Big Puig and Other Nice Hills: My Ideal Cycling in Mallorca Itinerary
With quite a few clients travelling to the ultimate cycling holiday destination this Spring, it seemed fitting to put together an ‘ideal itinerary’ for a cycling holiday in Mallorca.
I’m sure this will cause controversy, and Sa Battalla being the best climb on the island is a hill I’m willing to die on, so if you can do Mallorca better then reach out as I’m always keen to hear how people’s holidays can be improved!
The below is based on five days of riding, with a shakeout ride on the day you arrive as most UK airports have early flights out. Swap this day for the departure day if you’re arriving later and flying home in the evening. I’ll always check with the hotel to make sure people can use the facilities after they’ve checked out if they’re riding, and usually it’s all good.
Day One: Arrivée
Not only is that French not Spanish, it’s also usually used for the end of a race or ride but anyway you’ve arrived and it’s sunny and Palma airport is looking dead nice. Your transfer or car hire awaits…
Once you’ve built or collected your hire bike, get your kit on and clip in for Formentor. There was never going to be any other ride I’d suggest was there…
Depending on the time of year you go, you’ll need to check sunset times to make sure you’re not riding in the dark home. And I’d always take a rear light whatever time of year as you have got some tunnels just before the lighthouse. Make sure you take your sunnies off for that too, not that you can see much either way.
Back for dinner, stretch out the lower back after a flight and a ride where you’ve got all excited and attacked up the last climb to home and cooked yourself. Big day tomorrow…
Day Two: Sa Calobra
If you’re gonna do it, might as well get on with it…
It’s hard, I’ve done it twice and both times found it hard even if they were seven years apart and I was in much better shape the second time. It’s still hard, but that’s the point. It is incredible, and a proper climb to tick off the list.
This route takes you up Sa Battalla and descends Femenia. There’s no ‘right’ way to do it, I love Sa Batalla up and down and the route up Femenia is really easy to navigate. Just make sure you do the other one tomorrow.
If you’re needing a stop before SC, then there’s the Repsol on the junction in Lluc. I’d highly recommend stopping after SC though on the way back through, and there’s a cafe in the gravelly bit just after the little descent at the end (you’ll see it on the way up). I wouldn’t recommend stopping at the bottom unless you perform better on cold legs immediately after a cornetto…
Day Three: Puig Major
Translated from Catalan to mean “higher rise”, Big Puig is a hell of a climb. Would not recommend on a boiling hot day in August, you will lose all the salt in your body, but most will do the sensible thing and ride it in Spring or Autumn.
It’s a decent ride out to Soller town, and you’ll have climbed a bit before you arrive so definitely stop in Soller for lunch and an orange juice.
It’s a nice view from the car park just before the tunnel, but make sure you’ve got live segments on and don’t stop before, no one likes being 20th on the leaderboard of your mates when you could have taken the selfie after you finished it, instead of 100m before.
If you still want to ride Puig but don’t fancy such a big day, you can ride up it from the Pollensa side, it’s still a nice climb just not the 16k at the exact same gradient type.
Day Four: Inland Route to Sineu
I was recently told about a super nice coffee shop in Sineu, and this route conveniently hits it bang on halfway.
If you are a complete masochist though, keep going past Sineu and ride the climb up to Llucmajor (no Repsol here though, just some goats and a monastery).
Normal coffee shop ride (route here)
”Some is good, more is better” Llucmajor ride (route here)
Day Five: Options, options, options…
Fancy just doing the 312 route for a laugh? Go on, I dare you…
But seriously, there’s plenty of options for your final day including a really nice route out to the Col de Soller.
Alternatively, the Mallorca Cycle Shuttle can take you from Port Pollensa to Andratx where you’ll ride the whole length of the Tramuntana range back. That does mean you’ll ride Big Puig again, so if you are planning to do that it’s simple to switch the days around. You can add in the climb from Port de Valdemossa, a mini Sa Calobra (just don’t bother if it’s not bone dry…).
Or you could ride Formentor again in the morning, have a paella for lunch and a snooze and then hit Alcudia in the evening for a super nice party. We tried that once and we were the first people into a bar and we left before anyone else came in and we went to bed.
Col de Soller (route here)
Andratx > Pollensa Cycle Shuttle (route here)
Thursday: Fly home
Take it easy, have a lie in, eat three breakfasts you’ve earned it. Or ride again if you fancy it, but fly home knowing you’ve squeezed the most out of riding on the island as it’s possible to do in that time.
If you’re there for longer, there’s plenty more options to ride inland, a few other climbs you may not have done yet or you can repeat some of these and I promise it won’t be boring.
I arrange tailormade and package holidays for clients visiting Mallorca all year round. I'll be able to help organise the cycling club’s next holiday, or if it’s just you and a couple of mates then please do get in touch on the link below and we can have a friendly chat about your plans.
