Majorca, I love it.

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  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    MountainMonster wrote:
    I like that! And great pics Jim. Loving the old school US Postal gear!

    There are no climbs in Mallorca that require smaller than 39x25. Last year I never needed lower than my 34x21 and regretted spinning out on the town sprints.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Grill wrote:
    MountainMonster wrote:
    I like that! And great pics Jim. Loving the old school US Postal gear!

    There are no climbs in Mallorca that require smaller than 39x25. Last year I never needed lower than my 34x21 and regretted spinning out on the town sprints.

    Of course it depends, I struggled with 34/28 but especially this time last year I was way unfit. But your basic premise is correct in that there isn't really anything massively steep. It's more like 8-10% climbs which goes on for mile after mile rather than the short sharp 20%'ers we tend to get in the UK.

    And obviously away from the mountains there's a lot of flat or gently rolling terrain where you can make use of high gears. One of my regrets from last year is that I'd planned a 100km flat ride, but didn't get to do it because I'd crashed in Soller and bent my front wheel!
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Sa Calobra is 7% and doesn't have any proper steep sections, and that's the steepest climb there...
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Grill wrote:
    Sa Calobra is 7% and doesn't have any proper steep sections, and that's the steepest climb there...

    There's a monastery in the South East which I think has some climbs up to 20% but that's all. I guess when they built the roads they did so with a maximum gradient in mind. Hence why you get lots of twists and turns and hairpin bends, when in the UK we would probably have just built it to go straight up the hill!
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Will be interesting to see how I go come October. Last April I did the likes of the Coll de Femenia and had to stop about every 1km for a rest! These days I reckon I could do the whole thing without stopping, although not especially quickly!
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    I'll look for the monastery climb when I'm out next week.
    You're right about UK climbs- happy to spin a compact and 28 out here.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • NeXXus
    NeXXus Posts: 854
    Grill wrote:
    Sa Calobra is 7% and doesn't have any proper steep sections, and that's the steepest climb there...
    De Verger :) Islands best kept secret
    And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon god they made.
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    NeXXus wrote:
    Grill wrote:
    Sa Calobra is 7% and doesn't have any proper steep sections, and that's the steepest climb there...
    De Verger :) Islands best kept secret

    Now that's a climb!
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Grill wrote:
    Sa Calobra is 7% and doesn't have any proper steep sections, and that's the steepest climb there...

    There are plenty of climbs that exceed 10% in places - even Calobra touches that in parts.

    If you're using a standard then well done, you're either very fit or like to grind...!

    Personally I like to keep the cadence above 80, more towards 90, so a compact's a must for me.
  • ednino
    ednino Posts: 684
    Grill wrote:
    There are no climbs in Mallorca that require smaller than 39x25. Last year I never needed lower than my 34x21 and regretted spinning out on the town sprints.

    Have a gold star & some man points
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    ednino wrote:
    Grill wrote:
    There are no climbs in Mallorca that require smaller than 39x25. Last year I never needed lower than my 34x21 and regretted spinning out on the town sprints.

    Have a gold star & some man points

    It's not about that bro.
    I wasn't the only one that felt under-geared and there was certainly no one who felt over-geared (out of 40 club members). I wish someone had explained the type of climbing in more depth so that I could have made a more informed decision.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    What's your best time up Sa Calobra Grill?

    Then we can see what cadence you're doing in 34-21

    By the way, there is a nice little climb that's on the way to the Lighthouse at Formentor. When you've done the 1st part of the climb from Pollensa you get to a car park where people stop to take photos of the view. From there, there's a road up to a lookout tower - it's about a 2km climb, and it must be at least 10%. Bizarrely, noone has segmented it in Strava.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    I've seen quite a few cyclists doing that and I was kind of planning to do it but never got around to it.
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    42:47. I wasn't riding threshold, just a comfortable rhythm.

    I quite enjoyed the ride to the lighthouse at Formentor, despite the rubbish condition of the roads.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • djhermer
    djhermer Posts: 328
    Grill wrote:
    42:47. I wasn't riding threshold, just a comfortable rhythm.

    I quite enjoyed the ride to the lighthouse at Formentor, despite the rubbish condition of the roads.

    Was that timed from the very base as you leave the seafront or the signpost?
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    djhermer wrote:
    Grill wrote:
    42:47. I wasn't riding threshold, just a comfortable rhythm.

    I quite enjoyed the ride to the lighthouse at Formentor, despite the rubbish condition of the roads.

    Was that timed from the very base as you leave the seafront or the signpost?

    Errr... Signpost maybe? I didn't head into town, just turned around at the bottom and went back up.

