Mallorca 2025

This was an independent trip to Mallorca situated in Port de Pollenca, this year’s trip was organised again by Alison and Ewen with the help of Jon and Keri, everyone sorted out their own flights, accommodation and either hired or took their own bikes with them.

The package was with Jet2 flying from Bristol and landing in Palma and included transfers from the airport to the Hotel “Puerto Azul”, the hotel well catered for all our needs and the food was of a high standard and the staff were great, the basement in the hotel is used for storing of bikes and each bike has it’s own position with a lock.

There were about 22 of us including non riders, some were staying at other hotels for various reasons.

The Bikes

Some took their own bikes in their own, borrowed or hired bike boxes and some hired the bikes from various bike shops close to the hotel. There are several different types of bikes for hire and you can hire extras like pedals, helmets etc. (Bottle mounts are included, but Garmin mounts aren’t), some shops take the full amount up front and some take deposits.

It is advisable to take out some type of damage waiver and you can also get “Bike Breakdown Cover” for as many days as you want, however it is cheaper to buy annual cover from ETA, currently £24 a year and covers you in Europe.

The Rides

Due to the varying abilities we split the rides into Tempo, Grupetto, Rouleurs and Novas with Ride leaders for each group, the rides varied to different locations and distances, which included some iconic rides which are mentioned below.

Jon led the Tempos and and organised some tough rides from the word go, and at the end of the week each individual who stayed with Jon throughout the week did approximately over 400 miles and 29,041 feet of climbing (just a little bit more than the height of Everest), some of the other riders joined Jon for some of the rides as they pleased.

The Grupetto and Rouleurs rides were led by Alison, Ewen, Steve, Terry, Bev and Simon. The rides varied from short hilly rides and longer rides including Andratx, catching the bus early to the start point, the average mileage was approximately 240 miles and 17,000 feet of climbing (although that varied from rider to rider) again riders switched between rides as they pleased.

The Nova rides were lead by Keri, Bev, Steve/Terry  and Alison. The rides again varied with the Novas doing approximately 220 miles and 14,000 feet of climbing.

Iconic Rides

Andratx

The Andratx ride was an early start to catch the bus at 7am and then cycle approximately 80 miles back to the hotel along some tough climbs, a long day in the saddle.

Sa Calobra

Sa Calobra was another early start to miss the buses coming down and was approximately 62 miles and 6000 feet of climbing, however you could catch a bus to the start point.

Formentor Lighthouse

Formentor Lighthouse was another epic ride, an early start, short and steep and worth the visit, 24 miles and 3000 feet of climbing.

The Social Side of the Trip

Once a ride was completed everyone could do what they want, some went to the seafront, about a 500m walk from the hotel to either enjoy an ice cream, beer food or just walk around or enjoy the beach or the sea.

Others stayed at the hotel to laze around the pool or catch up on some well deserved rest.

Some took a day off on the Wednesday either to walk along the front or catch a bus to Alcudia or somewhere else just to take advantage of the time on the island.

The evenings varied but one thing we all did together was eat dinner as the staff arranged a large table for us to share, after dinner we mostly met in the bar and chatted about the day, enjoying a small beer or two, or you could watch the entertainment provided by the hotel or watch the football on the large screens.

The last night we did “The Tat Awards”, given to those who achieved something “Notable” of “Not”.

Booking & Weather

The trip was booked just before the end of April and we arrived on the day of the of the “Mallorca 312 Race” 312 Km in 12 hours, we were lucky as the following week was a bit quieter, so it is essential to check if there is anything on that could affect your holiday.

The weather is generally kind at that time of the year, we did encounter some light rains, however one group just missed some thunderstorms, the wind can be an issue so check as soon as you can when planning your rides.

Questions

If you have any questions and want to know more speak to Alison or Ewen.