I have ridden in Mallorca more times than I can count. The first time was on a borrowed bike, staying in a hotel in Alcudia that smelled like chlorine and served breakfast eggs that could have been used as hockey pucks. The riding was so good it didn't matter. The Tramuntana mountains were right there, the roads were smooth, and every ride ended with coffee in the sun. That first trip is why I went back. And kept going back. Until, eventually, I stopped.
I will get to that part. But first, the riding.
Why Mallorca Works
Mallorca is the most popular cycling destination in Europe and it has been for two decades. That is not marketing. It is geography.
The island is 100km across. The Tramuntana mountain range runs along the entire northwest coast, dropping into the Mediterranean on one side and rolling into the central plain on the other. In any direction from the north coast you can find a climb, a flat road, a coastal loop, or a combination of all three — and be back for lunch. The tarmac is excellent. The drivers are used to cyclists. The infrastructure is built around you in a way that very few places in Europe can match.
For a training camp, that density matters. You are never far from a hard climb if you need one, and never trapped on one if you do not. A recovery day on the flat roads east of Alcudia feels totally different from a mountain day in the Tramuntana. The variety is packed into a small enough area that you do not waste hours transferring between terrain.
The Routes That Define Mallorca
Sa Calobra
Sa Calobra is the climb everyone comes for, and it earns the reputation. Nine and a half kilometres at 7% average, with 26 hairpin bends threading down through limestone cliffs to a tiny cove on the coast. The road was built in the 1930s and it looks like it was drawn by someone who had never heard of a straight line. There is a famous knot — the Nus de Sa Corbata — where the road loops over itself like a pretzel.
Here is what nobody tells you before your first time: you ride down to the cove, and then you ride back up. The descent is the approach. The climb is the way home. You arrive at the bottom, sit at the cafe, eat a bocadillo, look at the Mediterranean, and then face the fact that the only way out is back up the way you came.
The gradient ramps to 10-12% on some of the hairpins, but the average is honest. If you can hold tempo for 40 minutes, you will get up Sa Calobra. It is one of those climbs where you stop caring about your power data about halfway up because the scenery is doing something your head unit cannot measure.
Most groups ride Sa Calobra from the Puig Major side, starting the descent from the junction near the tunnel. If you are staying in Pollenca, budget a full morning.
Puig Major and the Tramuntana Spine
Puig Major is the highest point on the island at 1,445m, though the road tops out at the Coll dels Reis tunnel around 870m. The climb from Soller is steady and long — about 14km at 5-6% — and the road quality is immaculate. This is the climb you will do most often if you are based on the north coast.
The Tramuntana ridge road from Pollenca to Andratx is one of the great cycling roads in Europe. Most riders break it into sections — Pollenca to Soller via the Puig Major, Soller to Deia along the coast, Deia to Valldemossa through the terraced hillsides. Each section has its own character. The northern end is big mountain terrain. The middle section is coastal and exposed. The southern end is gentler, better for tired legs on day five.
Cap de Formentor
Cap de Formentor is the lighthouse road at the northeastern tip of the island. About 20km from Pollenca, moderate climbing topping out at around 300m. The road cuts along a narrow limestone ridge with the sea on both sides, and on a clear day the views stretch to Menorca.
The wind is the variable. Formentor is exposed. A calm morning is a beautiful ride. A headwind day turns the return into a sufferfest. Check the forecast and go early.
This is a good day-one ride to shake the travel out of your legs. Short enough to leave time for a swim, scenic enough to remind you why you came.
The Orient Climb and the Eastern Valleys
The Orient climb from Bunyola is one of the quieter gems. About 10km at 5%, winding through olive groves and pine forest to the tiny village of Orient. It does not have the drama of Sa Calobra or the altitude of Puig Major, but it has something better: silence. On a weekday morning you might not see another cyclist for the entire ascent.
East of the Tramuntana, the terrain changes completely. Rolling farmland, vineyards, quiet roads between stone walls. This is where you go for recovery rides and steady zone 2 work. The roads between Arta, Manacor, and Sineu are flat enough to hold a conversation but interesting enough to hold your attention. If your legs are destroyed from three days in the mountains, the eastern roads are the reset.
When to Go
The windows are clear: March to May and September to October.
March and early April are the traditional camp season. Temperatures sit at 16-22C — arm warmers in the morning, short sleeves by 10am. The mountains can still be cold, so bring a gilet and full-finger gloves for early Puig Major descents. The roads are quiet. The island has not yet switched to summer mode.
Late April and May are warmer — 20-26C most days — and the roads are busier but manageable. This is peak training camp season and you will share Sa Calobra with other groups, but the infrastructure handles it.
September and October are the other window, and in some ways the better one. The summer crowds have gone. The sea is warm enough to swim in after a ride. Temperatures run 22-28C. The light is beautiful. If you can take a week in late September or early October, you will have the best version of the island.
Avoid July and August. It is not just the heat — 35C and above is flat-out dangerous for long rides. It is the crowds. Sa Calobra becomes a procession. The cafes are packed. The character of the place changes. I have ridden Mallorca in August and I would not do it again.
February is possible if you need sunshine. Expect 12-16C, the odd rainy day, and short daylight. It works for base miles if your expectations are set correctly.
The Overcrowding Problem
I should be honest about this. I have said on the podcast — episode 2079, for those keeping track — that I was not sure I wanted to go back to Mallorca. The riding is still outstanding. The problem is volume. In peak season, the signature routes feel more like a cycling motorway than a quiet mountain road. Large groups moving at different speeds on the same narrow climb. Tour buses on Sa Calobra. Queue for coffee at the top of Puig Major.
