Well - here we are - another bike trip. Mallorca is a very scenic island that is about 60 miles N to S and 40 miles E to W but it seems much larger. It's mostly agricultural but is a huge tourist destination (10 million/yr), especially for those from cold countries, like Germany and England, whose citizens make up about 80% of visitors. Very Californian weather - huge history - everybody's been fighting over this paradise since Roman times. Right now it's Spanish, but they speak Mallorcana, which is a Catalan dialect. Like Barcelona.
When we made it to the bay, we stopped and I had a coke and an espresso. Bike food - yeah! And C posed with the Med behind her
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See The Lighthouse?
After lots more climbing and a terrifying dark tunnel, we made it to the Cape and here is what we saw. Believe me, this view was earned. Traffic was very heavy - lots of cars and bikes sharing this piece of road. They pile up closer to the lighthouse and then you're glad to be on a bike!
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Sheep Sheep!
Wild mountain goats, very elusive creatures, have adapted and become tame as dogs here at the cape where the human presence is constant and comes bearing treats.
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Retrace our ride
62 miles, 4300 feet of climb. Don't touch that dial!
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10 Midnight
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GPS Map
This is the route we took. You see the little squiggles that deviate from the loop? Those are little climbs
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Climb to Nunnery
Thanks, Steve, for the photo. Those of you who've traveled - have you ever noticed how the Catholic Church seems to build its nunneries and monasteries on the tops of hills? Why would that be? Beats me, but cycle touring seems to involve lots of climbing up to various religious institutions, most of which are run by the Pope.
Why climb? Why not just spin down the valley road? Well, my friend Gordon quoted me a line I like - "road biking without mountains is like surfing without waves." For one thing, the climb is kind of meditative - when you're on the flats if you're in a group you are totally focusing on the rider's wheel in front of you. If you can stay with the group, therein lies strength - plus speed, plus it's safer. When you start to climb, though, the group fragments and everyone settles into his or her rhythm - some attack the hill, some settle into a steady pace, everyone does their own thing. Every corner can bring a new panorama, and you feel so so alive. Nonetheless you're always happy to see the top and be done with it!
Then comes the descent. And that is like skiing - especially if the descent is technical. Coach Rick Babington has trained Chieko and I to be competent and happy descenders - and although talent often rules, descending is a science, not an art. Anyone can learn, there's a right way to do it - and it's thrilling.
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Pug d Santa Magdelena
No, I did not leave out the "e" after "Puig d." That's the way they spell it. They actually speak a dialect of Catalan in Mallorca called Mallorcana. It's not Spanish. Maybe that's why no "e." Then again, maybe not.
Here is the Route we took
