UKC

I'm looking to take a road biking holiday with my wife in Majorca early next April. Although, I'm very experienced and wouldn't have a problem cycling with most groups, my wife is inexperienced and is still nervous on a road bike.

We are therefore looking for a holiday more to suit her capabilities. Ideally we would be based in the north of the island and be able to select our own routes but would have people to advise on route suitability. And hopefully ride with some groups.

Basically, I don't want to end up booking something that is way above me wives capabilities and end up putting her of road biking.

I'd be grateful for any advice, experience or guidance that you folks might have.

Cheers

In reply to alan1961: Puerto Pollensa, Hotel Duva, hire from Probikehire. Nuff said.

Seriously, the Duva is great value (we're paying about €50 a head per night for half board in a one bed apartment). Secure bike storage, tools, track pump etc to borrow.

Probikehire can help with bike hire (obviously!) but also routes and they do a guided ride Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Ride-wise there's some good ideas here, all but one of which start in Puerto Pollensa:

http://www.globalspokes.com/Mallorca/mallorca-routes.htm

The beauty of Pollensa is you can ride down the coast where it's flat, or head up into the mountains. The roads are very quiet by UK standards and drivers are much more considerate. On the busier roads (eg the coast road through Alcudia and Ca'an Picafort) there are good cycle lanes.

Brilliant place - happy to share a few GPX tracks if it'd help!

In reply to alan1961: as Andy states the place is in my experience, cycle friendly. The west and north west are where the hills are; Solar being the highest pass. So if you don't want to blow your wife away head east or base yourself on the southern 'bay' of the island where it is predominently flat.
but there again, if you want some strenuous gradients head to the NWest.; it'll hurt.

In reply to ali_mac: Beg to differ - Soller's not the highest - that's Puig Major that is the road from Soller over to Lluc.

I did a lot of flat rides from Puerto Pollensa last summer when on family hols - you don't have to go to the south to avoid the lumpy bits. We stayed in Puerto Soller this September on a biking trip, and that wasn't as good because there's three roads out of Soller and all are uphill! Although that does let you access the southern end of the Tramentura mountains, which'd be a bit far from Pollensa.

In reply to andy:

cheers Andy I stand corrected, Soller (spelling) being a town and not the pass; Puig.

I was biting my front tyre trying to get the wheels to turn when a tall bloke, with a sun bleached mullet, wearing TVM colours on a Gazelle blasted past me followed by a car. I mean, really blasted by me, apexing the hair pins in ascent!

Got back to blighty and read the comic (cycling weekly) wherein there was a line to anounce Gurt Jan thurisse's retirement (spelling!) due to lack of form!!

there's more there than you can shake a stick at.

In reply to ali_mac: The road south from Soller is the Coll de Soller - never ridden it from the Soller side (where it looks quite tough) as we were always finishing over it from Bunyola. It's not as long from that side - and is invariably sunny - my proudest Strava moment was being quicker than Alex Dowsett up it. Don't think he can have been trying very hard as he's nearly 20 minutes quicker up Puig Major than me!

In reply to andy:

cool, snubbed Dowsett - credance.
Right, that's all the name dropping and fear required to ensure the OP does do the right thing to his novice wife. - Head east, stay south.

In reply to andy:

Thanks for your help Andy, I've not ridden there myself before but what research I had done had led me towards Puerto Pollensa. Thanks again, I may be after them GPX tracks once we are booked.

In reply to ali_mac:

Thanks for your help. Much appriciated

In reply to ali_mac:


I'd honestly stay in Puerto Pollensa - head south for flat roads, head west for lumps, head north east for lighthouses!

Here's a lovely 30 miler with almost no climbing:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/347912647

In reply to andy:

I'd echo what Andy says. From Puerto Pollensa you can get to any type of terrain very easily.