This is not a reason to avoid Mallorca entirely. It is a reason to time your visit carefully. Go in March before the rush, or in October after it ends. Ride the famous climbs early in the morning. Explore the eastern roads that most visitors skip. The riding itself has not changed. What has changed is how many people are on it at the same time.
Where to Stay
Pollenca and Alcudia
Pollenca is the default base for good reason. It sits at the foot of the Tramuntana with Formentor to the east and the mountain road to Lluc heading west. You can ride Sa Calobra, Puig Major, Formentor, and the Orient climb all from the same hotel. The old town has good restaurants, a weekly market, and enough cycling cafes to keep you fed without eating the same thing twice.
Alcudia is ten minutes down the road and more resort-oriented. Bigger hotels, more all-inclusive options, a flat promenade for easy spins. If you need a hotel with bike storage and buffet breakfast for 20 riders, Alcudia has more options.
Hotel vs Villa
Hotels with cycling packages are everywhere on the north coast — bike storage, mechanical support, sometimes guided routes. For a first visit or a solo trip, a cycling hotel removes the logistics. Expect €80-150 per night for a decent room with breakfast.
Villas work better for groups of four to eight who want to self-cater. A three-bedroom villa in the Pollenca area costs €150-300 per night in spring and autumn. Split between six riders, that is cheaper than a hotel and gives you a kitchen, a pool, and somewhere to spread wet kit. The trade-off is handling your own logistics.
Logistics
Getting There
Palma de Mallorca airport is well served by low-cost and flag carriers from across Europe. Flight time from London is about two and a half hours. The drive from Palma to Pollenca takes about 50 minutes on the motorway. Most cycling hotels offer airport transfers. Hire cars are cheap and useful if you are in a villa — €25-40 per day.
Bike Box vs Hire
Bringing your own bike in a hard case or soft bag is hassle-free. Palma airport handles bike boxes routinely. Most airlines charge €30-60 each way. The advantage is riding your own setup with your saddle, pedals, and position already dialled.
Hiring locally is equally viable. Mallorca has the most mature bike hire market in Europe. Shops in Pollenca, Alcudia, and Palma stock current-model road bikes in a range of sizes. Daily hire runs €40-80 depending on the frame and groupset. Most shops deliver to your hotel and collect at the end of the week. Pedals and saddles can usually be swapped on request.
If you are doing Sa Calobra and the big Tramuntana climbs, a compact chainset with a 34/32 is sensible regardless of how strong you think you are.
Group Riding Culture
You will share the road with club groups from across Europe. Most are courteous. Some are not. The unwritten rules are the same as everywhere: hold your line, signal hazards, do not overlap wheels, and do not half-wheel. On the narrow Tramuntana climbs, groups spread out naturally. On the flat eastern roads, you will sometimes encounter large pelotons taking up more road than they should. Ride defensively, keep right on descents, and keep it to single file on the busy sections.
Food and Coffee
Mallorcan food is underrated. The cycling cafe culture is obvious — flat whites and banana bread everywhere — but the local food is worth seeking out. Pa amb oli, the Mallorcan bread-with-tomato-and-oil that appears at every bar, is the best mid-ride snack on the island. Ensaimada pastries are dangerously good. Tumbet, the layered vegetable dish, is proper recovery food.
A proper lunch with wine costs €15-25. Coffee is €2-4. The cycling-specific cafes in Port de Pollenca charge more and serve less interesting food, but they have bike racks outside and that counts for something at 11am on a Wednesday.
For in-ride fuelling, the Tramuntana villages are well spaced. Lluc has a cafe and water fountain. Soller has everything. Deia and Valldemossa are cafe towns. You rarely need more than two bottles and a couple of gels if you are willing to stop.
Making the Most of a Week
A strong week follows a pattern: hard mountain day, easier recovery day, repeat. Day one on Formentor to test the legs. Day two in the Tramuntana — Puig Major and possibly Sa Calobra. Day three on the flat eastern roads for recovery. Day four back into the mountains. Day five easy or rest. Day six for a longer loop linking the Tramuntana ridge. Day seven coffee and a spin before the airport.
Do not try to ride Sa Calobra, Puig Major, and Formentor all on the same day unless you actually have the legs for 160km and 3,500m of climbing. Most people overestimate what their fourth-day legs can handle.
If you are training for a specific event — the Mallorca 312, a gran fondo, a sportive back home — a camp week is the time to rehearse event-day fuelling, practise descending at speed, and put in the kind of long mountain day you cannot do at home. Structure it around your goals, not around ticking off Instagram climbs.
The Bottom Line
Mallorca is still the easiest serious cycling destination in Europe to get right. The airport is well connected. The roads are good. The climbs are world-class. The infrastructure is mature. For a first cycling holiday or a focused training camp, it is hard to beat.
Is it the place it was ten years ago? No. The volume of cyclists has changed the feel of the popular routes in peak season. If you want quieter roads and wider terrain, Girona is the better choice. If you want altitude, Tenerife.
But if you want the densest collection of spectacular climbs within the shortest riding distance of each other, on the best tarmac, with the simplest logistics — Mallorca is still the answer. Time it right, ride early, and explore beyond the obvious.
If you want to talk routes, timing, or how to structure a camp week around a specific goal, the community is where those conversations happen.
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Related reading: Race Across America Training Secrets: How Colin O'Brady Prepared for the World Record
