What Goes Up Must Come Down

May 26, 2022

We started this tour in Mallorca by riding up the road to Puig Major on our way to Port de Pollensa and we chose to ride it again today as our final ride on the island.

Puig Major is the highest mountain on the island but the final section to the peak is military so you cannot actually cycle all the way there. The averge grade is 6.1% and it is 14.3 km in length, climbing 864m. The steepest 100m is 11.6%. For perspective, our longest hill in training at home is about 1km in length and I am pretty pooched when I reach the top. While we are training, it's hard to imagine riding 14km uphill when 1km already feels like plenty, but somehow it works out.

Michal Kwiatkowski is the record holder on this ride at 33:12. I saw one or two young bucks pass me today who may have had that time in their sights. We, on the other hand, were just pleased to keep a steady cadence and enjoy the scenery while listening to the chitter chatter of the chaffinches along the way. And maybe a goat will jump out of the bush with that look of -- if you're going to stop, the least you can do is provide some food!

Profile of Puig Major climb from Soller.

A morning shot of the mountains that we look out on from our hotel room.

Looking back on Soller as the climb begins.

About midway is a viewpoint where you can look over the Port de Soller and the coastline.

The pine forest forms a nice canopy over the roadway. You would not believe how loud and cheerful the birds are! Mostly chaffinches, according to Merlin app.

A litte further up, and Soller is looking like a tiny leggo village in the distance. Our road is visible below.

David, showing rock solid form on the way up.

Fences are there to keep the goats and occasional sheep from wandering onto the roads.

We took a brief stop before heading through the Monnaber tunnel. A woman who had arrived in a car, motioned to us to inquire if we had motos in our bikes. Ha! We told her 'no'and she motioned something to the effect that she found it incomprehensible. I flexed my bicep 😲 and David motioned that we were a bit crazy 🤪, to which we all had a good chuckle.

We turned on our flashing lights for the 400m through the Monnabar Tunnel.

This is the second of two reservoirs after the summit, Gorge Blau.

After reaching the Puig Major summit, the road plunges down to the first of two reservoirs. Between the two are several popular parking areas for hikers heading off into the mountains. We saw a large group of teens with all their gear, getting instructions befor setting off on their adventure. Other hikers and climbers were sorting their gear.

The wind was picking up by now and gusts were hitting us from the front as we descended the steep hill. As tempting as it was to continue on for a few more kms to the top of Sa Calobra, we were also getting cold. We tried putting on our wind jackets which helped, but I was beginning to feel unsafe with each blast of wind. So we made the decision to turn around and head back.

Looks like a good sheep grazing area to me.

Car is going around a cyclist on the uphill. This is a typical size of car you need to navigate the local villages.

It was much better to take the wind gusts from the rear. Once we summitted and went back through the tunnel, we could begin the thrilling descent. We were both glad we had our wind jackets, because rapid downhill descents can cause your body temperature to drop quickly. At the mirador viewpoint, we stopped to warm up and have a cookie we'd each picked up at breakfast. There were cacti and succulents in bloom here, so it was a chance to snap a few photos.

One of the hiking trails that heads off from the Mirador viewpoint.

This sheep was in the middle of the road as we came around the corner. It was in no hurry to move on.

The beautiful town of Fornalutx is situated up the valley from Soller. We had not yet visited, so on our way downhill we hung a left and dropped in to see it (quite literally). We were greeted by a traffic jam in which someone scraped the mirror of a parked car with their side mirror. Oh well, you should see the dents in the car doors! David was on upper side of the jam and I was on the lower side. Once the driver of the delivery van convinced a couple of cars to back up the hill, everything was straightened out.

A sourdough bakery caught our attention as we entered town so we pulled in and shared a baguette sandwich and a brownie.

This art metal sculpture of a cyclist adorned the wall of a building near the bakery.

Most of the tourists in Fornalutx were crowded into this square where they were having lunch.

The town is completely engulfed in citrus, mostly orange, trees. This lemon tree was loaded with fruit.

Morning glory on Vancouver island is not a plant any gardener wants in their garden as it just strangles anything it can get a hold of. But these morning glory are not the same type. In fact, you can buy seeds of this variety. The flowers are gorgeous and the foliage is attractive to.

We returned to the square in Soller and ordered our usual liquid replenishment. Those olives were the best I think I have ever had.

The next order of business was to return the bikes to the rental shop which is just a few blocks from our hotel. We got organized then visted the shop and dropped them off.

Last picture with the bikes, after another great ride.

Tramuntana Tours, where we rented bikes.

We had reservations at a pasta restaurant for our last evening in Soller. Unfortunately, the owner was having a bad night and so it was a bit of a miss. So, we headed back to our favourite restaurant in the square and shared an almond cake with ice cream and two nice espresso coffees.

Elevation gain: 10,752 metres.

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Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 662 km (411 miles)

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Anne AnastasiouHope you're not feeling too sad to end your amazing time in Mallorca. It sure sounds like you met your goals though. Well done. Hope the rest of your journey goes well. xx
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2 years ago

Anne MathersTo Anne AnastasiouIt did feel a bit sad to part with the bikes as it signalled an end to this chapter. But with Girona and Costa Brava up next we were not sad. We could do with a day or two off to rest our legs 😜. Thanks for staying in touch. We look forward to it every day.
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2 years ago

Kathleen ClassenI am so glad you saw Fornalutx. The kiddos raved about it and the climbing (up sheer rock faces, not on bikes) that surrounds it. They did rent bikes for a few days. We are looking forward to Mallorca. Sounds like we had better keep doing repeats of the observatory hill.
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2 years ago