Soldato
Wow, that's a great time. Friends that are faster than me did it around 46 minutes, so I'd be very happy if I can get up in under an hour... but... if I was to guess now, I might say 1 hr 3 mins.
Cycling Holidays
- Thread starter Kimi
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This one I presume you mean?
Is this the best cycling route on Mallorca?
Guide to the popular Andratx to Pollensa cycling route (AKA the Big Daddy Challenge), often called one of the best cycling routes Mallorca.
epicroadrides.com
Looking at that, might do it from Alcudia to Andratx and add on the drop down Valdemossa.
Be the longest day i've had in the saddle for a very long time if I do it
got to get the wife signed up to pick me up first Sure the lure of dinner at the other end will help!Current plan looks something like the below which should mean i'm not repeating the same climbs over and over which is what i've done in the past.
Formentor
Sa Calobra via Caimari
Sant Salvador
Andratx
Puig Major via Soller
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Soldato
My Alp d'Huez time was 1 hr 22 mins. I think aiming for an hour up Sa Calobra is a reasonable expectation? (Don't forget, I'm only a touch under 100kg. Climbing for that long is NOT easy for me
)Yup - that's the thing you can drop down to a bunch of ports along the way and really make it very long. I don't think I did when I did it but it was nice nonetheless especially once you get beyond the likes of Sa Calobra - it gets a lot quieter.
Not on your list but this is also a nice climb: https://www.cyclinglocations.com/coll-de-sa-batalla-climb-mallorca/
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This one I presume you mean?
Is this the best cycling route on Mallorca?
Guide to the popular Andratx to Pollensa cycling route (AKA the Big Daddy Challenge), often called one of the best cycling routes Mallorca.
I did this a few years ago - amazing ride with stunning views all the way although you are straight into a climb from the word go with zero warm up if I remember correctly.
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Yeah thats on the Caimari to Sa Calobra day, and yes a cracking climb, and also a fantastic descent!
Will be doing the Andratx ride from Alcudia so descending that last part of the day, although climbing all the way out of Pollenca! Good 75 miles without dropping to any of the ports! Will mean I get to go down Puig Major heading west for the first time too! Looked back, did a 36:41 from Sa Calobra to Col Del Reis, 31 is absolute beast mode! Definitely going to get the wife to drop me off for Puig Major because that slog out to Inca is boring as hell on all the little service roads!
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Ah good. I think I went up it twice.. the second time was on Sa Calobra day and there was snow on the climb
That day was a washout earlier in the morning. In the end Sa Calobra was relatively quiet because of the weather too!
Yeah first year when I went with Sky at the end of January I attempted Sa Calobra and it was absoultely hideous, turned back somewhere up Femenia after hiding under a tree for 10 minutes from the hail. Puig Major was snow up the top! Luckily Sa Calobra was forgiving a couple of days later!Ah good. I think I went up it twice.. the second time was on Sa Calobra day and there was snow on the climb
That day was a washout earlier in the morning. In the end Sa Calobra was relatively quiet because of the weather too!
Soldato
Who do people use for insurance when cycling overseas? My bike is covered under a specific policy - I need to cover medical etc for a normal holiday but also the Tour of Flanders Sportive (so an organised but non-competitive event). Bikmo via BC looked good until I spotted the specifically exclude personal liability for both cycling and competitive cycling.
Just house insurance which they're covered as an item away from home, and travel insurance for the getting them there and back stuff. Who'd you use if you were doing a sportive? I'd more than likely risk it, just a bike ride albeit a tougher than usual one.
Soldato
I have BC membership (though will probably ditch that in favour of Laka or We Are Cycling when my current year finishes), so have 3rd party insurance already if I make a massive ****-up in this country.
Did a quote with Direct Line for bog-standard travel insurance. Their policy doc' says it covers "Cycling (but not BMX or off-road biking)", so an option at £50 for a year.
Did a quote with Direct Line for bog-standard travel insurance. Their policy doc' says it covers "Cycling (but not BMX or off-road biking)", so an option at £50 for a year.
Unfortunately looks like lluc, sa Calobra is out this year, roads are shut due to last weeks storm, so heading out to valdamossa today and going to hit up llucmajor Saturday. Been good to do some new climbs though. But shame I couldn't do the best climbs.Ah good. I think I went up it twice.. the second time was on Sa Calobra day and there was snow on the climb
That day was a washout earlier in the morning. In the end Sa Calobra was relatively quiet because of the weather too!
Soldato
They closed Sa Calobra again? So it closed about 4 weeks back, opened about 2 weeks back and it's closed again?
Technically sa Calobra is open. You just can't get to it as puig major and lluc still have snow and a lot of fallen trees. Be back open in a few days. So been exploring the island and got some more good climbs in. Although the roads aren't as good so can't hammer the descents plus lot of debris rom the storms.
So as I said, the main roads of Mallorca were closed last week, so it meant some exploring was required! I managed to go up to the lighthouse a couple of times, but as it became clear I would not be able to get up Puig Major or Sa Calobra I got the map out and utilised some of the West side of the island, which worked out really well with some great roads that were pretty quiet to traffic, but certainly not cyclists and managed to get in both the Canonges and Valdemossa port climbs which were stunning in their own ways albeit, not the nicest of descents, both about 1/3rd shorter than Sa Calobra. If you're out there definitely head out to this side of the island, i've not ventured this far out before, but glad I got the chance this time. The one climb i couldn't get in was to Randa over near Llucmajor, I took the car out on the rest day and had lucnh up the top but wish I had time as it looked like a good one to try.
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Soldato
Excuse the cross post/copy & paste from the main cycling thread but...
I'm looking to plan a trip in September or October for 15 people or so. I'd like to go somewhere new. (Spain would be a bonus to practise my Spanish)
Gran Canaria has been mentioned, someone else said they'd prefer closer/mainland Spain. From a quick google I like the look of Costa Daurada and Costa Almeria.
Any thoughts?
I'm looking to plan a trip in September or October for 15 people or so. I'd like to go somewhere new. (Spain would be a bonus to practise my Spanish
)Gran Canaria has been mentioned, someone else said they'd prefer closer/mainland Spain. From a quick google I like the look of Costa Daurada and Costa Almeria.
Any thoughts?
Soldato
Excuse the cross post/copy & paste from the main cycling thread but...
I'm looking to plan a trip in September or October for 15 people or so. I'd like to go somewhere new. (Spain would be a bonus to practise my Spanish
Gran Canaria has been mentioned, someone else said they'd prefer closer/mainland Spain. From a quick google I like the look of Costa Daurada and Costa Almeria.
Any thoughts?
If Canaries, would you not want to do Tenerife, to ascend Teide from at least one direction during the hol? Bigger climb than anything on mainland Europe iirc.
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Soldato
It's definitely on my list to be crossed off. People have commented on Tenerife just being the one mountain(/volcano?) though and not all that varied?
Gran Canaria is good fun and more varied than Tenerife (although I've not been to the latter).
I think if I went again to GC I'd perhaps try to get the ferry over to Tenerife for a day and go up Teide too. Probably need a rental car to get to the other side of the island for it but that would also allow for exploring the north side of GC somewhat too.
I think if I went again to GC I'd perhaps try to get the ferry over to Tenerife for a day and go up Teide too. Probably need a rental car to get to the other side of the island for it but that would also allow for exploring the north side of GC somewhat too.