April 15, 2013
To Cap de Formentor and back: a beautiful ride!!
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Climbed 883 metres, 2896 feet
Weather: sunny, high 25 C
We woke to another sunny morning with no wind—perfect conditions for cycling to the Cap de Formentor lighthouse at the end of the Peninsula de Formentor, the final spur of the Serra de Tramuntana. The lighthouse is a very popular tourist destination and one of the more challenging rides in the area. This time we cycled the seafront bike pathway all the way to Port Pollença instead of going through the lanes. At the far east end of Port Pollença we joined the road that went quite steeply uphill 4 km to the Mirador de Mal Pas, a scenic viewpoint. We were joined by large groups of cyclists on road bikes as well as tour buses and private vehicles. At first there was a wide shoulder, but then the road narrowed, and the buses and cars had to line up behind the cycling peletons until they could safely pass. There were so many more bicycles than cars that one almost (but not quite) felt sorry for the drivers!
We stopped at the Mirador parking lot and took turns walking up the steps to the top. The views were truly spectacular with steep rocky cliffs plunging into the sea. We bought ice cream sandwiches from a busy small kiosk, and spent plenty of time having a good look around. A road across from the parking lot headed uphill to a ruined tower, but that wasn't the route to the lighthouse. Instead we had to go steeply downhill to sea level and then up again out to the Cap. We would have enjoyed the dowhill run more if we weren't thinking about having to climb back up on our return journey.
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After about 2 km of steep switchbacks down from the Mirador, the road leveled out through a beach area with a turnoff to the fancy Hotel Formentor, opened in 1930, where both Charlie Chaplin and F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed. We skipped the hotel and kept going. The road surface had been great so far, apparently recently repaved with the assistance of EU funding. Suddenly the money must have run out and the surface changed to rough potholed asphalt; there was a sign saying the pavement would be rough for the rest of the way to the lighthouse (about 7 km).
We made our way uphill again, although not so steeply as the first part of the ride, and were rewarded with more great sea views. We reached the lighthouse with its cafeteria, where we purchased baguette sandwiches and delicious almond cake and coffee. There was hardly any indoor seating and the cafeteria terrace was thronged with people, but we found a stone bench to perch on near the parking area, and we ate our lunch overlooking the Mediterranean, the cliffs and the winding road on which we had ridden. There were cyclists everywhere and cars, but no buses—the pavement must have been too rough for them.
The ride back was equally scenic, and the uphill bit wasn't as bad as we had expected. We returned to the hotel, had tea on the balcony, and were pleased to only have to walk downstairs for another excellent dinner. The high points tonight were duck with red cabbage, broad beans with tomatoes, and orange crepes with chocolate sauce for dessert. We rode the elevator upstairs after our meal.
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Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 445 km (276 miles)
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