Early June 2004 we got a week free and booked a trip to Mallorca. We had been in Alcudia, on North Mallorca, twice, riding MTB and felt that we had rather exhausted the fun of the gnarly trails around Lluc, Binifaldo, Massanella, and other trails accessible from Alcudia, so we bet on bringing our road bikes and staying in South Mallorca, to see some new land.

We winded up in Illetas, a quiet but nevertheless touristic place straddling the cliffs between Palma Nova and Palma. We had a small appartement in the Illetas Club Playa.

The riding was excellent, though we found the traffic dense and dangerous. For most rides we would have to spend an hour before we were on a road in open country. Going east of Palma was not much fun as routes were poorly marked, traffic congested, with plenty of diverts and circuitous one-way streets, through one beach resort after another.

We spent most days riding in the Serra de Tramuntana. There are plenty of winding mountain roads. The road beween Soller and and Andratx traverses the Tramuntana mountains north west slopes overlooking the sea maintaining altitude, and offers splendid views. The road from Soller to Lluc climbs to almost a thousand meters altitude and passes through coniferous forests. On altitude are some turquoise blue lakes.

Sa Calobra is a classic climb, strenuous, gaining seven hundred meters in nine kilometres, among roadies almost as well known as Passo Stelvio or Col Du Galiber. The road we liked best was the narrow little trafficked road between Capdella and Esporles via Galilea and Puigpunyent. It climbs through coniferous forests and goes through high green dales.

It was a splendid week. Would we go back? Yes, absolutely, though we would chose to reside in a different place. Illetas had all the urban drawbacks, but few of its advantages, good shops and restaurants were too far. We would rather stay in the middle of the ghetto, in Palma Nova or in Magaluf. The most attractive resort town on the south side of the island seemed to be Peguera.