A cyclist's paradise

Mallorca

When my friend Mark initially invited me along to join his cycling trip to Mallorca, the hope was that my leg would be better, I'd have settled back into a routine of work since returning from Oz, and I'd be keen for a trip back to some sunshine to be able to start running regularly again. The three guys going were all keen cyclists, but it sounded like I would be able to split my time between going for a few runs, possibly hiring a bike to find new run locations, and spending some time chilling with the girls round the pool (ie the bar).

 

Enjoying post-dinner drinks together

Unfortunately, an xray on return from Australia showed no change in my stress fracture so I forbade myself any running at all. The guys were taking their precious bikes out with them, so I packed my helmet, pedals and shoes with the hope of hiring a bike and joining them for their "easy days"/"recovery rides". The complex we were staying in had a few outdoor pools (for the brave triathletes with their wetsuits), a small indoor one, and a gym (as well as a couple of restaurants, cafes and bars).

On my own cycle adventures...

Tracey and I couldn't resist the wine!

I knew that I wasn't a very good cyclist, so my aim was to get out and enjoy myself, and maybe alternate this with visiting the indoor pool, gym or spa. As it turned out, I ended up cycling every day that I had my bike (doing more mileage that week that I would normally do in a year)......and probably drinking almost as much wine as I did miles on the bike. I did discover that the 3-lane indoor pool was deep enough to aquajog in, but on each occasion that I ventured there, I was turfed out by German triathletes claiming that they'd booked sole use of it (I later found out that this wasn't the case as it wasn't possible to do so, but I wasn't brave enough to argue with them). I did however, make a few visits to the spa with its saunas, steam room (great for the manflu I developed midweek), infinity pool, massage jets and ?stony bottom to walk along (!!) - No, I didn't visit the nude area!!

Loving "chicking" some of the guys
 on the climbs

If you had a chance to look away from the
road and at the views they were amazing

The guys were great at looking after me and so I managed to ride with them on most days. I skipped their longest day and just enjoyed exploring the local area by myself before cycling along to the nearby village to join the girls for coffee. I'm not very good at cycling down hills as steep slopes, blind bends and sharp drop offs scare me, but I loved the ascents, especially on such smooth road surfaces. The guys would kindly wait for me at the bottom of the hills but I held my own going up - which was reassuring to me, as it meant that although I hadn't been running, I still had a decent cardiovascular base of fitness.

Having made it to the Cap
Formentor lighthouse

I loved every climb going out to the iconic lighthouse at Cap Formentor but panicked on every descent (even worse when you suddenly ended up in a long dark tunnel going downhill still wearing your sunglasses). They had 1 other day planned that sounded a little scary to me, so after a long climb up to Coll de Sabataia (and a cafe break), I peeled off to make my own way back down to Puerto Pollentia while they went on a side trip which had them descending round many 180 degree bends (I think 1 was about 360 degrees at they ended up cycling under the road they'd just been on).



The café at the summit of Coll de Sabataia

As I made my way down on my own, I passed hundreds of cyclists coming up the other way, but as luck would have it, the road stretched away from me without a soul to be seen just when I needed a helping hand. I had hit a pothole, which had made my chain jump rings, jam and then fall off. Although I felt rather smug to have fixed it all by myself, I was a bit surprised to be asked if I wanted to go to the toilet when I stopped for a celebratory piece of cake and coffee and the next cafe I found - it turned out that the waiter was trying to politely let me know that I'd smeared chain grease all over my face....a nice look!!!

After the best value coffee stop

A trip highlight for me was feeling like a "proper cyclist" following the guys over cobbles to a square in a local town (where we got 4 coffees for 5 euros), and i couldn't wipe the grin off my face.

At the top of Christmas Climb

On the final day, Mark and I actually "outcycled" the other two (well, to be fair they'd all cycled further than me the day before), as we headed up Christmas Climb for great views out over the bay we'd been staying in.



How could you not go back to somewhere that
has this view at breakfast time?

All in all, it was an amazing trip and I'd heartily recommend Mallorca for a cycling trip and it actually wouldn't have been that much fun if I'd been trying to run whilst there, as the only way to go from the resort, was out along the mainroad by the sea in either direction...not very inspiring, espeically as most of the other people running were all doing it in trisuits!! However, unless I can get over my fear of corners, descents and dropoffs, I'm never really going to be a cyclist...............