Mallorca with ten friends

Thursday 1^st May 2025

I want to be sufficiently fit to enjoy the mountains in the Northern part of Mallorca when I get there in a few days’ time, so today was planned not just to gather some more tiles, but also to climb some decent hills.  What I didn’t expect was that today’s jaunt out from Haworth would provide the same temperature as the Balearic islands.  It was over 20°C when I set off and reached close to 30° by the afternoon.  Well it was if you believe my Garmin, which often has just a nodding relationship with the truth.  It was certainly very hot for May in Yorkshire, though.

The route was very pretty, with just a few sections which got a bit busy when I was skirting the conurbations of, Bingley, Shipley & Guiseley. 

I had a coffee stop in Otley after just 20 miles since there was nowhere else until beyond 36 miles.  

It was a great café, though, marred only by the kindness of a lady who offered me her seat.  I’d locked up my bike and put my helmet as a placeholder on a table in the shade at the back of the small outdoor seating area.  All other tables were occupied.  As I was about to order, a lady tapped me on the shoulder and effectively instructed me to take her table since she was leaving.  This table was in full sunshine, but I hadn’t the heart to decline.  So I had to wolf down my scone in double-quick time before my generous pot of butter melted.  At least the coffee didn’t have any opportunity to go cold.

No ride of mine would be complete without a bit of tile gathering, and so it was with that sole purpose I ventured onto a couple of tiny roads heading towards Denton Moors North of Ilkley.  Both the roads were dead ends so there was no traffic and the views were wonderful on the descent.  I rode past many ewes and lambs who were sheltering from the hot sunshine beside the drystone walls but as I approached they all leapt to their feet and galloped off in front of me.  I got some lovely pictures from these encounters but I’m not sure what the sheep gained.

The ride was always going to be hilly.  For obscure reasons (I could explain, but I don’t want to bore you), I measure hilliness by recording the average metres climbed per mile.  A typical ride at home would be about 15m/mile, and a hilly ride might be 25.  Today’s was 32m/mile.  And since the first 20 miles or so was generally downhill, the last section was relatively even hillier, reaching 70m/mile for the final six miles.  I couldn’t understand why this was so until I reached the climb out of Sutton-in-Craven where Green Sykes Road averaged 11% gradient for about a mile-and-a-quarter.  This was a killer at the end of a very hot day.  It was then that I began to think of this ride as a precursor to other rides I will be taking next week in the mountainous North Mallorca.  Substitute the sheep for goats and the similarities become even more clear, so I decided to tag this trip onto the start of my Mallorca blog which I will write next week.

I’ve been cycling in Mallorca several times but this was in the days before I wrote blogs after my cycling tours, so this will be a first.

Saturday 3^rd May 2025

I haven’t flown internationally for several years and whilst I’m not a nervous traveller, I’ve begun to seriously dislike travelling by air.  It’s the whole stress about getting to the airport on time, the faff with checking in bags and then the anxiety of passport control.  On this trip, to add to the worry, I hadn’t been involved in any part of the booking, from hiring the villa, booking flights, arranging taxis, hiring bikes etc..  So it was a relief when all the various elements came together and I arrived with seven others at our villa on the outskirts of Pollença, Mallorca.  I do like being in full control, booking things for myself and I think it would have relaxed me since everything would be listed on spreadsheets.   I just need to trust people more.

Eleven friends in total are on this trip, but three are travelling on a different flight, arriving later today.  Our afternoon flight was very noisy with people chattering loudly and children screaming and shouting and throwing toffee wrappers around with gay abandon.  I suppose I should have viewed it as a lovely holiday atmosphere, but I just felt like a grumpy old man when I couldn’t concentrate to read my book.

When we landed, the minibus from the airport was waiting and the 50-minute journey to the villa was very smooth.  Since it was getting late, three of our number jumped out at a Lidl a kilometre or so from the villa to shop for groceries, planning to follow on by taxi later.  This worked out OK, but not without a few worries when the first taxi company quoted €75!  The final bill from another company was €12.

It took quite a while to stash away three trolleys-full of groceries and slightly less time to eat several huge pizzas.

After tea, some of us fancied a brew, so Emily filled the kettle, only to see it begin to foam wildly.  It seemed possible that some clown may have washed it out with soap earlier.  After a thorough washing, we set it to boil, but then it wouldn’t stop, causing Emily to knock it, spilling water onto the socket and fusing the entire villa!  Enter men with mobile phone flashlights searching around the place for a fuse box.

