Imagine someone gives me a blank sheet of paper and asks me to design an island that is perfect for cyclists. What would it look like?
It would have challenging mountains, but also flat and rolling areas. There would be well-paved roads everywhere, connecting beautiful villages. In those villages, there would be cozy squares where you could relax in the sun with a good cup of coffee. There would be an extensive and well-marked cycling route network. And there would be a large number of businesses making things easy for cyclists: companies renting bikes, arranging transportation, or organizing all-inclusive cycling weeks. Above that island, the sun would usually be shining, and you could cycle there most of the year.
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Thinking about what the ideal cycling island looks like is a waste of my time. It already exists and is called Mallorca. It was discovered as a cycling destination in the 1990s and has since developed into one of the top cycling destinations in Europe. How did that happen so quickly? Because everyone benefited. Hotel owners found that their hotels could use some extra guests during the off-season (winter and spring). Cycling tour organizers bought hotel rooms at reasonable rates and set up bike storage and workshops in the hotel basements. And the cyclists loved it. A nice hotel, good rental bikes, and beautiful routes. What more could you want?
Now, between February and June, there’s a massive influx of cyclists here, especially groups of road cyclists. And yes, some people now find Mallorca too crowded with cyclists.
Mallorca is part of the Balearic Islands along with Ibiza, Menorca, and Formentera
The island is approximately 70 km wide and 80 km long
Nothing is more than 90 km away from you
The capital is Palma de Mallorca with 400,000 inhabitants
The island is very focused on German-speaking tourists
The airport is located in the south, right behind the Bay of Palma
In the spring, it feels like a cycling event is being organized on every day of the week and on every road in Mallorca. The season starts in late February and really picks up in April. Everywhere you see groups of cyclists from all over the world, especially from Germany. What struck us is that many of the roads are quite narrow. Widening the roads is not so easy because there are stone walls right next to them. The residents of Mallorca find all those cyclists on the narrow roads challenging, but they have learned to live with it. And of course, they know that the island’s prosperity is thanks to the visitors from overseas. Tourists in rental cars are often less skilled at maneuvering around cycling groups. Fortunately, by the time the rental cars start to flood the roads, the cycling season is already over.
The options for cyclists on Mallorca are immense. You can choose from hundreds of bike rental shops that collectively rent out tens of thousands of bikes. There’s really no need to bring your own bike. Next, you can choose from many different routes. There are beautiful route maps available (Clips Mallorca Cycling has them), and bike rental shops often have GPS devices with pre-programmed routes. And then you can choose routes with more or fewer elevation changes.
As mentioned, there are so many facilities on Mallorca that you can organize your cycling trip yourself. But you can also join one of the cycling tour organizations, so you don’t have to think about anything. Often, they offer a hotel both in the north (Alcudia) and in the south (Playa de Palma). If you want to avoid the large tourist hubs, there are plenty of alternatives available on the island….
Many cycling groups, for example, rent a house or villa on Mallorca themselves. These houses are often large enough, and if you do the math, it can also be quite cost-effective.
The climbs in Mallorca are rarely extremely steep. However, in the Tramuntana Mountains, you can easily accumulate a significant amount of elevation in a single day. The roads there are beautiful, with good asphalt and smooth turns.
Our favorite climbs in Mallorca are:
An excellent mountain biking area is the Llevant Mountains on the east coast. There are several great routes for mountain bikers of all levels. Cala Bona and Cala Millor are good starting points for these routes. The Llevant Mountains, despite their modest height (400 meters max), offer a challenging mountain biking landscape.
Mountain bikes are available for rent everywhere, and in Cala Millor, there is a good company that organizes guided mountain bike trips and also offers mountain bike clinics.
The Tramuntana Mountains also offer MTB opportunities. In this range, there is an extensive network of footpaths, some of which are open to MTB riders. Be careful, the Tramuntana is a wild and steep range with challenging singletracks, so it’s not terrain for beginners.
All over Mallorca, there are paths and unpaved agricultural roads. But beware: all farmland on the island is privately owned, and this also applies to those paths. You should technically have permission to ride on them, and even then, you often encounter gates, whether open or closed.
Mountain biking in Mallorca requires good preparation, and it seems wise to opt for a guided tour. There are plenty of bike companies that are happy to help.
Mallorca also offers plenty of opportunities for recreational cyclists. You can rent a touring bike or trekking bike in many places. In the capital Palma, but also along the boulevard on the Bay of Palma, there are plenty of rental companies. You can cycle perfectly along that boulevard, and in fact, in many places on Mallorca, a touring bike will suffice. Large parts of the island are flat or gently rolling.
Naturally, we offer a number of wonderful cycling holidays in Mallorca. You stay in comfortable 4-star hotels along the coast on a half-board basis. During our leisure cycling holiday, you explore the island at an easy pace and even cycle a small section of the Tramuntana mountain range.
For road cyclists, we offer the Grand Tour of Mallorca and a special Tramuntana road cycling trip, which focuses more on the climbs in the Tramuntana mountains.
It was a wonderful cycling trip through the olive groves of Andalusia. Everything was great: good bikes, comfortable accommodation, friendly people, and above all being outdoors together and cycling through the beautiful landscape. Our family of six, with children aged between 9 and 17, enjoyed it very much. It definitely left us wanting more!
