Majorca – Road cycling advice.

Hi

I am looking to book a few days with a pal, June 2025. We plan to stay in Pollensa (Is this the best base?)Are we best just grabbing a taxi at the airport or booking ahead for the transfer. Or is public transport straightforward and a possible cost saving? We aim to take our own bikes.

Also, as there are only two of us we’d be interested in hooking up for group rides. Is this such a thing?

Thanks for any help/tips in advance

Pollensa is a great base. There is a bike transfer service our club use from the airport (minibus and closed trailer). It’s not cheap, but works when there are six of you. June is high tourist season and hotter so fewer cyclists. There are organised groups but they tend to be off season some will be happy for you to join, some may request a fee. Happy to share the routes our club rise from pollensa – everything up to century rides and of course Sa Collabra (hugely over-rated and spoilt by coaches). I’m off again in October for what will hopefully be the same 26c sunny days we had last year.

id suggest a transfer from the airport.

Pollenca is a nice small & quiet place, very local, Alcudia & Port de Pollenca are more tourist resorts but a lil further from the most popular routes.

Fantastic. If you could share some routes that would be really appreciated. Anything from 50 to 100 miles would be ideal.

The bike transfer service works out cheap if there are a few of you. Pollenca and its port are both ideal locations. Plenty bike hire though book ahead at busy times. Can’t recall the name of the place that does Pinarello but it’ll come up when you google. As regards routes there are zillions online. But basically head up into the mountains. It’s a fantastic place for road cycling.

Pollensa is probably as good as anywhere. Anywhere around that area is good. All the classic mountainous routes are around the North Coast, but there are some lovely quiet roads inland which are well worth exploring.

Sa Collabra (hugely over-rated and spoilt by coaches).

My advice would be to head out early. I seen one coach on Sa Calobra and that was when I crested the summit on return. There’s very little traffic early on. Some of those routes take you on main arterial roads too. There’s loads of cyclists so people are used to them, but need to watch out for the tourist traffic, etc. Again, you escape a lot of this by going out early.

Cap de Formentor is quite an enjoyable route for me and I think restricted for vehicles at certain times (not sure what the current state of affairs is with that). Some nice climbing and great views without being mental.

There’s good cycle infrastructure around Port de Pollensa.

A nice option if available in June is the Mallorca bike shuttle- bus and trailer pick up port de pollensa early morning, transfer to andratx to ride the north west coast road all the way home. My son and I also used this from port de pollensa to the repsol fuel station cafe to allow us to get on sa colobra early which avoids the tourist traffic- link below.

Home

The climb from the south up to the Repsol fuel cafe mentioned above is beautiful. Probably my favourite climb on the island.

Agreed. Plus the cafe is pretty good at the top.
Was a decent set of tools attached to the garage wall last time I was there.
The andtrax run is awesome as is the lighthouse run .
A dawn run to the lighthouse is also abit special , ditto dusk / sunset but you will need lights for the return leg.
Stuart Hall do complete packages , not cheap but really good with 3 or 4 groups leaving most mornings some of the fast runs are pretty full on apparently but I guess that depends on your level. They also know all the cafes that are tucked away.

Perfect. Sounds great.

A dawn run to the lighthouse is also abit special , ditto dusk / sunset but you will need lights for the return leg.

Always take lights as there are quite a few unlit road tunnels on the island.

Be more careful than usual on wet roads… for some reason I found the roads there super slippy (corners especially) after rain – much more than I usually find in the UK.

I’ve been 3 times.

Pollenca / Alcudia is good as a base. You’re at the foot of the Tramantuna.

Sa Colabra well worth it. I may be wrong but I’m sure cars / buses aren’t allowed in the mornings.

For me the highlight is always a big day. Puig Major, lunch in Soller, then back via the pass and return to Pollenca via Orient.  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/11944063?lang=en

Definitely prebook your transfer. If it’s not prebooked you have to use the cabs and they aren’t geared up for bikes.

Ciclos Major holiday company do daily rides from Alcudia for a small fee

Last time mates and I went we hired a car, not too expensive,  which gives you more options for where you can start rides.

Port Pollensa (or Pollensa) great base.

As others said, Mallorca cycle shuttle for anthrax – Pollensa route is outstanding day out.

Sa Calobra at dusk is quiet and stunning, although, dusk in June will be late I guess?

that said, an evening ride would be quiet, cooler and still very lovely!

Chances of rain and wet roads in June are like Man U winning the premier league this season

June can be so hot over there as well but Pollensa is really nice, better to be nearer the sea at Cala st Vicente or Port town for a swim when it’s quiet

Heaven. Thanks all. Just what I’m wanting to hear.