After we’d managed to sort that out, a text came through from Jim who’d just arrived at the airport to hear that his hire car would be delayed at least an hour, meaning that he and the others would only arrive in the early hours.  Some people say that it’s the things that go wrong that make a holiday so memorable.  That might be true, but I would prefer fewer irritating memories to take home with me.  I went to bed at this point, after Kat had created a video to explain where the newcomers would be sleeping.

Those of us who’ve hired bikes will collect them tomorrow, for the real start of the holiday.  I just hope the weather’s as nice as West Yorkshire last week.

Sunday 4^th May 2025

With one thing and another, it took us quite a while to get started this morning.  We were all up reasonably early, despite the late night for some but it seemed to take an age to get everyone kitted out with bikes and stuff.  Consequently, it was after noon before we hit the road, making our way, as has become traditional now, to the lighthouse at Cap de Formentor. 

We left Gary to lock up, but we didn’t notice that after he’d locked the door, he’d nipped round the back for his bike so sadly we all set off without him.  By the time he caught us up, all hot and sweaty, we were five miles away and at the top of a hill.  Sorry, Gary!  

Because we set off later than usual, the traffic was horrendous with coaches, cars and bikes clogging the roads.  It was actually interesting watching the chaos, but we had a lighthouse to get to so we didn’t dally.  Even though the roads became quieter after ten miles, there was still a large queue of cars trying to park by the lighthouse at the end.  Not a problem for us, so we didn’t care. 

I was asked to share my pastry by a handsome billy goat, but I declined; enough people were giving him plenty of scraps.

Heading back, we split up again, but this time, deliberately, regrouping at a viewpoint five miles from home where five of us elected to ride up to Albercutz watchtower.  It added several more metres to an already hilly ride, but the views were worth it.

The catering tonight was courtesy of Kat & helpers and was a veritable banquet; we always eat (and drink) very well on these holidays. 

After tea, the evening took an unusual turn when Emily decided to help Dave complete an application on a dating app.  Not knowing a scooby about these things, I found the process fascinating, but Dave perhaps less so.  By the end of the evening, all the pre-requisites were completed and (I believe) a fully functional entry was completed, along with photos and descriptions created by a committee of people who know him best.  Let’s hope the copious red wine and Sangria helped in creating the perfect document and Dave will soon be sharing his life with a future life partner.  

Tomorrow’s ride was discussed and a compromise route of 38-ish miles with 850-ish metres was agreed with a 9.30am start time.  Will it happen?  Read on to find out.

Monday 5^th May 2025

I’m just back from a ride which took us over Coll de Femenia which was very pleasant even against the headwind.  We set off as planned at 0930, but Ian had to turn back immediately since he realised that he was wearing the wrong shoes.  It’s 30 seconds of a job to change shoes, but it took him five minutes since he needed to search on his phone for the code for the key lock, extract the key, open up the villa, change shoes, lock the villa, open the key lock once more (since he’d locked it again!) and then set off to catch us up. 

This ride was planned to include all the climbing in the first 12 miles before descending (more or less) for the next 25 miles.  From the summit near Lluc, it was a gorgeous descent through scented pine forests.  At the start of the descent, a bus passed us, so rather than creeping round the hairpin bends behind it, three of us decided to wait and allow to get ahead.  The others seemed happy to sit on its tail constantly braking whilst breathing in the diesel fumes. 

We all reconvened at Selva for lunch, in a town that was surprisingly quiet with seemingly only one café open, but that was all we needed.  I enjoyed a tuna toastie and a coffee before we continued along quiet lanes through lovely countryside.  

Once I arrived back at the villa, I had a refreshing cup of tea and since I had more miles in my legs, I set out once more but solo this time.  I headed out along back lanes to Alcúdia and from there went up to a beach North of the town. 

Then I headed down to the South coast and went along there for a couple of miles.  I was very close to an obscure Veloviewer explorer tile so I headed out to gather it.  I didn’t get it since I’d’ve had to pay green fees to a golf club to reach it and I wasn’t that desperate.  It was a very pleasant ride out although the wind was confusing, alternating between head- and tailwinds when travelling in the same direction.  I made sure that I was back in good time for tea.

