To Banyulbufar

October 22, 2023

The dessert course of our tour through the Tramontana mountains

I struggle to write in the evenings. By the time we land, get sorted, showered, and fed it's 9 pm or later and my brain is mushy. Instead I wake up early and get to it. This morning I'm bundled up out on the terrace because the desk in our room has a lower shelf where my knees wanted to go.

So here I am on Sunday morning with the roosters crowing and delivery trucks rumbling below the terrace, blowing on chilly fingers. I need to get the blood flowing, must type faster.

From the terrace, that looks like Mount Puig in the distance, where we tunneled through yesterday.

It's a relief that everything is working now. There was no drama yesterday with tires or brakes and Barry has tuned my rear derailleur into quiet submission. My seat is still gripey though. I had hoped it would toughen up by now. Barry thinks I should look for a cushy grandma saddle with springs. Well, I am a grandma, why not be comfortable? Maybe we can find something in Palma tomorrow.

For today we’re looking forward to an easier ride, just 24 miles to Banyalbufar on the coast road with 2600 feet of ascent. We get a leisurely start from Soller at 11, climbing out of the valley towards the sea. Flowering shrubs are still bright here in late October. The olive trees are heavy, maybe close to being ready for harvest. Birds sing to us from the trees.

One more view of Mount Puig over Soller in the valley

We have lots of cycling company again this morning. I suspect there were a lot more early birds before we got going.

I didn't care much about olives before this trip but am developing a taste for them. They seem to come with every meal.

How old could this massive olive tree be?

At the top of the hill we are closer to the coastline and have wonderful views of the Mediterranean over our right shoulders. We’re seeing more homes than on yesterday’s ride through the wildlife refuge, and more traffic.

We ride through the cliffside village of Deia, known as a draw for writers and musicians, then start a four mile climb. It's the longest ascent of the day but doesn’t feel like such a big deal after our extravaganza to Soller.

For lunch we detour into Valdemossa, another pretty village known for its famous visitors, Frederic Chopin and his lover George Sand. They spent the winter of 1838-39 here when Chopin was completing his collection of 24 preludes.

Valdemossa is thick with tourists in late October. Our lunch at Con Molinas Cafe is good but the server is overburdened and it’s an hour and a half before we’re out of there. I really need to work on my picnic game. It would save a lot of time.

Plane trees line the road into Valdemossa

Looking into the valley from the center of Valdemossa

After we ride out of Valdemossa and continue up the coast road the traffic quiets down for the two miles up to the Coll d'en Claret. Then we sail the last six miles down into Banyalbufar.

The bar on the terrace of the Hotel Sa Baronia

There aren’t many restaurants open on a Sunday evening in Banyalbufar. The Pizza Dinamics place lives us to its good reviews - crisp crust, tasty sauce and a generous amount of spicy pepperoni.

We'll have to say farewell to the Serra Tramontana mountains tomorrow and head back to Palma. How lucky we are to be able to travel through this gorgeous land on our two-wheelers!

Heart

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Today: 24 miles, 2,624 feet of ascent

For the tour: 540 miles, 35,245 feet of ascent

Today's ride: 24 miles (39 km)
Total: 541 miles (871 km)

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Comment on this entry	Comment	4

Kelly IniguezI've had several diamond frame riding female friends of a certain age comment that one of the places padding disappears from with age is the sit bones. They agreed that previously comfortable bicycle seats became mysteriously uncomfortable.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamTo Kelly IniguezWell now, that makes sense. I'm feeling good about bolting on the heavy new one with the springs.
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1 year ago

Jacquie GaudetIt’s likely possible to find a comfortable saddle without going to a heavy one with springs. Saddles come in many shapes and sizes, as do our contact zones. Many bikes shops offer saddle fitting and demo saddles or good exchange policies. Not something to buy online!
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamTo Jacquie GaudetGood suggestion Jacquie. The new one has definitely solved the issue, thank goodness. I was surprised it was only 24 Euros. I might look for a lighter solution for the next trip though.
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1 year ago