humboldt'sroads

Hey all, I'd have posted this in the regional board, but it's pretty quiet over there.


My wife and I are planning a trip in mid-late April for a week of riding, having our sights set on Spain's Mediterranean coast - most likely Mallorca or Alicante, as we've never been to either and the diversity of routes on offer looks great. Being early season, we'd be looking for rides that we can start together in the 20-40 mile range, that I could extend to 50-70 miles, with mixed terrain and moderate climbing. We plan to rent a van so we're more mobile, but would prefer to stay somewhere we can ride from.


It seems like both offer many good routes, scenery, and plenty to do on non-ride days, so I'm looking for advice from anyone who has been to both places. It looks like much of the action in Alicante is centered around Denia and Calp, and in Mallorca in Port de Pollenca or Alcudia, so I've gotten that far.


Between the two, is there one that offers:

1. Greater diversity of rides
   
2. Better weather
   
3. Less traffic
   
4. Better road surfaces
   
5. More authentic feel
   
6. More to do on non-ride days
   

Currently leaning towards Mallorca, as I've researched more rides there. Only hesitation is that it could feel more like a resort vibe.


Any advice or experiences appreciated!

MinnMan

I can't say anything about Alicante - never been there - but as it happens, I'm in Mallorca riding right now. Though I've never been here in April, my understanding is that in March-April, this place is PACKED with cyclists. There are tons of them here now, so I can hardly picture what the high cycling season would be like.


Also, consider Girona. Girona is an easy train ride from Barcelona, which has some advantages. There are lots of routes

The resort scene here is very big, but it's a big island and you can avoid it quite easily.

Anyway, I have partial answers to your questions. Again, I can't compare to Alicante....

1. Mallorca has many many routes - there are the flats in the south and the mountains in the north. Unless you are going to come for a very long stay or if you are a complete mileage hog, you won't run out of options.

There are many many climbs. Most of them are not at all extreme - 3-8 km at average grades of 5%
this is a good guide https://www.cyclinglocations.com/mallorca-climbs/

If you have wheels, you can drive to different places to begin your rides, which should give you considerable flexibility. Otherwise, some of the most picturesque places could only be accessed by longer and tougher riding.

2. It's gorgeous riding weather here now, though just a little cool. I think it will be pretty warm in both places by April.

3. What do you mean by traffic? competing with cars on the road? The mountain roads are pretty quiet, except for the cyclists. The roads in the flats vary from heavily trafficked (but usually with very good shoulders) to quiet lanes. Driver awareness about cyclists is very high.

4. Dreamy tarmac here. Nothing like it in the states, as far as I'm concerned.

5. Authentic is in the eye of the beholder. There's no riding destination in Spain that is not also in some ways touristic. If the riding is good, then northern europeans flock to it (not so many Americans, but lots of Brits, Germans, etc.). But on the other hand, unless you are fluent in Spanish (or in the case of Girona and Mallorca, Catalan), there are at times reasons to be grateful for that.

6. Depends where you stay, I suppose. There's plenty to do in Palma - it has lots of old spanish charm, with churches, museums, cafes and restaurants, shopping, etc. If you have wheels, you may want to stay out of town so that you can avoid local traffic at the beginning of your ride.

datlas 

Subscribed. I have been to neither, but I suspect you would not go wrong with either. Both are on my to-visit list.

humboldt'sroads

MinnMan thanks for the comprehensive reply! Sounds like Mallorca is a wonderful place to ride; it's cool hearing from someone who's there now. Yeah, I think my main reservation about Mallorca is that I've heard (as you said) that it is PACKED with cyclists in April. One one hand, I like camaraderie on the roads, but become quite self-conscious as a traveler when I feel like I'm part of a tourist "invasion". I've lived in very touristic places so know how it goes with the locals, and tend to gravitate towards lower-key destinations where I can associate with locals more easily. I am not fluent, but proficient in Spanish, and have really enjoyed my time in smaller towns (think Jaca, Haro, Liguria). Girona is absolutely a consideration for us also, and really sounds like the "it" place right now and maybe somewhat lower-key. Anyways, please continue to post about your trip! Mallorca is still my front-runner.

Hermes

My wife and I have been to Mallorca three times cycling. One was on a tour with an operator and the other two on our own. We stay at the Club San Anton Marriott Vacation club that is about 10 miles east of Palma.

We fly into Palma and pick up a rental car capable of carrying two bicycles. It is very easy to drive around the island.

Mallorca is ground zero for pro cycling training camps, euro sportivs and of course, Germans vacationing. In general, motorists are very good but as the cycling traffic increases, motorists get impatient and on occasion pull some maneuvers that requires cyclists to have their A game on.

The terrain has everything from easy to challenging and some of the more interesting rides like the ride to Dea (SP) via the Solle climb and descent is challenging. The same is true for the climb to the Formentor lighthouse.

Weather is all over the map. We have had good success but the last time we were there, we had great weather and the next week when some of our cycling friends arrived, it was terrible - cold, rainy and windy.

Food is generally good, reasonable and the wine is cheap. Restaurants vary but in general are good. Mallorca has an indoor velodrome. We tried to get inside and ride but there was some type of activity and it was closed to the public.

I have not been to Alicante. We have cycled extensively in Europe and Mallorca is quite nice for destination cycling. I would put it in the same league as Tuscany except that the terrain in Mallorca is more challenging.

Dan333SP

OP- have you considered the Canary Islands as well? Was close to booking a trip to Gran Canaria a couple of years ago, appears to offer all the perks of Mallorca with less crowds and warmer weather in April.

MinnMan

as previously mentioned, April is high season for cycling in Mallorca. It's not the ideal time. but if you decide to go, book NOW.

Canary Islands is an interesting idea. I was in Tenerife some years ago for a non-cycling related reason. It looked pretty nice - though I think more people ride on Gran Canaria. AFAIK, it was a little hard to get to from the states - i.e., no direct flights from any US destination, and so I went via Madrid. That may not be true any longer.

Dan333SP

When I was looking, you definitely needed to fly to Madrid, London, or Barcelona and then make a connection to the islands. No direct flights from the US mainland, but then again, isn't it the same thing with Mallorca?

MinnMan

Yes, true - although that doesn't seem as much like "backtracking". Also, I wasn't thinking that way because when I was there (departed yesterday, sadly), I wasn't doing an out and back from the states - I stopped in Mallorca as part of a larger trip to the area.

Dan333SP

Yea, the cheapest flights to Gran Canaria seemed to be through Amsterdam on KLM (when looking at Dulles as a departure airport, my closest big international option), which definitely involves a fair amount of backtracking, but the total travel time is still pretty reasonable and the prices honestly are quite good. About $700-750 for a r/t ticket in April. Throw in pretty reasonably priced Airbnb options and a cheap road bike rental, and you could have the ultimate bike vacation for less than the price of a new mid-level bike.