It has always been my dream to cycle in Mallorca, Spain over spring break. This year that dream came true. Jackie and I signed up in October with Adventure Tours at the University of Wisconsin out of Stevens Point. In late February we were informed the trip did not have enough applicants and for the first time in eight years the trip was cancelled. We were both very disappointed. I started searching online and within 24 hours we booked Mallorca cycling.

Last October we bought a Bike Friday tandem, which fits in two hard case Samsonite suitcases. Neither Jackie nor I had ever been to Europe, so needless to say we were both excited. I had even taken an online Spanish course to prepare for the trip. Our flight took us to Madrid and then to Palma, Mallorca. We were picked up at the airport and transported to the town of Alcudia located on the northeast side of Mallorca. The Iberostar hotel was located on the beach. The $ 120 dollars a person per day included the following: buffet breakfasts, lunch taken with you for the ride, dinner buffet, five guided rides, bike storage, mechanics on duty, bike lock, maps, jersey, and a few other biking items.

We arrived on Friday and proceeded to put my Bike Friday together and recover from jet lag. When we went to dinner we discovered the preferred language was not Spanish but German. 95% of the cyclists were German, so much for the lessons. Saturday morning we met our North American host who’s really name was Hajo pronounced Hile. He invited us to ride with his group even thou he was not thrilled when we saw our tandem. We thought we were clipping along at a nice pace for this time of the year. After about 30 minutes of riding, Hajo came back and very bluntly told us we are too slow. Love the German tact. I am not used to being told that but we accepted it and he rerouted us back to the hotel. That was our last ride with Hajo.

The rest of the rides were fantastic. The night before the ride you select a ride leader that is going your speed and distance. You can choose group rides that go between 10 – 25 miles per hour and distances between 40-110 miles. The group rides are rated from racing to pausch (I think the German translation would be slouch). We choose a fun group which is somewhere in between. You can also choose to ride from flat to mountainous. The advantage of having a guide is you do not have to think. Just follow the leader and never pass them.

The biking in Mallorca was the best we have ever experienced. The roads are all in excellent shape. The major roads all have nice shoulders and the smaller roads are similar to bike paths. All major intersections had round a bouts so turning left was never an issue. It was not uncommon to ride on roads 8 feet wide and never see a car for miles. When you approached a small town it was always an uphill climb and downhill leaving. Getting thru the town was another story with the roads being more like allies. We did love the little markets and cafes along the way. The car drivers were very courteous and always showed a lot of respect for cyclists. The bikers on the other hand will never call out on your left or give you any warnings. Maybe this is the bike culture of Europe. Most will pass within inches of your left shoulder going 20+ mph. We had mirrors so we knew what was coming. It should be pointed out that this behavior was only found on the major roads.

Temperatures were around 60-70 degrees and mostly sunny; however, it was not uncommon to have winds up to 30 mph. We ended up riding eight days and around 300 miles. That sounds good until you compare it to other members in our group who averaged over 75 miles per day. We ended up doing a lot of bumbling on our own; after all we did come to see more things than a bikers back wheel.

More pictures of our trip can be found here: More picture from Mallorca