So here it is, the first day of the trip I'd been looking forward to for months. A week of cycling heaven on the Spanish island of Majorca, known for it's perfect pothole free tarmac, courteous drivers and iconic mountain climbs. The journey however did not go as smoothly as the roads I was about to ride on. The airline claimed to have no record of me booking my bike onto the flight and upon arrival I had to wait around an hour to collect my bike and suitcase from the carousel. This meant that we were considerably late for our hotel transfer, but luckily we had a very friendly driver who was happy to wait.
When we arrived at the hotel I eagerly reassembled my bike, so that I could head out on a short ride that evening. The route I planned was from the hotel in Port de Pollenca to Cap de Formentor and back again. Despite the route only being 26 miles long, I was a little apprehensive for two reasons.
#1 the HEAT - as a British rider I am not used to riding in hot weather... and that day it was very hot. It was still over 30 degrees celsius even though I waited until the early evening to set off. I fully filled two water bottles and added some electrolyte tablets to replace the salts I was almost certainly going to lose.
#2 the HILLS - I am from an area of England that is known for being very flat. Therefore I had never encountered any hills/mountains like the ones I was about to face that day. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect or how my legs would cope. Luckily I had been doing around 200 miles per week in the months leading up to the holiday, so I was confident that I at least wouldn't have to get off and walk!
Above: The elevation profile of the ride
The first couple of miles were flat and I was able to get enough speed up to feel the wind in my face cooling me down. "Maybe this heat won't be so bad after all" I thought... I soon reached the bottom of the first climb and after the first hairpin bend I was treated to a spectacular view over the Port and the mountain range in the distance.
The gradient eased of a little and I took the second hairpin bend only to be greeted by a slope of around 7%. I was pushing quite hard as I'm a bit of a Strava addict and wanted to achieve a decent time up the climb, but I'm a little ashamed to say the heat took it's toll and I almost regurgitated the patatas bravas with garlic sauce I had eaten that lunchtime. Finally I reached the top of the climb and I was able to take on my first ever mountain descent. I was going over 30 mph without even pedalling and I had to brake heavily to avoid running wide in the corners. Also I had to maintain my concentration on the road ahead, and not too much on the incredible views of the sea stretching as far as the eye could see.
After an undulating middle section I reached the second climb. I rode up through a near pitch black tunnel before popping out the other side onto a road high above a quiet bay with crystal clear turquoise waters.
I eventually reached the top of the climb, turned a corner and saw the iconic lighthouse in the distance signalling the halfway point of my ride.
I stopped for a breather but not for too long. I had to get back in time for dinner that evening as we'd booked a table at one of the best restaurants in the town. I knew that the meal would taste even better after a tough few miles in the saddle.
I headed back along the road from which I came, enjoying the views from a different angle and taking on the elevation profile in reverse. As soon as I reached the first long climb I took the opportunity to unzip my jersey, baring my pale chest to drivers, fellow cyclists and the local goats!
Finally I reached a decent where I was able to go above 40 mph for the first time ever, it was strange that for once cars were slowing me down rather than the other way around.
All in all it was a fantastic ride and one of the best I'd ever done. So much contrast from the style of flat road riding I am used to here in the UK. Also I was surprised at just how tough and relentless the long ascents were, but over the week I knew I had plenty more of them in store.
Keep an eye out for more posts about this trip coming soon!