Sa Collabra (hugely over-rated and spoilt by coaches

I disagree.

As said above,just choose your times to visit the likes of Sa Colabra and Cap de Formentor.

If you do ride out to the Formentor lighthouse,on the way, take the wee extra climb up to the Albercutx Watchtower.

A bit of a rough road but (IMO) worth it for the views.

Enjoy,it’s a great island.

Mallorca bike shuttle- bus and trailer pick up port de pollensa early morning, transfer to andratx to ride the north west coast road all the way home

Best days roadbiking I have ever done.

Sa Calobra is breathless taking too. Cap For mentor is a good ride but go early or late evening to avoid the traffic it gets really busy with cars and bikes.

If you do ride out to the Formentor lighthouse,on the way, take the wee extra climb up to the Albercutx Watchtower

Yep this is good advice.

Was there in early July this year with the family and I was leaving the villa each morning at 7 for a 3-4 hour ride as it was too hot by lunchtime to be any fun.

Formentor was closed to traffic except coaches from the beach carpark to the lighthouse and the coaches didn’t start rocking up till 10ish so it was bliss – like real life Zwift.

we were staying just outside Pollensa and it was perfect – also the North of the island is cooler, we drove to some caves one day and it was 28ish in Pollensa and 38 in the middle of the island!  Be careful as there isn’t a lot of shade on some of the roads.

I also found some of the road surface a bit slippy, even in the dry.

Local traffic is very used to bikes but there are a lot of hire cars driven by idiots so be on your guard.

Absolutely no sign of any anti tourism issues though we were there at the peak of all that trouble – locals we met couldn’t have been friendlier and the price of food etc was lower than i expected.

Lovely place to ride

Port de Soller the best base IMO so long as you like climbing.

I’m currently sitting in Majorca

I can’t +1 enough the comments about going out out early or late

I went out at 11am a couple of days ago in 33 degrees and I was absolutely dying. Even the flat sections were brutal but the sweat on the climbs was not good. Really wish I’d done a before and after weigh in!

Probably Pollenca for your first time as you’ll want to tick off the headliners, but don’t overlook Palma area…great access to the climbs in and around Esporles (Galilea, Es Grau etc) and of course the Gramola on towards Soller

Not forgetting the Sobremunt

As others have said – do you have to go in June? It’s starting to get hot at that point – I always been in April/May to cycle. Been in July with the family, and didn’t even contemplate hiring a bike – too hot!

In terms of routes, once you get your head round it, there aren’t that many roads in the mountains. A bit of online route research, and you’ll be fine. You’ll see most routes focus around the same 5 or 6 bits of road.

Most of what I’d say is already covered, but nobody has mentioned the Orient valley. It’s not one of the more famous roads but is absolutely lovely landscape.

June might be horribly hot, can’t you go March/April?

Local traffic is very used to bikes but there are a lot of hire cars driven by idiots so be on your guard.

There are also a fair few bikes being ridden by idiots who think they’re indestructible/on closed roads/Pogacar’s lesser known, slightly tubby German cousin – be aware. I like Mallorca, but the last time I was there a few years back, it started to remind me of the Isle of Man during TT week, though obviously it’s quieter away from the cycling honeypots.

If I go back it’ll be early or late in the season, but my tolerance of hordes of tourists and cyclists alike is pretty low, he said grumpily. We ended up there late November one year and that was pretty much perfect, though a little chilly when you were out of the sun…

The local tourist information offices have free ride guides with basic maps that cover most of the obvious, popular routes, worth grabbing one for inspiration.

I’ve been lots

June will be very very hot.

I’d go to Puerto pollensa personally rather than the little town in land

Andrax ride is stunning, especially the first bit

Sa colabra can be busy, and the coaches kind of ruin the descent, but when climbing they don’t really get in the way and the views are majestical

Be more careful than usual on wet roads… for some reason I found the roads there super slippy (corners especially) after rain – much more than I usually find in the UK.

They don’t get so much rain, so when they do they have months of diesel/rubber/oil rising up out of the road surface. They also use a tarmac mix that is better suited to high temps, and it tends to be slippier anyway.
Saw most of a protour team coming unstuck on the mainland (Calpe) a few years ago. Little bit of light drizzle on their run/roundabout into the hotel and about 20 of them came down. Lucky the team car didn’t hit any of them, and that they were only doing 25kph!

