The London Gay Cycling

Training Camp Mallorca

On the Spanish island of Mallorca(Majorca)
Springtime (April)

Report

The London Gay Cycling's Training Camp has taken place each spring for the last 13 years. The weather on Majorca at this time of year is ideal for cycling, usually sunny but not hot. It has been known to rain and again it can start to get a bit hot in which case there is always the sea to cool off after a day's cycling. This year were were there from 2nd to 10th April, with a few having some extra days.

After the total disaster last year with the Icelandic volcano grounding all flights, this year everyone arrived as expected. The day I arrived was the first day of settled weather with warm sunshine everyday we were there. I had two days relaxation before others started to arrive and then we had eleven days of cycling. We were base in the resort of Can Pastilla, which was still very much out of season but the ice-cream parlours were open.

Out hotel is a large resort hotel but as a group of 22 we made our own environment and everyone else was background, and some of the other cyclists made very pleasant background. The hotel was set back in its own gardens, so nice quite nights allowing bedroom windows to be flung open all night. The hotel staff were so friendly, on my first evening I was greeted by the Matre'd in the restaurant and shown the arrangements for our own reserved tables. With the service of food being self-service dinner and breakfast were very relax affairs. We were all together as a group and we moved around the tables each day to mix with everyone. It never mattered if anyone was late they easily slipped into a spare seat and no one bothered if they were a course behind. Of note the hotel does a special Mallorcan evening each week where all the food is from this island and cooked and served with great pride.

We had use of the secure bike store in the hotel. Can Pastill is about midway along the sea front cycling path that runs from the harbour in Palma to El Arenal. This path connects with a number of low traffic routes so the need to cycling on any busy road was very minimal. Indeed in just one kilometre from the hotel we could be in small lanes surrounded by flowering fields. The programme of rides was planned to mix mountains with exploring the open countryside towards the east and south of the island. As most arrived on the Saturday, on Sunday once everyone was fitted out with their hire bikes we had a gently ride through the lanes in the central plain to Cala Pi, considered to be the most pretty cove on the island, where we had lunch. For the afternoon there was the option for the climb to Cura with it stunning views but everyone enjoyed the impressive decent back to the hotel. The following day we aimed for the mountains and took the three climb route via the Coll de Creu and Galilea, It was market day in Calvia, so we purchased lunch from the stalls and ate it in the church square in Galilea with its wonderful views down the valley to the sea. On other days we took the major cycling routes, of the western end of the north coast, the stunning route with the Coll de Hono and south to Colonia St Jordi (more famous for its beach of S' Trenc). With most leaving on the second Sunday the final ride for most was on the Saturday this was to the western end of the Bay of Palma, taking in the famous resorts of Palma Nova and Magalluf but we lunched in a pine wooded bay. Our return was to take the Coll de Crue from the other side and have a fast decent into Palma.

Not everyone wanted to do the complete programme and on some routes a shorter option was taken, while other would skip a days cycling to take in the cultural delights of Palma city.

Being a major cycling resort there are plenty of good cycling shops offering retail therapy and a few colourful new outfits appeared during the week, which we look forward to seeing again

Please contact Peter for future events at:- gaycycling @ wfour.co.uk

Or click here for details of the 14th Training Camp

Following is a selection of photographs that have been taken during the Training Camps.

Click on the thumbnail to get a larger picture.

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