The mosquitoes are a bit of a pain just now.  They are bearable during the day, but when the sun goes down, they come out in force.  We found an insect repellent that you plug into a socket, but I’m not convinced it was working: we could barely see it since it was obscured by a whopping great moth!

Tuesday 6^th May 2025

I woke up to rain this morning, which, although forecast, was still unwelcome. Should we wait for it to stop (by noon, allegedly) or venture out with waterproofs?  On foot or two wheels?  Or just stay in and read?  I’m leaning towards going for a walk in the rain and a ride in the afternoon, but I’ll see what others want to do before deciding.  In the meantime, I’m enjoying reading with a cup of tea.  The tea is horrible, though.  At first, we thought there was soap in the kettle (and there probably was), but now the water, and consequently the tea, tastes salty.  The tea bags we bought are Spanish and are not the best, so I’m going to switch to drinking instant coffee which disguises the taste of the water a bit.

Due to the rain, several of the group made good use of the time by going to the supermarket for more provisions (including plenty of bottled water!) and by the time everyone had returned, my tea (and second breakfast) was long finished.  We managed to leave the villa about 11.45 and by then it was about 16°C and good weather for cycling.  We followed a route Southwest which was recommended by Kat since she had ridden it a few years earlier and really enjoyed it.  Very sadly, a battery powering the fancy electronic gears on Kat’s bike failed after six miles which meant that she reluctantly had to return to base.  From then on, I became more reluctant to change gear on my bike which had the same Di2 mechanism in case I wore my battery out.

The first part of route was undulating, with two thirds of the climbing being completed in one third of the distance which was great.  We stopped in Campanet for lunch and perhaps stayed a bit too long appreciating the food. 

When we continued, the road descended to Sa Pobla but then became absolutely flat into a 12mph headwind up to the coast.  At Can Picafort we followed the coast North but very disappointingly never saw the sea until after Alcúdia, and then only fleetingly.  

Gary was on barbecue duty tonight, even though the rain had returned.  We were all sitting under a veranda in the dry, but the poor chef had to brave the wet. 

There was far too much food (as there always seems to be at barbecues), but we all did our bit to take in the calories.  These were deemed necessary since we have decided to tackle the Sa Calobra climb tomorrow.  This will be a ‘first’ for three of our number, so we are planning to set off early in an effort to descend before the tourist buses begin at about 11am to give everyone the best experience.  I have previously enjoyed that trip three times, so I am not hopeful about beating my PB climbing the six miles and over 700 metres up from sea level.  That doesn’t matter however since the magnificent scenery will keep me more than satisfied.

Wednesday 7^th May 2025

The Sa Calobra is probably the most famous ride in this region, and one that all cyclists like to claim to have ridden.  Several of us have done the ride previously, and so when Jim suggested riding an alternate route down to the sea at nearby Cala Tuent, I signed up immediately.  This was for two reasons: firstly it absolved me from having to attempt to beat my PB time in the hour-long climb to the summit, but also it offered to chance of acquiring two more Veloviewer tiles.  The group set off at different times according to our perceived handicaps, with the first pair setting off at 7.30am. 

The early start was necessary since buses are not allowed to drive down to Sa Calobra until late morning and this matters since buses take an age to manoeuvre round the steep bends.  Riding down after that time would mean that the buses would dictate the speed to such an extent that all the enjoyment of the descent would be lost.  From Pollença, it’s 21 miles and includes around 1000 metres of climbing to reach the top which takes anything from two to three hours. 

Most of us met up at a café close to the summit for refreshment before heading down at 10.45.  Jim and I peeled off about a couple of miles from the coast to climb a bit more before descending a similar route to the sea at a different bay slightly to the Southwest.  However, where Sa Calobra was crammed with tourists (mainly cyclists), we found the beach at Cala Tuent delightfully quiet.  There were only two other cyclists there who were brothers originally from Germany but now living in Norway (Trondheim) and that was it!   

On our first trip to Mallorca in 2015, we hadn’t planned any rides in advance, so when I mentioned several times my desire to visit a beach local to the villa, the place was soon christened ‘Bernie’s Beach’.  We returned to the same region the following year but with some new people.  Not understanding our lingua franca, they clearly wondered who on earth was Bernie’s bitch and questioned whether she’d be up to having a dozen cyclists all visiting her at once.  Of course, the name stuck, and this year many were keen to return and three of the group were keen to see what all the fuss was about.  When Jim and I cycled to Cala Tuent today and saw this beautiful, secluded bay, I felt it needed a name and so I christened it James’ Bay.  I’m sure it will soon become just as popular as Bernie’s beach. 

