Have any of you folks stayed at a hotel in Majorca or Girona that you would recommend? A group of us are planning an early April road bike training trip to Spain and would like to find a multisport-friendly hotel to book. We are more interested in being close to the best riding routes than near all the nightclubs as we usually start drinking wine early and then pass out. There seems to be plenty of options on Majorca but not so much in the Girona area on the mainland. Lap pool, perfect beach, bike barn nice but not required.
Majorca is probably the sweetest spot to ride. Ironic that it’s an island. I recommend that you look at the hotels on the east coast of the island. Here’s why:
(1) The wind blows west to east (if I remember correctly) and it’s nice to have a tail wind coming home
(2) Less traffic
(3) It’s a flatter part of the island than the west coast, but the cross island mountain range is about 10 miles away - perfect warm up before you start climbing
(4) Easy access to flat/rolling terrain
That side of the island is predomenantly occupied by German tourists, while the west is occupied by the English. The German folk are fun to drink with. If you need a language refresher - I’d recommend German over Spanish - as all the vendors there speak German, and their Spanish is some other dialect which is hard to understand (from what I hear).
Sorry I can’t think of hotel names (it’s been about 3 years since I was last there), but you can easily do a search on it. All of them are very bicycle friendly, and the beaches are just awesome to swim off of. Very calm waters off the east coast.
Hope it helps
One word: Ibiza. MMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. yummy.
He wants to ride a bike, not the technocolor dreamwave~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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My comment was more directed at the one piece of a two piece phenomenon frequently observed in the Ibiza region.
Oh yeah… that too 8)
Sounds like you’re referring to some of eye-catching plumage of the local fauna. Now that I’m intrigued, do you care to share any info regarding the other scenery and road conditions on that island? I’m not stuck on Girona (it’s kind of a LA & Tyler homage thing anyway), it might be fun to go island hopping…
You may want to check out a company called EuroCycler. They run week-long Spring Training camps at a resort right on the Costa Brava near Girona. The website is www.eurocycler.com.
Can’t help you on hotels but my wife used to live in Mallorca several years ago and told me about a road she said was constantly used by cyclists. She seems to remember it being around 15-20 miles mainly all uphill. A gradual climb through great scenery ending up at a small town called Puigpunyent. The town has a couple of bars where many cyclists sat and enjoyed a well deserved drink. Its a very ‘local’ town and not many tourists go there. Its looked down upon by a fancy 14th century hotel called Son Net. She says there was also a town further on up, set into the mountainside called Galilea, where she saw no tourists and it is reached by narrow, hairpin curves.
Try to find some hotels in Alcudia or Sa Coma. A lot of hotels have special offers for cyclists (possibility to rent bikes, guided tours, safe “bike hotels”, workshops etc.). Mallorca in spring is a favorite destination for cyclists and triathletes in europe. The roads are quite good and the drivers know how to deal with thousands (!) of cyclists.
You’ll find some offers using the following links (I have no commercial interest) www.huerzeler.com www.mallorca-aktiv.de The german bike magazine “Tour” includes a lot of offers for “holiday on bikes”. May be you’ll find an issue of the magazine in the USA…
Christian
http://www.clubpollentia.com/ingles/ing_index.htm
Club Pollentia, situated between Puerto Alcudia and Puerto Pollensia up in the North East. Has an indoor pool, outdoor pool and leisure pool.Food is buffet style, all you can eat, not gourmet, but good.
A few of the UK cycling/triathlon camps go there in Spring.
Very good access to the best of the cycling on Mallorca.
I agree Club Pollentia is the best place on the island. I have been going there with my group for 5 years now. Best time is March before easter, afterwards it gets to crowed with regular tourists on the islands and most athletes will be gone. the club is used mostly by germans but some Brits as well. In 2003 Ironman Germany had their trining camp there. Hellriegel is there frequently and other pros as well. 25m outdoor pool is great. 2 meals buffet style a day. They have two cat. I recommend Village which is much better.
I don’t agree with the post that recomm. the east side. Its boring over there. On the west side you are at the foot of the mountains but have access to all the flat inland rides as well. Other than C. Pollentia there are many Hotel in Alucdia which all cater to cyclists and Triathletes and its only 6m from the Club.
Check www.mallorca-aktiv.de for the biggest bike tour Co. in Mallorca. Max Huerzler
Let me know if you have any more questions, I know the island inside out (incl all the routes, bike shops etc.
Forget Arizona and Cal. If you want to get fit Mallorca is the place.
Found this two year old thread and have an update after some pretty good riding in Spain…here is the Press Release for 2006…
EuroCycler’s Spring Training in Spain offers top coaches and Triathlon programs
March 2006 kicks off EuroCycler’s fourth season, featuring stellar spring training camps for triathlon and road cycling near Girona, Spain. In the coming year, EuroCycler will offer two cycling focused camps and three triathlon camps for a total of over 6 weeks in Spain.
EuroCycler offers athletes of many levels the unique opportunity to train under the guidance of English speaking coaches in the proving grounds of cycling’s elite competitors. Among the coaches are Olaf Sabatschuss from Germany, 2-time winner of IM-Brazil (04/05) and the UK’s own Lawrence Oldershaw, double British Long-Distance champion. Based on EuroCycler’s proven concept, the leader team will focus on training for efficiency and power, geared to optimize time (given that the typical guest is an age-group triathlete or cyclist with job and family to balance).
“On daily training rides along the scenic Mediterranean, our guests join dozens of European guests and swap training tips with all levels of athletes. Individual athletic needs are catered to with a complete package and a structured riding program,” says Richard Debrot, president and CEO of EuroCycler, “This is a performance-focused bicycling experience for cyclists and triathletes across a range of skill levels, mixed with a dose of natural beauty and culture.”
New this season are 10-day programs and CaveMan, an Olympic distance practice triathlon race for beginners, and a program for non-riding spouses and kids who travel along for an active cultural experience.
EuroCycler’s venue in Spain is an athlete-dedicated beach resort with pools, spa, gym, massage services, bike mechanics and a delicious cuisine that caters to the nutritional needs of athletes. Coach Lawrence Oldershaw says, “The planning, training design and athlete focus that happens here is better than most professional athletes experience.”
EuroCycler draws a majority of its customers from the US and UK. All-inclusive land-packages start at 1,500 $ per person, per week.
The company plans to offers training packages in the US and has already established itself as one of the premier operators for trips to follow the Tour de France.
For more information, visit http://www.eurocycler.com or call 1-866-789-3876.
EuroCycler is a sports travel and trading company offering premier performance cycling in Europe’s greatest destinations, best-in-class apparel and athletic products for triathlon and cycling. The company is based in Bala Cynwyd, PA.