scented forest, and then twist around mountainsides and climb again until you finish at the lighthouse. The winds were strong that day making some of the turns a bit unnerving, but it was well worth it. Cyclists outnumbered cars, and there were hundreds, literally hundreds, of cyclists out and about. Without having power on my rental bike, it made it a bit easier for me to ride and enjoy riding for riding, although of course there were times I wish I had that power data!
Cap De Formentor Details:
Distance: 36 km (22.3)
Elevation Gain: 960 meters (3100 feet)
Up next was the day I had been waiting for. I’d seen pictures of this epic climb and knew I just had to ride it at some point. Sa Calobra. It did not disappoint. To get to this famous col, we had to get in a few warmup climbs. Our route wound us out of town and up Coll de Femenia increasing our elevation and my excitement level exponentially. We arrived in a little town, Lluc, where we briefly explored an old monastery, before getting back on our bikes riding along a mountain ridgeline (um, they have a thing against guardrails here it seems) that would deposit us at the top of Sa Calobra. This climb is special, in that you must descend it first, to climb it back out. There is only one way in and out, so hopefully you have some legs for the return out of the col!
I was very nervous for the descent. Those that know me know that my descending skills could be improved upon. It’s not that I can’t descend, but it’s the fear of being out of control that slows me down and tenses me up. This descent had sweeping turns, a few switchbacks, and attack goats. You read that right. Attack goats. The island is apparently known for these goats (okay, not actually attack goats, but just goats in general!) that live in the mountains, eating and frolicking on the sides of the roads, and then jumping into the roads when they see fit. About midway down, I experienced a near wreck with a goat, yet another animal I have now put on my Deathly Afraid Of list (which includes deer and dogs of course). As I descended, the goat jumped out of the brush centimeters from my handlebars. Yelling out, I jammed on my brakes locking up my rear wheel and doing a nice fishtail. As I skidded to a stop, somehow keeping it upright, the goat just loped off like no big deal. Meanwhile I’m shaking with the release of the moment and my husband is regretting he hadn’t had his GoPro running to capture the moment.
The rest of the descent was, thankfully, uneventful. We made it to the sea, enjoyed the view, then turned around to begin the climb. Yay. This was what I had been waiting for. Can I just say that I love to climb? The ascent was everything I had hoped for. Perfect steady grades, with a few pitches, the sound of your breathing rhythmical as the pedals keep turning over. Then you reach the top to once again be overwhelmed with amazing views and the satisfaction that you climbed up from all the way down there.
Coll de Femenia Details:
Distance: 7.7 km (4.78 miles)
Elevation Gain: 424 meters (1391 feet)
Gradient: 5.5%
Sa Calobra Details:
Distance: 10.3 km (6.4 miles)
Elevation Gain: 668 meters (2191 feet)
Gradient: 6.5%
Our final major climbs day hit two really great ones. We drove over to the town of Sóller to make this a shorter route and capitalize on the climbing. The two climbs on today’s route were the Puig Major and the Coll de Sóller (from the Sóller side, not the Bunyoles side).
First was Puig Major, a long and steady climb with sweeping turns and gorgeous views. The temperature was a bit cooler on this day, and as the elevation increased, there was a definite chill in the air. Today’s climb featured free range sheep that enjoyed stopping in the middle of the road and staring at you before wandering on their way. Thankfully this was on the climb, and not the descent! Although you better believe I was on high alert.
After descending Puig Major, we basically began climbing Coll de Sóller. The climb starts on the major road heading in and out of the port town and then cuts up and into the mountains while cars continue on the main road and go through a tunnel to cut through the mountain. This climb featured 22 switchbacks. 22! The jury was out on how I was going to get down this thing as I was climbing, but the climb was probably my second favorite (Sa Calobra will have my heart) as the switchbacks came in quick succession making the journey just tick by super-fast. Surprisingly, the descent was not as scary as I had imagined. Because the switchbacks were so close, it was hard to gain speed and feel “out of control” so navigating each turn wasn’t too bad for me. The trees were thick, but I wish there was an aerial shot of this climb because, wow. Impressive.
Puig Major Details:
Distance: 14.5 km (9 miles)
Elevation Gain: 854 meters (2801 feet)
Gradient: 5.9%
Coll de Sóller Details:
Distance: 7.7 km (4.78 miles)
Elevation Gain: 439 meters (1440 feet)
Gradient: 5.7%
The remainder of our days in Alcúdia were spent on flat and windy rides or exploring the area on long, easy runs. We ate our way through the town as well. The best paella of my life came from this amazing restaurant in Old Town Alcúdia called Restaurante Celler Ca’n Costa. I ate my weight in Pan de Chocolate from the fabulous bakery, Manjares. Ironically enough it is owned by a Frenchman, so I guess the pan de chocolate better be perfect!
Our remaining two days on the island were spent in Palma, a bustling city of tourists and residents, filled with shops, bakeries, cafés, and restaurants. We explored the city by foot, walking many miles each day and finding hidden gems along each narrow street. The trip wouldn’t be complete without a stop to the Rapha clubhouse of Mallorca, of course! There we enjoyed excellent lattes and some fun shopping.
Again, we had no trouble filling our bellies with amazing food. Empanadas were a delicious staple. The best coffee we had on the island was also in Palma. If ever in Palma, these are my recommendations:
Mistral: vibey coffeehouse with great lattes. Bonus, they roast their own coffee.
Fornet de la Soca: amazing bakery serving up traditional Majorcan pastry. My favorite was the almond cake (gató de Almendras). Almonds are a big thing in Mallorca.
Café Ca’n Toni: one of the oldest restaurants in the city, we had amazing croquettes.
Taqueria Manataco: this was one of the only non-Majorcan restaurants we went to, but the tacos were so good I couldn’t stop eating them. Seriously.
I could go on forever about the experience, but I’ll stop here because I’m getting very long-winded! To sum it up, this trip was wonderful. We needed to get away and unplug for a while and this trip was just what was needed. We explored so many unique places that transport you to another time. Part of me wishes life in the States was more like this, bustling but not with a sense of urgency. Life was to be enjoyed, not hurried through, and food savored, not scarfed.
I’m back now, and ready to focus on my work and help my crew through another season of training and racing.
Cheers!