It’s early April and there are lots of long and wonderful rides ahead including the Pioneers ‘Milan to Rome’ leg that I know many of us are doing in June. The 4th leg of our 25 legs to Sydney.
So, am I feeling bike fit and strong? Have I managed to get out on the long and consistent rides that are needed for the big days on the trips ahead? It can be a challenge to get out over the winter months and find the time that’s needed to clock up the training miles. So, I recently decided to go to Mallorca over Easter to get in some very necessary additional training particularly in the run up to Milan to Rome. The whole experience was so enjoyable and deeply inspiring so I want to share it with you all.
We selected Sunvelo, a fantastic business that was set up just 3 years ago and is aimed at people who love cycling. They have different groups – Green (Touring), Blue (Sportive), Red (Sportive Endurance) and Yellow (Performance) – depending on your ability and speed – so there is something for everyone. I travelled out with my friend Jane but it would be very easy to go on your own as some of the group did. One of the many great things about Sunvelo is how you can join at any point in the week – they do have a plan of what they do each day so it can work if you have a week from Monday to Sunday but as so many of us can’t do that it means you can arrive on any day and stay for however long you like. This worked perfectly for Jane and I who flew out on the Thursday night on an 830pm flight from Heathrow and joined in on Friday for the next 4 days clocking up 64, 60, 77 and 69 miles.
The 5th and final day 3 of us rode down on our own to Puerto Pollensa that is about 10 miles away and it was great as a recovery ride – and when you ride through Puerto Pollensa if you carry on through the town there is a magical spot outside the Hotel Illa d’Or to sit and have coffee – highly recommended! It definitely aided recovery sitting in the sun by the crystal clear sea looking out over the beautiful bay. The flight home is a 5.40pm flight again giving time to enjoy some additional riding.
We were met at the airport and transferred with my bike to the hotel that takes 45 minutes to Alcudia bay – The Prinsotel La Dorada is located at the Playa de Muro in the bay. With little traffic I think we did it in 30 minutes and whilst arriving late we were still able to get a good night’s sleep and get the bike back together and ready to ride. The hotel is very good (very bike friendly) with dinner, bed and breakfast all included. Breakfast is a sumptuous affair! After an amazing and full day of cycling you get in to a groove quickly and we had drinks in the bar before dinner (with all our new cycling friends from the groups) and it was very comforting most of the time to know dinner was included and not far away but it means you don’t (need to) venture out. We did manage to go out to the gorgeous town of Pollensa (about 20 minutes away in a cab) on our last night and we had some amazing tapas and wine and given it’s still the low season it was just so wonderful to see it all very relaxed. Climbing the 365 Calvari steps up to the chapel from the central square is optional but we did it!
The Sunvelo meeting point is located 5 minutes from the hotel and we met each morning at 9.45am for a 10am departure – all very civilized. Sunvelo has a secure garage for bike storage at the hotel so everything is run very efficiently. You can hire bikes as many people did and there were great reviews on the Ridley and BMC bikes. Everything is very easy….you can switch off and you don’t need to think about anything other than eating, drinking and cycling. Just perfect! Given you can arrive any day of the week we met some amazing people and had a huge amount of fun together. There were a great group from Oxted Cycling Club and they pushed me hard and it was fabulous to ride with them, so much so that Jane and I are off to Oxted to ride with them next weekend. The day ends with drinks at the Bike Point Café – another highlight with time to sit down, rest the legs and discuss the day over a little Cerveza or 2!
The riding is just sensational in Mallorca. The roads are so well paved, the drivers so courteous and you are able to ride in a double peloton. This was amazing having not had a lot of exposure to riding in a peloton before and really helped to build more confidence and ride faster within the group. As you have a Sunvelo guide (or 2 depending on the group size) you don’t need to give any thought to where you are going which is a huge benefit and you cover so much ground as a result and can take in the stunning scenery. The guides are very impressive and very good at what they do. I rode in the Blue group for 2 days and moved up to the Red that definitely pushed me more. Mallorca really is a cycling haven for training and the season opens with Sunvelo in March through to May and then again mid September to the end of October. We were there from 3rd – 7th April and the weather was perfect where we sat out at the coffee and lunch stops – it still felt cool in the mornings and evenings but all very lovely! The coffee stops are in the most gorgeous villages and lunch in the square in the village of Petra is deeply inspiring and a wonderful sight to see given that so many cyclists descend upon it for lunch. The hospitality and warmth from the café and restaurant owners is so good to experience.
I was extremely impressed with the set up, enthusiasm and professionalism of Sunvelo and their guides. So, if you need some additional training and have a few days to spare I can highly recommend going out to Mallorca with Sunvelo. David Harwood set up Sunvelo and Dave would like to offer any Rider25ers who decide to go this season until the end of May 2015 a 5% discount (off the accommodation and group riding). If you book for next year before 31/12/15 Dave will give a 10% discount (off the accommodation and group riding). You can contact Dave and his team on www.sunvelo.com, enquiries@sunvelo.com and 01432 860609
Happy riding and maybe there will be a Ride25 group of us training in Mallorca together soon!
Tricia
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