![]() If you fancy a cut-price café stop, turn left just before town and there’s a petrol station on the right that boasts a café. Just a sweeping descent that demands very little use of the brakes.Īs the road straightens, you rapidly approach the tourist Mecca of Valldemossa. Instead, throw yourself into the flowing descent that awaits. This is not a time to stop, rest, and refuel. What follows is 3.7 kilometres of perfect tarmac that throws you around bend after bend, each offering a distant view over the world below.Īs you reach the unassuming summit, you’ll appreciate that the climb gave elements of respite without ever becoming so steep as to test you. After three kilometres, the road steepens and you’re almost at the point where you turn right onto the Ma-10 and the Coll d’en Claret. Don’t overcook it at this point, you haven’t reached the actual climb yet. This is a place where locals potter over cortados, or a little glass of something stronger, and discuss days gone by.īefore you know it, you’re heading out of the village and starting to climb along the Ma-1100. As you enter the village, you know that you’re far from the craziness of the coast. The approach to the village consists of six kilometres of false flat that’s not too taxing on the legs. Head for the village of Esporles either by following the flats via Cami de Muro and Santa Maria, or take on a hilly route, such as Campanet – Coll de Tofla – Coll d’Orient. If you’re staying in the north, you’re looking at a big day in the saddle, but why not? The Coll d’en Claret, which was resurfaced two years ago, is a climb that envelopes you in the tranquillity of inland Mallorca. Overall, this climb makes a great mini excursion, an additional climb if you want to pad out the Cap de Formentor, or a superb alternative destination for those heading north from other parts of the island. I once made the mistake of guiding the GOG Triathlon club along here for a recovery day – needless to say, the climb is steep and not the best suited to recovery! Anyway, I digress, follow sharp turns and keep right when you reach a junction (left takes you to a military zone) and after a kilometre slog, you arrive at the La Victoria where you’ll be treated to fantastic views.Īlso, at the top, there’s a café, a church for those seeking a little culture or divine assistance, and if you skirt around the back of the church, there’s the Restaurante Mirador de la Victoria. To your left, you can look across the water to a distant Port de Pollenca and to your right a tumble of rocks and trees form a beautiful landscape.Ī kilometre further on and there’s a wooden shack, a restaurant (S’illiot Strand) that serves a tempting array of seafood, and then the road starts to ramp upward. ![]() ![]() You swiftly leave the housing behind and take a short descent to begin traversing the coastline of the Alcudia peninsula. As you roll along this road, you leave the busyness of Alcudia behind, and you soon drop down into Mal Pas, a sleepy backwater with its marina and luxury villas.Īs you pass the marina and a little, rocky beach you attack a short, steep climb – this one can hurt. ![]() Head out to Alcudia - I know, not the most promising of starts - and take the turn signposted Es Mal Pas and La Victoria. ![]() If you stay in Port de Pollenca, this climb is in plain sight, but so many people don’t know it even exists. This week I’d like to share four of my favourite climbs that are far from the madding crowds and are fantastic climbs in their own right. Maybe you’re looking for something a little different, maybe something off the beaten track. Sometimes, especially during Easter, everywhere seems so busy with every climb seeming like a sportive. It’s that time of year when lots of us make our annual pilgrimage to Mallorca. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |