Road riding in Mallorca

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

damitamit

Active Member
Going on a stag do to Mallorca (Palma) on the 15th July, and was thinking of going a couple days early and get some road riding in. Just 1 day rides, not touring.

Has anyone been?

Would it be easy to just go out riding each day or better to find a cycling tour company? Should I take my road bike or can I hire a decent bike?

Any route suggestions?

And would I be able to ride from the airport to Palma?

Thanks
Amit
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
There are some wonderful coast roads outside lager-ville. They can have tight bends, and you may meet a very big coach on a sudden corner.

Have fun, but be careful.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
One of Europe's great cycling destinations!

You can certainly hire good bikes for a couple of days for about the same price as taking yours, but you also have to factor in the time: if it takes a morning to find the hire shop and get you and the bike fettled, that's a day ride gone.

Most of the best rides need a bit of local knowledge. Without knowing exactly where you are staying or how strong a rider you are, it is difficult to recommend, but here are three classic longer rides:-
- Palma, Esporles, Valdemossa, Deia, Soller, back over the Soller pass on the closed road, Bunyola, Palma.
- Palma, Bunyola, Orient, Alaro, Binissalem, Sta Eugenia, Palma. (Bunyola to Orient is stunning).
- Palma, Calvia, Andratx, Estellencs, Banyalbufar, Esporles, Palma.

If you are a particularly strong climber you can do the Soller pass, then the big climb to Lluc and back through Selva and Lloseta; or in reverse...

If you are hiring a car, you could even drive over to Campanet and do Selva, Lluc, Pollenca, amazing section out along the sea cliffs to Formentor, Pollenca, back road down the Val del Campanet.

If you are not a hill beast, there are miles and miles of deserted roads through rolling farmland, dotted with little hill villages, out in the agricultural plain east of Palma. If you are staying on the west side of Palma, you have hilly terrain with pinewooods, limestone crags and stream vallleys. Puigpunyent is a good spot to aim for; it also has a basic eatery smack in the middle, which does a life-saving chicken and chick pea stew.

Buggrit, I wish I was going....
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
damitamit said:
And would I be able to ride from the airport to Palma?
Yes, but do keep your wits about you. Like all countries, drivers in towns have more testosterone and less brain than elsewhere.

What I missed from my earlier post is that you should go in past the Tunel Distillery in Maratxi. They do some quality cycling kit at startlingly reasonable prices. I wouldn't wear the stuff that drug-fuelled cheats turn out in, advertising Belgian chips or whatever, but this is like promoting your granny's cake shop - only brighter! http://www.tunel.com

[The drinks are your usual sweet, not-so-nice-at-home, herby things.]
 
OP
OP
D

damitamit

Active Member
Thanks for the all the info ASC1951.

Flights booked. Got 2.5 days before the stag party arrives.

Gonna hire a bike. These people sound good http://www.procyclehire.com/ and deliver to your hotel.

Quite a keen rider and like the hills, so will be planning on getting a couple of long days in. Will look up those routes you mentioned on a map...

Think we might be staying in Shagaluf. Hmmmm
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
damitamit said:
Think we might be staying in Shagaluf. Hmmmm
It's ok, is Magaluf, although I've never stayed there in high season. It'll be hot all day and noisy all night, so you'll need the bike to get out of it.

Last time I was there about five years ago I stayed here http://www.sotaventoapartments.com/
The man who runs the bar concession was a top amateur rider in his youth and won the Tour of Mallorca. There is a photo behind the bar of him with Big Mig, which I thought was the usual publicity shot until we went out for a brisk 30 miler on his day off and got left for dead. Worth trundling into his bar just to see if his wife is there, because she was a whole lot better looking than Big Mig!
 

El CID

Active Member
Location
South Cheshire
damitamit said:
Thanks for the all the info ASC1951.

Flights booked. Got 2.5 days before the stag party arrives.

Gonna hire a bike. These people sound good http://www.procyclehire.com/ and deliver to your hotel.

Quite a keen rider and like the hills, so will be planning on getting a couple of long days in. Will look up those routes you mentioned on a map...

Think we might be staying in Shagaluf. Hmmmm
We used Pro Cycles last year,excellent bikes but pricy.
It would be wise to telephone Bruce the owner to check availability, we went in Early May this year and bikes were limited.
Also try www.2gocycling.com they are new(3 weeks ago) in Puerto Pollensa and have a fleet of Specialized Allez Comp's
 

riodena

New Member
Very special is www.pollensacycling.com
The bikes for hire are tha KUOTA Korsa Ligth with the new 2010 Shimano Ultegra 10 speeds.
Best prices, from 12 € day and magnificient service.
Free deliver and collect to the hotel or villa.
They have a beautiful bike shop in the Pollensa town.
 
Top Bottom