Also, to reiterate about the temps, even in April it can hit 30+ by lunchtime, so make sure you’re either at the top of a big hill by then, or back at the hotel in the shade somewhere!
Sa Calobra is ok if it’s closed to coaches (they used to do this some days, not that i’ve been for 10 years!) other alternative it to do it on changeover day if you are there long enough as there will be a lot less coach parties or really early/late is good, i’ve dropped back into Port de Pollença as the suns going down after doing a loop up there. And one guy on a camp i did about 12-13 years ago left the hotel before dawn to get out and try for the record, think he did a 26 something in the end. Back before breakfast finished (just).

majestical

It’s majestic not majestical

No it isn’t majestical is way better

We are flying back to UK this morning. It’s been very hot and incredibly humid the last week with a lot of mosquitoes so bring the deet or you will get eaten alive.

I’m in agreement with BWD. I personally thought there were too many cyclists (I know, stone the heretic). Never felt particularly safe. In June I’d be looking somewhere else.

I did a Marmot tour of the French Pyrenees in June this year and was really excellent. Well run operation and nice riding from point to point to different hotels.

These rides should all be public. All leave from the first roundabout in Pollenca

Randa is lovely
https://www.strava.com/activities/10006054956

Easy day
https://www.strava.com/activities/10011982467

100 miles to Soler, lovely climb
https://www.strava.com/activities/10019948020

Sa Colabra
https://www.strava.com/activities/10024830171

outdoor velodrome
https://www.strava.com/activities/10031239973

Best cake stop and a long ride home over the North hills
https://www.strava.com/activities/10037286328

Lighthouse at Formentor for sunrise
https://www.strava.com/activities/10041101748

About 800km  I’m going soon but have been off the bike for two months with post covid fatigue

nobody has mentioned the Orient valley

Rough as hell lastb time I rode it

It’s worth buying, studying beforehand and taking the Mallorca cycle map, really handy to see the bigger picture:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Majorca-bicycle-map-Alpina-Editorial/dp/8480903635/ref=asc_df_8480903635/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=696285193871&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17072181355053777148&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9189194&hvtargid=pla-2281435177178&psc=1&mcid=db30b8bcd0853a68bdf823df515040e3&th=1&psc=1&hvocijid=17072181355053777148-8480903635-&hvexpln=74&gad_source=1

This was my favourite ride last year:

Check out this route on Strava: https://strava.app.link/6h1Z2qlKKMb — big day out

Was 2018 but I stayed in Port Soller and hired a bike from Traumantara Tours on the front near my hotel. My mate took his in a bike bag and stressed about it the whole trip. I had a beautiful Trek with di2 and carbon loved it.

Over Puig Major to Sa Calobra and back was a fabulous day on the bike. Then we went up to Pollenca for the ride out to the Cap next day. Beautiful roads and country. Would love to do more of that some day.

I did a week hire last year in August, it was part of a family holiday so I only got out for 3 hours at most, out by 8am and back by 11am.  It was hot, first time I have ever suffered heat rash (all over my back) due to the sweating.

We were in Port Pollensa, personally I’d stay there rather than Pollensa as much nicer place to be when off the bike and it’s only a few KM down the road so not a big deal in terms of lots more time to get into the hills.

In terms of the routes recommended I did Cap de Formentor, roads were quiet for me at 8am all the way out and only started seeing more traffic on the final descent into Port Pollensa.  I also did a loop which took in going up Coll de Femenia to Respol cafe (Coll de Sabataia) and down the other side, if I’d have had time doing this the other way would also have been good.  Also out of the hills there were some fantastic quiet country roads around the Campanet area.

As it’s out of peak cycling season the roads weren’t rammed with cyclists. Car traffic was not bad for me and those that were around generally gave plenty of room, plus the roads were generally pretty good.  A sharp contrast to my usual loops in SW London / Surrey with busy roads, close passes and pot holes.

Having hired, if possible I’d take my own bike next time.  I found out I’m a bit of a delicate flower when it comes to my road bike set up, normally I’m a confident descender, but the bike I hired (a perfectly decent one) just didn’t feel right (I’m used to fast steering and sharp brakes, the bike I had felt vague and the brakes were not as sharp as my own despite being the same spec) which had a big effect on how fast I felt confident going which took a lot of fun out of the downhills for me (to be fair when I took the bike back the chap at the hire place said he’d have given me a different bike if I’d have asked as they were less busy as out of peak season). I’m sure on another bike more to my liking I’d be fine, but it’s a lottery unless you are going like for like with your current set up.

Do the hire shops swap the brakes to uk spec?

Do the hire shops swap the brakes to uk spec?

Place I hired from had bikes set up for both and advised what models were UK set up. Definitely worth checking.