    I climbed consistently the whole week and never felt tired due to never exceeding z4 for anything more than town sprints.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • Moonbiker
    Moonbiker Posts: 1,706
    Which strava seg is it?
  • ednino
    ednino Posts: 684
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    10246448_10152324154967667_1735122811483699301_n.jpg

    397547_10152324154927667_8270180491337131036_n.jpg
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    First is Sa Calobra and second is Cap de Formentor?
  • JohnW52
    JohnW52 Posts: 34
    bobbydazzla wrote:
    Cheers for the car hire suggestions.

    As I only need one for a day I want to pick up / drop off in Cala D'or which limits my options, but I've found a 5 seat Berlingo van for £40. Looks like I can fit a bike in the back and there's plenty of room for the kids too.

    We have rented Berlingos and Peugeot Partners for the last few years. You can easily get two bikes in the back without taking the wheels off and 4 passengers as well. we hired two weeks ago from Atesa for £130 for the week from the airport.

    The steepest climb that I know on the island is the climb up the back of the Puig de Randa from the south, which comes out on the main road up from Randa village about half way up. There is a couple of kilometres at percentages above 10% that way.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Grill wrote:
    42:47. I wasn't riding threshold, just a comfortable rhythm.

    I quite enjoyed the ride to the lighthouse at Formentor, despite the rubbish condition of the roads.

    Over 9.4km, I make that 13.2km/h.

    Which then gives a cadence of 64. (In a gear of 34/21).

    That would be much too low a cadence for me, but hey, horses for courses!

    (N.B. The 10% climb I was talking about isn't to the lighthouse - but 1/4 the way there, turn right and climb up to the lookout tower).
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Sounds about right. I felt like I was climbing about 70 rpm most of the week. Suits me for long tempo climbs when trying to keep my HR low.

    Is that the turn by the car park after climbing up from Puerto Pollensa?
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Grill wrote:
    Sounds about right. I felt like I was climbing about 70 rpm most of the week. Suits me for long tempo climbs when trying to keep my HR low.

    Is that the turn by the car park after climbing up from Puerto Pollensa?

    Yes.
    Not many people seem to do it, and it's not been segmented. But we did it in March, so I may go back and create the segment! The views from the top are great.

    I think I probably averaged more like 90rpm+ on Calobra.
  • ednino
    ednino Posts: 684
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    First is Sa Calobra and second is Cap de Formentor?

    That's right. Third one is the hotel Daina bike room :lol:

    rest of my photos have a swimming pool in them
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    Grill wrote:
    There are no climbs in Mallorca that require smaller than 39x25. Last year I never needed lower than my 34x21 and regretted spinning out on the town sprints.

    Just goes to show how we are all different, my 14yo daughter did Sa C in 44.18 (last week) using a 34x24 or 28 she was 1/2 way through a 150km ride and SC was the 3rd of 4 climbs that day - I used similar gearing, maybe the using the 23 and was quite a lot faster than her but as the yrs pass that may change :lol:

    a 50x 11 or 12 is higher than the industry std of 52x 13 of a few years ago, you must be very strong and fast for that to be "spinning out"
  • mattythemod
    mattythemod Posts: 289
    Just booked some super cheap flights into Majorca for mid october ...will have the wife in tow so have decided to stay in the PURTEO POLLENESA AREA as it seems to have a abundence of non cycling things to do, have not booked a hotel as yet and quite frankly the choice on Travel Republic etc is immense so any personal reccomendations on a " cycles in the room " type hotel with good swimming pool and maybe an all inclusive / full board option would be fantastic .
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    mattythemod wrote:
    Just booked some super cheap flights into Majorca for mid october ...will have the wife in tow so have decided to stay in the PURTEO POLLENESA AREA as it seems to have a abundence of non cycling things to do, have not booked a hotel as yet and quite frankly the choice on Travel Republic etc is immense so any personal reccomendations on a " cycles in the room " type hotel with good swimming pool and maybe an all inclusive / full board option would be fantastic .

    To be honest, if you want your wife to be happy, you'd be better off staying in or close to Palma. It's a great city with loads to do, see, buy, eat, etc. and Pollensa will be deserted and boring at that time of year.

    And you still have easy access to some great cycling from Palma.

    (And it's close to the airport).
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Would it be deserted in mid-October? We're going in early October so I hope not! It was my understanding that things didn't shut down until the end of October.

    That said Palma isn't a bad shout, we had a nice holiday staying there along the seafront.
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    mamba80 wrote:
    my 14yo daughter did Sa C in 44.18 (last week) using a 34x24 or 28 she was 1/2 way through a 150km ride and SC was the 3rd of 4 climbs that day

    Pretty good!

    (I agree re. 50-11; I only got dropped once - on the return to Pollensa down from the Sa Calobra base - long straight at 4 to 5%, I was at 65km/h, the boys on standards, 65-70!)
  • Pryally
    Pryally Posts: 132
    We went last year mid October and wasn't deserted at all, in fact perfect. Trying to go again this year same time

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