The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Mallorca 2022 - A Cycling Gem

May 7th to May 21st

Ride Director: Nelson Diaz
Ride Co-Director: Kathy Diaz
Ride Driver: Abraham Martinez
Report by: Nancy Kirk

The beautiful island of Mallorca lived up to its name and the trip not only met but exceeded all our expectations.

In Palma we rented our bikes, for me an ebike which was a new and fun experience, and rode a few loops testing out our new wheels.  We reconnected with our BAC friends and made new ones instantly as this was a very congenial group.

Once we left Palma and the big chain hotel and the Germans, a sense of warmth and comfort came over us.  The roads are good and smooth and there is a wide shoulder for bikes and your surroundings are clean and litter free.  The Mallorca people are very friendly and welcoming.  English is spoken by most, so it is easy to communicate, navigate, order food and shop.   

The scenery is spectacular from small seaports to ancient Arab carved terraced hillsides to rugged mountains to beautiful countryside villages, not to mention beautiful ocean views.  Riding from village to village means lots of climbing, lots of downhills including hairpin turns, 47 switchbacks on one ride, all very doable and even fun and enjoyable on an ebike.  The drivers are courteous and experienced with thousands of cyclists as Mallorca is truly a cycling mecca.  We enjoyed the local markets, numerous cappuccinos and pastries in the many cafes along the way, breathtaking views as well as cycling by olive, lemon and orange orchards. We loved the free range goats who seem to escort you along the way.  A favorite day was a boat ride to Sa Calabra including a peek into a ocean cave.  We rode up the many switchbacks with very few cars and made a fast descent back down to the port and boat for our ride back to Port de Soller.

Several of the hotels we stayed at had pools which was a welcome site after a day’s ride.  Of course, there is always the Mediterranean ocean for nice dip in the water.  The weather was sunny and warm in the day and breezy and cool at night.  My favorite hotel was the Monnaber Nou Agriturismo, for its location, beauty and layback feel.  You’ll have to sign up for the tour and determine your own favorite.

If Mallorca is the crown jewel for cycling, then Nelson Diaz is the center gemstone.  His pleasant demeanor is fun and comforting at the same time.   His ride was well thought out and organized.  The GPS routes were good and discussed at each happy hour which were informative, fun, overflowing with food and lots of wine, beer and Sangria.  He had the right mix of included dinners and dinners on your own.  The included dinners were the local fare again lots of food and did I mention lots of wine.  Our group even had a trolley ride one night to a hotel restaurant.  A large breakfast was included everyday and that means fresh squeezed OJ and cappuccinos.

If you had to envision your perfect European cycling tour, I expect this one would tick most of your boxes.  It’s a bucket list location and cycling tour.

Ciclismo, amigos, risas, diversión. ¿Que podría ser mejor?

Cycling, friends, laughter, fun.  What could be better?

Muchas gracias a Nelson