TVCC Majorca Tour, March 2011

Posted on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

Club members Brian Statham, Brian Stephenson, Colin Westwood, Dave Rickelton, Errol Broomfield, Peter Sutcliffe, Ken (Dave’s friend from Alnwick) went for an early season tour of Majorca Friday 18^th Mar to Fri 1^st April 2011.

The team enjoy a cafe stop in Sa Pobla

Half-board accommodation was at the excellent and very reasonable Hotel Pollensa Park in Port of Pollensa, which is situated near the northeastern corner of the island, and an ideal location to use as a base.

Cycling days generally alternated between the hilly and very scenic routes of the Tramontana to destinations such as Sa Calobra, Soller, the Orient, Bunyola, Cap de Formentor etc. and more gently undulating routes through the foothills via Campanet, Selva, Lloseta etc. or out along the central plain to include stops at Sa Pobla, Maria de la Salut, Randa, Petra, Santa Margalida, Muro, Sineu and others. Daily mileage ranged from about 40-80 miles.

The toughest challenge was probably the ride to/from Sa Calobra, an initially undulating ride through the foothills, then a climb up ‘the gorge’ to 2200ft (interrupted by the odd descent and then re-climb), followed by a spectacluar descent

A well earned cafe stop as Sa Calobra

via many hairpins to sea-level and the café stop. The ride back is via the same route, so a climb back up to 2200ft, followed by an initially undulating then long descent back down the gorge to Caimari and an undulating ride back through the foothills to the hotel.

Another good ride was the short but hilly route to/from the Cap de Formentor, the tip of the northeastern peninsular, which has at its end point a lighthouse and café. Part of the journey takes you through a fairly short but very dark tunnel, which can have a very disorienting effect on the rider, especially when you can be plunged from bright sunshine into inky blackness, with only the light from the exit to guide your way.

A ride which I missed, but which I understand was very satisfying, was the very challenging ride to Soller, which was tackled more than once by both Brian Statham and Colin. Unfortunately I’d had an accident one one of the days prior to that ride, so I’ll have to try that one next year.

Coffee at the 'orange man' up the Gorge

Another memorable ride was the one to Randa, which is a fairly easy flat ride through the central plain, ending in a sharp ascent to the monastery there. That was the day (Friday 25^th Mar) I had my accident, which occurred after about 15 miles out, on a roundabout somewhere south of Inca. I managed to complete the journey (about 80 miles all told), but foregoing the climb to the monastery in Randa. Instead Brian Stephenson and I enjoyed one or two (or three) cold beers outside a bar in Randa, while we waited for the others to come back from the monastery, before returning via Petra, Santa Margalida, Ca’n Picafort and Alcudia.

A very scenic ride was one via a place unusually called ‘The Orient’. Initially you ride through the foothills as usual, then there’s a climb from Lloseta up to the Orient, taking in very attractive scenery as you go. Another bit of climbing followed by a longish descent that becomes quite tricky, twisty and fairly pothole ridden, as you ride down into the village of Bunyola for a lunch break. The return was via Santa Maria del Cami,

Errol, David, Brian Stephenson and Peter at the lighthouse at Cap de Formentor

and then a brisk ride via the ‘pipe road’ with a tail wind to bring you most of the way back to the coast and a short journey back to base.

Weather was good for cycling most days, with little rainfall, although occasionally quite windy. Max daily temperatures ranged from mid teens to low twenties.

Peter Sutcliffe