I always enjoy reading the trip summaries on Cycleblaze and so without further a-do, here is my trip summary.

Trip Planning

Making the decision to travel to Europe this year was not a slam dunk for us by any means. We had been at home for the entire time, save for one day trip out of town for lunch since 2019. By May of 2022, it would be three long years since we undertook a European tour or any trip for that matter and this was weighing on our minds in January and February. I felt a need to commit to a travel (& training) goal with the thought that it may not happen if covid were to go sideways or we got cold feet. Either way, we would be well trained and would enjoy the fitness benefit. 

We were not on the same page initially but after some deliberating we decided we could make a cycle holiday work by changing up from the usual style of trip so as to minimize mixing and mingling with others. And that's when the hub & spoke idea was hatched. 

Emerging from the Covid Bubble

We had both been fully vaccinated and boosted at the earliest possible opportunity and had been taking full precautions to remain safe from covid since the day the pandemic was pronounced. Like everyone, we kept up our daily routines as wave after wave of covid washed over us. In the later waves, the virulence of the virus variants waned and it became evident that we would have to learn to live with covid in our midst. It was not clear at all how we would we venture out of our bubble and become comfortable with the inherent risks but it was clear that we needed to. Travelling to Spain would be a big leap, but with a hub & spoke style of holiday we believed we could remain safe by continuing to take the usual precautions.

And the verdict is? We blew our expectations out of the water. 

We ate dinner inside a restaurant only twice. We wore masks when using public transport (planes, airports, ferry, bus, taxi) and we monitored the airflow and spacing when we were indoors. People were good about the 'two people per elevator' rule. They waited for the next elevator if we were in it and vice versa. In fact, people were equally respectful everywhere we went. Any concerns about travelling safely dissipated and rather quickly at that!

Hub Locations

Girona is a place we visited and fell in love with in 2016. It's a small historic city with lots of great coffee shops and a bike culture, and we knew we could find plenty of interesting routes in the region. Mallorca had been on David's radar for a number of years, both as a cycling haven and a place where the pro cycling teams held training camps. Personally I didn't envision it as a place that was large enough to do a full bike tour so it didn't hold the same attraction, but as a hub and spoke it made complete sense. Plus, I had a craving to ride mountains so it ticked that box. David was hoping for palm trees and it ticked that box too.

Once the hubs were selected, next came the decision of  which order and how long to spend in each place. David did all the planning in this regard and I have to say, it was perfect.

Hub & Spoke vs. Touring

Heading into this H&S trip, I didn't know if I would enjoy it as much as a traditional tour but I was ready to give it a try. Let me just say, I adore cycle touring. I look forward to new experiences that await every single day and the unforeseen rewards that pop out of nowhere. And of course, I love the food in Europe, but who wouldn't? Slow travel by bike is enriching. It's innately a time of reflection and appreciation for the little things in life and because of its physical nature, you're constantly living in the moment. You become re-acquainted with time. It no longer slips through your fingers. 

Verdict? Hub & spoke is definitely going to become part of our tours in the future to some extent.

This style of bike travel ticked off a bunch of boxes that I didn't know were there.  Things like: 

• cherry picking optimum locations for cycling,
• making deeper connections with the people we met,
• riding unloaded allowed us to ride hilly terrain day after day or not, if we needed a break.
• the room was always available so we could head out on the daily ride any time and return any time.
• less time spent deciding which restaurant to eat at,
• getting to explore an area in more depth,
• a consistent full breakfast buffet every morning.

Timing

Spring has always been our preferred season for cycle touring. Landscape is green and flowers are in bloom. The weather begins on the cool side (which is warm for us) and gradually it warms up and the days become longer. We left in the pouring rain from YVR, spent 29 days in the sun in Spain (one overnight storm) and returned to the pelting rain in YVR. And to top it off, Girona was having a thunder and lightning storm as we left BCN!

Tourist numbers are still low in May and June, yet cafe culture and outdoor dining are in full swing so we can live outdoors. We find that businesses catering to tourists are welcoming in the early tourist season and service sector people and facilities are fresh. 

Verdict? No brainer here. May/June it is.

Tech

These days, it's imperative to travel with a phone. We've rented and used a mifi for the past several tours but this time we opted for an electronic SIM card. We purchased it through Airalo a few days before leaving home and it was seamless and quick to install. I toggled my ipad and phone off the personal hotspot on David's phone and it worked like a charm throughout the trip. We paid $16 for 10 gigabytes, yes gigabytes! We didn't use it all.

Verdict? E-sim all the way.

Route Planning

We had loaded a lot of routes onto our devices prior to leaving on the trip which helped us become familiar with names and places. The internet is full of them. Our tried and true navigation standby's are RidewithGPS and Strava, along with Wahoo Element gps's. But we tried other apps as well like Google maps, Guru and Maps.me and Komoot. The free Strava account shines when it comes to social, but I found their ads for upgrades a little annoying. Komoot's interface is elegant and simple to use. 

For me, Komoot was the winner as it so simple and intuitive. It was easy to plan a route on the fly and it's super simple to use offline or record a ride with just two taps (saves battery use). The nice thing is these apps are all connected to the gps device so they automatically update across your devices and upload your daily adventures when the ride is over. You can fill your boots with stats if that's what you like. The stats are all there, fully analyzed for your reading pleasure. 

Verdict? Not much change, except I'd add Komoot.

Navigation Likes and Dislikes

We have a rather large map collection at home but are weaning ourselves onto electronic navigation, albeit each at our own pace. David's mostly switched over the gps, a world which I find a little restrictive as you can't explore without leaving the route or modify what you have pre-planned when you want to see what's over yonder.

As for me, I've always been a map junkie. I have my head in the real world (what I see around me), in the map world (what the map shows) and in the gps world (turn right in 150 meters).  But my approach led us astray from time to time (like insane 19.6% pitches, insanely busy sections of highway and unexpected rough & tumble bike paths). Sigh. Would paper maps have worked just as well as electronic maps? Yes and no. Both have their inherent value.

Verdict? The navigation saga continues as apps evolve.

Bicycles: Rented vs Own Bikes

We have been Bike Friday owners since 2001. So that makes our bikes a ripe old 21 years of age. During that time, bike technology has moved on and bikes are now lighter, they have nicer drivetrains and much better brakes. It was stopping power that I had on my mind when I suggested to David that we ought to think about renting bikes in Mallorca. The old V-brakes just can't keep their cool while squeezing against the small wheels on long steep downhills, nor can they be counted on for a quick stop. 

Another option on the table was to take our Cervelo bikes with us but a quick calculation of the cost to buy cases and transport them as 'special luggage' ruled that out right away. That's when we contacted Andy at Tramuntana Tours and reserved the road bikes.

Renting bikes was another first for us and now that the tour is done, we are so glad we did. The Trek Domane and Canyon Endurace bikes were lightweight and had disc brakes so we could confidently cruise down many 1000's of meters without even thinking about the brakes. And we enjoyed their lightweight frames for the uphills.  We are col (mountain pass) junkies now and don't see that changing anytime soon so it does beg the question, have our Friday NWT's seen their last tour?

Verdict? It will take some time to digest this one. Are new Friday's in our future? Maybe.

Next Adventure

We often get asked where we are planning to go next. But when we are savouring the present experience, the next trip is nowhere on my radar. That will take shape next January.

Thank-you for reading and following along on this journey. It's been one heck of a great time! If you ever want to chat about bike travel in Europe or are looking for opinions from a couple of dyed in the wool cycle tourists, I hope you'll contact us. 

Cheers,

Anne (author) & David (head photographer)