Saved the best for last

Sa Colabra, simply the best ride in Mallorca. Today is our last riding day in Mallorca and we kept the best for last.

We left our accommodation at 7am as we had been warned to get up there early to miss the masses of cyclist, buses and cars.

We almost had it to ourselves, this famous road, simply amazing engineering, endless hairpins, snaking down to the sea.  Words cannot do it justice.




The climb for us started at the next village of Caimari, with the Coll de sa Batalla, a smooth, wide sweeping turns climb, superb views down into the valley, and its quite, no one around.  We continue on to we reach the 'orange man' a junction in the mountain road, (an important pit stop for many, but not at this hour) where you can continue onto Soller or Sa Calobra.  We can see the road on a saddle in the distance,
a big climb ahead.  

The ride to the Coll dels Reis, is short, steep and shit, you know you're climbing.  Up Up and up.  We meet some British riders at the junction, just before we drop down onto the Calobra, who have just come up from the ocean, on their ebikes.  They started early.

Then just over the top, the stunning views of the road are before you.  You can't not say, 'oh my god'
as the road lays before you, is like a snake on slippery grass. We are almost on our own.  Another couple, that's it, no cars, sweeping switchbacks, perfect surface.  Sooooo glad we left home early.



The road firstly at the top, does this u turn,  riding underneath itself.  At this time of the morning, most of the road is in shade, so it's cool.  Mountain goats are common.  The downhill is 9.5km long, 26 hairpin turns. All you can hear is us, whooping the whole way down.

We ride through the sheer limestone cliffs, which eventually drop down into the torquoise sea, we are the only ones here on our bikes.



Central to the second image here, is the top of our ride back up the mountain.  That peak, that's where I need to go to get back up.  Now the hard work starts.  

The first km is fine, but then it ramps up to average around 6.5% and by the time you get to 5km it's around 7 to 8% with some 14% on hairpin turns.  It's tuff, no doubt about it.  That's all there is to it, a big mental game, you just have to keep the legs turning over.  The road pitches up again towards the last 2km or so, up to 9 to 10%.  Definitely the last two km's are really tuff.

Funny how you don't think about the climb on the way down !

Definitely for me, the hardest ride on the island.  Here Dave snapped me coming under the arch where the road loops around on itself.  By this time, I was truely stuffed.  Sucked on those lollies I tell ya.......

Unfortunately, the road riding back up was met with loads of cyclists going down, like thousands, some doing stupid crazy turns with go pro's on their heads.  

There was of course, a long downhill back to Caimari and our accommodation but by this time, the road was thick with buses and car's.  And I mean, bumper to bumper, going up to Sa Calobra.

What a day, what a ride.  Now we pack up as we leave for our next stage tomorrow morning.
Thank you Mallorca, we have enjoyed our stay,
though could have done without the five rainy days.

Over the course of our 21 day stay, we have had 4 x raining rest days, rode over 1,140 kilometres and climbed 16,799 metres of elevation.

We hope you have enjoyed Mallorca as we have, now onto Mainland Spain.




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