The Island of Majorca..........

There are many places around the world where good training can be achieved. Personally I prefer the Island of Majorca, which has 'grown' in popularity over the years. Many Pro Teams use the Island for winter training and also pre season - April/May - training. It has the wonderful Mountain routes, combined with good flat work areas. Please read on.......

Majorca or Mallorca, whatever way you prefer to spell it, and whatever way you wish to pronounce it, is the largest of Balearic Islands, and along with its sister islands of Menorca and Ibiza, lies in the Mediterranean Sea off the south east coast of mainland Spain. Flying time most most UK airports is around 2 - 2.1/2 hours and on arrival local time is 1 hour in front of GMT. Its a great place to train, the choice of routes whether flat or hilly is plentyful. You can out there on the road for any from 1 hour to 6 hours.The north side of the island is a good place to base yourself, personally I use Club Pollentia in the Pollensa region, its close to the mountains and a quite area to 'flop' out after a long ride.

More on the Puerto Pollensa region;

The municipal district and holiday resort of Puerto Pollensa lies on the north west coast of the island, approximately 58km, and a 1.1/2 hour drive from the capital Palma and the Son Sant Joan International airport. Despite being one of the furthest resorts from the airport, driving over to Puerto Pollensa from Palma, isn't really a bad journey. From the leaving the airport grounds, the main PM-27 takes you north as far as the town of Inca, from there you can either continue north to Alcudia along the C-713, and then take to coast road into Pollensa, or alternatively cut across country to pick up the PM-220, which then takes you all the way into the resort. Of the two options it is usually my preference to recommend the PM-220 route. Without a doubt the main feature of the resort is the dramatic Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range that surrounds and shelters the town. For the more active (on the walking front) there are numerous walks into these hills from where the views back over the bay are stunning. A word of warning though, before you venture into the mountains be sure to take a local guide book with you which documents the walks, and tells you everything you need to know.

Travel options

Travelling to and from the Island has improved over the years with cheaper flights and more frequent flights. The key to 'success' is to plan early and book early. Yes the price does go up the closer you get to your travelling date, but hey, pre plan, a lot of us know when we can go on holiday or a training camp or indeed travel for an event. You must know about the event your going to, you should have trained for it !!

Listed below are various Links to Companies I have used over the years.