We enjoyed a well organised tour with friendly guides and clean, pleasant hotels. The support was excellent, even in rainy weather. We would definitely book this kind of trip again.
We enjoyed very much the biking, setup and everything around it✨
We had a fantastic week long cycle along the Ojos Negros. Pretty towns , charming hotels great food and a lot very safe riding along that spectacular greenway. Highly recommend!
We loved this beautifully organised Camino tour with great hotels and excellent bikes. The route allowed plenty of time to explore towns and villages. A fantastic experience overall.
This self-guided e-bike tour was perfectly organised and the route was beautiful and well maintained. The e-bikes made riding easy and the navigation worked flawlessly. A fantastic trip we highly recommend.
We loved this beautiful three-day ride through olive groves, old bridges and tunnels. The towns and accommodations were authentic and the people very friendly. A perfectly organised trip through Southern Spain.
We loved this beautiful three-day route with varied scenery, charming towns and great accommodations. Everything was very well organised, including bikes and transfers. We would definitely book again.
We loved this four-day ride with great organisation and extremely friendly support. The route was beautiful and the bikes were in excellent condition. Highly recommended for exploring Spain by bike.
We loved this beautiful three-day ride through olive groves, old bridges and tunnels. The towns and accommodations were authentic and the people very friendly. A perfectly organised trip through Southern Spain.
We extended the Via Verde del Aceite with the Via Verde de la Campiña to Cordoba. We enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to other cycling enthusiasts. We would love to return for our next cycling holiday in Spain.
We had another fantastic experience with Cycling Spain. Our three boys loved the three days of perfectly guided adventures. We will definitely be back and highly recommend their guiding services.
It was very well organized from the Netherlands, we definitely recommend booking with “Cycling Spain.”
The cycle paths are excellent, very safe, and drivers are very considerate of cyclists. Great e-bikes. The period from September 12th to 19th was wonderful. Not too hot. Luggage transfers were fantastic. Transfers to and from the airport were included. We’ll definitely do it again.
Everything was superbly organized, and the route took us past stunning places you might not otherwise discover. The equipment and service were excellent, and the communication beforehand was also very pleasant. We were kept updated via app throughout the trip, for example about the weather conditions, which was very helpful. The hotels were wonderful and well-maintained, and every day our luggage was neatly packed and ready at the next hotel.
Our first cycling trip in Spain, and it left us wanting more. Thanks to this organization. Everything was perfectly arranged and communicated in advance. Good e-bikes, the beautiful routes of the Via Verde del Aceite, the punctual local partner—everything was very good.
We did a multi-day cycling tour around Ronda and the white villages. We were provided with nice, clean bikes, and the accommodations were good. The scenery was very varied, with good climbs, and of course, the delightful Spanish villages. We will definitely go again!
Had a fantastic 4-day mountain biking tour in Girona. Every day was challenging and well-structured. Varied landscapes and hotels. Great support from Thijs! Highly recommended for anyone who wants to actively relax.
Great mtb trip, highly recommended. The trip is well organized and we cycled independently in 4 stages through beautiful area. The trails are very challenging and the hotels were more than fine! Thanks Thijs for this beautiful adventure! Sander
Super nice tour on the racing bike through Mallorca. In our opinion, all routes have been put together by people with experience. Receive detailed information in advance about what you can expect from each route. Beautiful hotels. Thijs prepares everything well and is also quickly accessible during your trip if necessary.
Beautiful views! You can cycle the Via Verde del Aceite in 3 days. We opted for 5 days (25 to 32 km per day). This gave us the opportunity to explore the towns upon arrival. We had a great time! Excellent accommodations. Luggage transport was well-organized. Highly recommended! Cycling Spain, thank you for the organization and the pleasant and practical communication!
We took a fantastic 5-day gravel bike tour around Girona through “Cycling Spain.” The trip was booked at short notice, and Thijs worked quickly to arrange everything. Communication was smooth. The surroundings are beautiful and diverse.
We had a very positive experience during our 9-day Mallorca tour. Hotels, routes and quick support were excellent. The personalised approach really made it stand out.
Thijs created a tailor-made cycling holiday tailored to my personal preferences. As a result, I got to know the Costa Brava better by bike in just 9 days. Both the inland and the coast of the Costa Brava are well worth exploring.
We are a group of 12 “senior” riders and have been biking together for 30 years. We had a fantastic riding experience in Zona Zero with Thijs and Felix as our guides. A really varied program with some serious technical challenges. Read more…
This is the second time we have used Cycling Spain and it has been the best experience. Thijs organized two coaches/guides and a driver to take our 3 boys on 3 wonderful days of guided adventures. Read more…
Great mountain biking organization in Spain, if you want to make the most of your passion without worrying about anything, you’ve come to the right address. Read more…
I booked a mountainbike trip with cycling spain and I loved it! I will definitely book another trip here if I am in Girona again. I could have never found these trails myself. Read more…
Biking with mtb adventures has been the highlight of our trip to Spain. The scenery was gorgeous and the trails were a blast. Read more…
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