Reflections on the last 16 days in Majorca - excellent cycling and great people - just how we like it.
I am currently sitting in Palma airport at the end of a 16 day stint in Puerto Pollensa and it is always nice to take a moment to reflect on what went well and what can be improved on from any trip.
As I look back on this trip I feel extremely fortunate on many fronts - fortunate to have seen such amazing young riders in action tearing around the Tramuntura mountain range, fortunate to have had such great weather, fortunate to have met and cycled with some wonderful people and finally - fortunate to have my family over for the first week.
As a relatively new tour operator I have had mixed feelings on running trips to Majorca as so many companies already operate on the island and many do a great job. This trip has helped me better understand where and how we can operate on the island to give our cyclists a great experience at a good price.
The Cycling
The cycling in Majorca is fantastic and it is very easy to see why so many riders flock to the island all year round. On one hand this means that there are few hidden gems, but we found it to be very rewarding to planning routes that had different characteristics over the week. In a bizarre way we were helped that Sa Calobra was closed for much of our time in Majorca so we did not feel tied to that particular out and back.
Without doubt our favourite ride of the week started in Puerto Pollensa (Playa Mar Hotel) and headed out through the lanes to Campanet and onto Alaro via Llosetta. In Alaro we refuelled at the fantastic Cycling Planet, before heading up to Orient. From there we tumbled down into Buniyoles before heading up the south side of the Coll du Soller. It was then onto the Puig Major before tumbling down (and a bit up) to Lluc for refuelling and then a heavy legged descent and tail wind drag race back to the hotel. A genuinely awesome day out with 140km and 2400m of climbing - we definitely earned the buffet that day.
The Accommodation and logistics
We stayed at the Playa Mar Hotel in Puerto Pollensa. This hotel is a favourite of Stuart Hall cycling and we understand why. The hotel staff were lovely and the rooms were really well appointed and very spacious. The food was also pretty good, though if you stay somewhere for 16 nights - the buffet quickly loses its appeal.
In terms of the location, we can have no complaints - Pine walk is a lovely route on which to stroll into town and we were treated to regular displays from the resident sea plane which spent much of the fortnight training in the bay. If you are staying in Puerto Pollensa, we recommend a short spin on the flat before heading up to Pollensa and to experiment with different routes into and out of town rather than just hammering up the main road.
What next in Majorca?
We are back at the end of April for the 312 and then again in October with another club visit. We are pretty keen to add more groups between September and October and are looking at ways we can insentivise that to clubs - as ever our biggest competition is going to be DIY trips.
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