Mallorca '06

[Chris&Lisa]

Well it is that time of year again ... Turbos out, rain coats on and thinking of sunnier climates ...

Anyone up for Mallorca in '06?

We are happy to start the ball rolling and organise it, or provide a focal point for names, numbers etc.

The usuall camp centers around the pro racing which starts on the 8th Feb and for those who have not been before the trip is a fairly relaxed affair. People come out when they can, a weekend, week or longer and stay either in an appartment or the local hotel near the beach. Rides are usually hilly with plenty of stops for coffee, ie 3 before lunch, 3 after and we ride out on different routes each day, catch the tour as it goes by and cycle home again. 80-110km a day of relaxed riding and chatter (fueled by all the coffee!) ...

Flights are EasyJet which now have a £15 each way charge for your bike, but they are comming down to the usual c£15 each way price that we are used to.

Anyone up for the trip, put your names down on the Forum with any dates, questions or ideas !!

Cheers

Chris

[Alex P]

Last year it cost be £45 on Easyjet (nothing extra for the bike), £15 cab fares to and from the hotel (sharing) and £140 for 5 nights bed and breakfast in the Pionero hotel (which is of v.good standard)..the bingo was free

I flew out on the Saturday and came back on Friday

Of course you have to think about food (and coffee) but that was relativily cheap.

[Maria David]

Mallorca sounds good - I am still working out where I will be in February, so can't commit just yet - It will also depend on if I've got the courage to get round Sa Calobra, Puig Major, Soller, etc in February without a back pack complete with several changes of clothes, sun cream, unbrella, survival kit, map, met forecast, The Economist country economic indicators, etc for every possible eventuality !

By the way, re flights it may be worth also checking out British Airways - they are increasing the number of European "low cost" destinations they fly to, and I think they do fly into Palma now. A few times when I've been to other places in Europe BA worked out cheaper than the greek and irish "buses" - their quoted prices include everything - taxes, meal, bike carriage (which is free), and they're probably less likely to be delayed.

[Alan M]

I think that I am up for it - I am thinking in terms of leaving on the 9th and staying through to the 14th which will offer 4 days in the saddle.

Looking forward to it. Anyone else up for those dates we can share cab fares if we book the same flights. last year I atually went home on the bus to the airport. There is a shuttle into Palma and then a bus round the coast - it was slow but if you treat it as part of the experience it is quite fun "donde es la parada del autoobus?" Cost about 4 euro!

Alan

[nigel w]

Have just checked the UCI european tour calender, the races in Mallorca are from 5 Feb to 9 Feb.

Count me in none the less. Will be going out on the 6th, with proper tyres!!

Nigel

[Alan M]

There seems to be some debate about the dates of the vuelta de mallorca. The UCI site does give the date of the 5/02 but doesn't say much more and the tour website still has 05 info. Chris, where did your info come from?

[David Lombari]

For anyone who hasn?t been before, I highly recommend that you go. It?s great to spend a week eating/living/sleeping cycling with an agreeable bunch. It?s like a 24/7 clubrun but with better coffee and weather. Some tips though:

1.DON?T believe Monty when he says ?it?s downhill all the way? (although in many respects it was).

2.DON?T forget when enjoying going down Sa Calobra that you HAVE to go back up!

3.DO get into Palma for a night out, but try to avoid Titos Nightclub unless you?re truly, truly desperate, or Ajay, or both!

4.DO try to get a bunch together and hire out a villa. When 6 of us shared in 2004, the villa cost £450 for the week??£75 each!! Factor in the flight and food and you?re looking at a budget of only £200-£250 (unless you ARE truly, truly desperate and Titos Nightclub beckons).

5.DO remember that you?re on holiday and that all that Amaretto has to be drunk by someone?..and it?s free!

I may be up for this trip but will need to think about other ideas I have, including a week around Nice at the end of March, incorporating watching the end of Paris-Nice the first weekend and Milan-San Remo the next?..or maybe Sierra Nevada again (mmmmm chocolate & churros??).

[Ian A4size]

Sierra nevada!!! God that nearly killed me, going out there on the @ass end of a cold- no flat land any where -40k up a hill, snow on the top!
Loved it .
Seriously a villa is cheaper- not on top of cardiac hill tho..... 80 mile rides up beautiful mountains, quiet roads, addiscombe restaurant, free liquers, any one who has seen the majorca DVD will know all about Ameretto consumption, it made for a gentle paced ride into palma to watch the crit.
Petal Scarlett was violently ill all night tee hee! It was when we finished the first bottle we knew we were onto a good thing... it was replaced by a full one straight away! It stayed at our end of the table and soon was gone ...along with the hazlenut/apple/peach schnapps.
Yep the biking is really great!

[David Lombari]

A good bike bag and bubble wrap, I shove my bike clothes in there too. I got a great bag from Decathlon, and they're cheaper than most. For extra insurance you could hire a Scicon hard case from GB's, but for the price you pay, c£60, you might as well invest in a bag and pack it well.

It seems there is an increase in companies hiring decent bikes on the island, just search the net. It would save the hassle of taking your own bike and the cost would be similar I imagine.

[Ian A4size]

Bikes??? what are they??? Just take a large glass!

Seriously tho.. when you book on easyjet , it is on the form, use a bike bag or blag a box from GB's.
I have only flown easyjet when cycling so that is the procedure with them, no probs at all, they dont weigh your bike so you can fit a bit more luggage in there!
Taxis in palma all seem to be large Merc estates which seem to swallow bike bags with ease.
I guess someone could lend you one to save the added expense, tho hire is fairly cheap.
Jo and I are up for the trip as well.

[Tamar Collis]

I think it's up to the check-in staff whether they weigh your bag or not. I had to get my bike box weighed a couple of times last year and a right old palaver it was too!

[Elliot M]

ajay and i had our bike bags weighed on the way out last year.

ajay was over the limit for a single item cos he'd put EVERYTHING in the one bike box and frantically had to repack at checkin. i was pretty close --those rigid bike boxes weigh over 10kg empty. that was before they started charging the flat £15 for bikes though which i think means they're not so bothered - taken a heavy MTB to the alps since without problems although they did weigh it as a matter of course.

i think they sell (maybe at the airport?) cheap bike cases which are rigid but light .. made of what looks like plastic skinned polystyrene - anyone used one?

[Ian A4size]

Tinking back to when i went over to Ventoux.. i hired a bike box from sigma and it was weighed at Marsailles airport but they did not say anything, thing is they do look heavy.
Delayjet now charge for your bike - when it was free they had a 10kilo sports good allowance.
If you are on a bike holiday you should expect to pay a bit, it may be worth seeing what other airlines do, of course you could always hire a broad

[Alex P]

I took my bike out to France a couple of months ago with BA and they did not charge but there again my clothes and bike did not exceed my allowance.

A thing to be said for a hotel is ... your own bathroom, your own hot water and a huge breakfast waiting for you downstairs when you want it...

[nigel w]

Just booked 5 nights in the Hotel Pionero thru medhotels.com for £101 !!!