Simon’s 600-mile cycle in Mallorca

The chosen destination for countless people, Mallorca is home to beautiful beaches, wonderful weather, and the amazing hilly landscapes that can be appreciated across the whole island. Many choose Mallorca as their holiday destination, to enjoy a week or two of peace, quiet and relaxation. But not our MD Simon, who chose Mallorca for an intensive cycling training camp this month.

Whilst the hills of Mallorca are beautiful to look out, they are also a cyclist’s dream, and it is for this reason that each year cyclists visit the island in droves and take advantage of the opportunities available to them in this picturesque location.

Throughout the week Simon tackled Mallorca’s hilly terrain, cycling an astounding 600 miles and climbing over 30,000ft overall. We asked Simon a few questions about this amazing achievement, take a look below.

Have you always been a keen cyclist?

Like most children, riding a bike gives you that first sense of freedom. My first road bike came at Christmas aged 10 in the form of a beautiful bright red 10 speed Carlton Grand Prix and I was a keen road cyclist from there on. Interest waned when I passed my driving test and had my head turned by other interests. After an 18 year hiatus I picked it up again at 38 and became one of a growing breed of middle-aged men in lycra (MAMIL’s).

Was this your first cycling training camp?

My cycling club is an ‘old school’ racing club who follow very traditional training methods, so the off season means a winter of long steady base miles in all weathers, with the pace steadily increasing after Christmas as we build towards the start of the racing season in the spring. The Mallorca training camp is a pre-season tradition and acts as a springboard for the early season races. I started racing again 3 years ago and did my first Mallorca camp in 2016.

What was your favourite part of the trip?

After a long, cold and wet winter this year, cycling in the sun is most welcome, however my favourite part of the trip is the guilt-free cake. Mallorca’s cycling cafés are second to none.

What was the most challenging part of the trip?

As the camp progresses, swinging your tired and achy body over your bike for another intense day of riding can be challenging, but the soreness soon subsides when you’re rolling out of Puerto Pollenca on smooth tarmac, with the sun on your back and cycling tolerant motorists (except the tourists).