The climb back from sea level to the Coll dels Reis at 782 metres was long, but the weather was favourable: light winds and warm (around 16°C). 

At a café just over the top of the climb, Jim and I ate sandwiches while waiting for others to regroup. When I’d finished my lunch, I went off to a pretty lake a few hundred yards away called Gorg Blau, by which time the rest of the group had arrived.

After lunch, Jim headed off home, and I then rode with Ian down to the monastery at Lluc.  I’ve been past there probably more than half a dozen times but never called in so today I rectified that.  We also had a look round the fascinating botanic gardens there with its marvellous sculptures and unusual art works.

I have an odd affliction regarding statistics (yes, I know another one!).  If a ride I’m on looks like it’s going to be close to 60 miles, I then have to ensure that I extend it by a bit to go beyond 62.2 miles.  The only reason is to ensure that anyone looking at my stats using the metric system doesn’t see a ride lasting 99.5km (or similar).  So I ensure that I ride beyond 62.2 miles so that I can claim my kilometre century.  With that in mind today, Ian and I went into Pollença and cycled up to the Calvari which pushed me safely beyond 100km on the day.  It also added culturally to our ride in addition to adding a further 100 metres of ascent.  

An alternative route to the chapel is to climb the 365 steps from the town centre, and we worried a couple of Americans who were admiring the view down the steps when we arrived and discussed riding down.  We weren’t serious, but the man thought we were and gravely warned us against it.  He thought he’d done his good turn for the day by dissuading us.

We took tea out tonight in a restaurant about 1/2 mile away.  When we arrived, we were treated to a detailed explanation on how to eat the bread, tomato, olive oil and garlic sauce provided free as an appetiser, so we all felt authentically Mallorcan as we tucked in.  I shared my paella with Dean and Jim: it was delicious!  And for afters, I chose the cheapest item on the menu, not because it was cheap, but because it was rice pudding.  I haven’t had that for years and it was so good.  To finish, we were all treated to a shot of Túnel de Mallorca which apparently is a traditional artisanal liqueur.

Back at the villa, Mike tapped into the mood of the evening and discussed booking the same accommodation for 2026.  I’m in two minds about this since I’ve been several times to this region now, and I’m no longer seeing anything new.

Thursday 8^th May 2025

It was a bit overcast today and the weather reflected the mood of some of our party at the start of the day.  Significant exertions on the previous day, perhaps coupled with an over-enthusiastic embracing of liquid refreshment at the restaurant may have been contributory factors.  So people were citing rest days, swimming days and walking days as justification for not getting on the bike.  However, four of us ventured out at 10am and headed South towards Sineu.  I realised after 3 miles that I omitted applying sun cream, but decided to risk it since the forecast was for overcast skies.   I fully intended to apply the factor 50 before setting out and headed upstairs for the bottle.  Having found it in my wash bag, I decided to clean my teeth first, then promptly forgot the sun cream!  Anyway, I survived. 

The ride was reasonably flat, with no serious climbs, just gentle undulations.  We had cake and coffee in Sineu at noon, then began heading back home soon after my phone pinged with a weather warning for rain.  Thankfully, the rain never arrived and indeed the day became warmer and sunnier as it progressed.

After a brew and a snack back at the Villa, Ian, Jim and I cycled into Port de Pollença for a look around the yachts and then onto Cala San Vicenç, now better known as Bernie’s beach.  (I believe that name’s getting its own brown tourist sign next year).

Curry night tonight, again created mainly by Kat.  I have selfishly called this trip ‘self-catering’, but this is certainly untrue – all the catering has been done by others.  I am presently feeling very guilty since everything on this trip was planned and arranged by others, and now that I’m here, my main role appears to be not getting under the feet while others are working.  I wonder if they’ll invite me back?  Oh, and I do a bit of route planning, but that doesn’t really count as labour.

Tonight, before I went to bed early, I sent out a few route suggestions for tomorrow and asked that everyone agreed on a plan of action, bearing in mind that the hire bikes needed to be handed back by 5.30. I’m shocked that the week is over so soon: it seems like I’ve only just arrived, although so far I have cycled almost 280 miles. 

