It was just a lazy afternoon in Mallorca, somewhere early on in May, when I decided to grab my bike for a quick ride. Off the beaten track. Just to see what the island’s inlands had to offer.
Cycling in Mallorca
Mallorca is incredibly popular among cycling tourists. The island offers a number of beautiful climbs paved with excellent tarmac. The climate is perfect, and you’ll find tons of bike shops and rental services . From towns like Sóller, Pollença and Alcúdia, you can reach the Serra de Tramuntana — the mountain range that cuts diagonally across the island’s northern coast — in no time.
Avoid the crowds
Only downside is that in high season swarms of amateur riders congest the roads. Not only may this lead to dangerous situations, it also takes away most of the charm. So therefore I chose to discover the (less cycled) local gravel and dirt roads. Especially in the eastern part of the island, you’ll hardly meet anyone.
Without any plan
I head out without a plan. Starting on the Carretera d´Arta I turn onto the first gravel track heading towards Petra, to just see it where it takes me. It doesn’t take long to realise the island is full of gravel roads, often broken up by short stretches of tarmac for agricultural purposes. They’re not always in great shape, but you usually have them all to yourself. And the views reward every bit of effort — especially in spring, when much of the island’s flora bursts into bloom.
“Coto de caza privado“
The only showstoppers are the private hunting grounds, marked by warning signs reading “Coto de caza privado“. Since the gates supposed to close off these grounds most of the time are left open, you’re oftentimes confronted with a tricky decision to make. Every now and then I take my chances, but it never feels entirely safe. I’m lucky to bump into a local farmer returning from his almuerzo in the nearest town, and hook up with him for a brief chat. Although he’s utmost friendly and somewhat tipsy, the man makes it very clear to me that those warning signs are not to be ignored.
Spontaneity gets rewarderd
Since the heat is starting to take it’s toll, I decide to turn homeward when I suddenly face a tarmac road which might lead me back to the island’s north coast. When I’m back home trying to figure out where I’ve been, I find out that most hunting grounds aren’t properly depicted on local maps or even apps like Komoot. Good thing I didn’t know about them, otherwise they might have scared me off. Turns out that spontaneity got rewarded once again!