Friday 9^th May 2025

It was our last day of cycling today, and there were as many options for routes as there were people.  We eventually agreed that everyone would head out at 9.30-ish to follow quiet lanes down to Campanet, skirting the North of Sa Pobla. 

It had rained in the night and the roads were still wet which I think was probably the cause of my tumble, barely a couple of miles from home.  I rounded a right-hand bend fairly slowly, and before I realised what was happening, I was on the tarmac with the front wheel having slipped from beneath me.  

I dusted myself off, grateful that no-one else had followed suit.  The damage was a grazed hip, and a cut lip after having celebrated the naming of a new pope by kissing the tarmac after I fell.  Although my arm was a bit sore, it was only when I peeled off my arm warmers and jumped in the shower at the end of the ride did I become aware of a large gash which promptly began bleeding copiously.  Dave and Dean both came to the rescue to administer first aid and bandage me up, and now I’m just waiting to see how stiff I’ll be by tomorrow.

But back to the ride.  The route was pretty flat, with just a couple of bumps uphill to reach the villages of Búger and Campanet.  We spotted loads of coffee shops in the latter village whilst out yesterday, so when we arrived there we took over a couple of tables.  

Refreshed by coffee and an excellent baguette de atún, we set off again, breaking into three groups at this point.  Mandy and Jason headed East to Alcúdia and Emily, Dean, Kat and Gary came with me on a shorter route home along pretty lanes.  The others wanted more of a challenge by climbing Coll de sa Batalla.  

We were only a couple of miles along before the black clouds in the distance began to leak and very soon we needed waterproofs.  Soon after that, we really needed wetsuits.  The rubber might also have come in handy as an insulator since we were also cycling through thunder and lightning.  Other cyclists were sheltering where they could, but we carried on since, although we were drenched by then, we were at least close to home. 

It wasn’t long after we arrived that the others returned, having abandoned the climb and followed us back.  Once showered and changed, I cycled into Pollença to return the bike and had a stroll through town on the way back. 

Once all the hire bikes had been returned, Emily and Kat set about making tea which tonight was pasta and anything else that we hadn’t eaten during the week.  The food on this trip has been amazing.  Every meal was delicious, and there was plenty of variety for those with special dietary requirements.  Certainly no-one could complain of being hungry.

After Emily replaced the dressing on my gashed arm once more, I took myself off to bed early and let the others party into the night.  I assume that’s what they did, but I was fast asleep by 10:45.

Saturday 10^th May 2025

We needed to be out of the villa by 10am, so we all went about cleaning and tidying away all our stuff.  There was a villa rule that all the rubbish needed to be removed to the recycling bins, or we’d be fined €100 which was fair enough.  Sadly, the bins were about ¾ mile away, so six of us were about to set off on foot loaded with bin bags, the hire car having gone back earlier.  Just then, the man from the villa arrived and kindly offered to drive the bags there in his van.  This was a great result, and very kind of him. 

Having been relieved of a walk with bags of rubbish, several of us then decided to go for a walk anyway, and we headed into Port de Pollença where we had a coffee on the front and then strolled back just in time for the taxi to take us to the airport. 

The flight was 16:55 so we had plenty of time to mooch around the duty free.  I bought a bottle of Túnel de Mallorca since I really enjoyed it in the restaurant on Wednesday.

The flight was on time and Jenny picked up four of us from the airport and dropped us off at home.  Having safely carried it home, Geraldine and I had some of the Túnel de Mallorca as a night cap at the end of a most enjoyable week, bike crashes notwithstanding. 

The distance cycled and walked during the week was almost 320 miles including over 6500 metres of climbing which was typical of such holidays. As for next year, I’ll sleep on it before deciding, but I think my mind is already made up.

[Post script. Over the past few days I’ve been pondering my bike crash on Friday, trying to determine the cause. Clearly, cornering too fast for the conditions is the answer, but how come I didn’t spot that? A check on Google reveals that the tyres the hire bike was wearing (Massi Tornado) retail at £9.99 in UK which is remarkably cheap for a road tyre. I usually ride Continental Grand Prix on my road bike, which retail at more than three times that price. Perhaps, like everything else, you get what you pay for in tyres. And I prefer to pay extra for more wet-weather grip…]