Your Gateway to Two-Wheeled AdventuresDiscover Puerto Pollensa, a Cyclist’s Paradise

Sa Calobra

The most famous climb on the island and the one most riders come for. Ten kilometres at an average gradient of seven per cent, twenty-six hairpin bends, topping out at 739 metres. What makes it unusual is that you descend it first: the road ends at sea level in a cove, so the only way out is back up.

From Puerto Pollensa the full loop comes to around ninety-three kilometres with 2,200 metres of climbing — roughly four hours of riding for a fit amateur, longer if you stop. It is a Category 1 outing and should be treated as one: take food, take water, and be honest about your condition before committing to the descent.

The road surface is generally good and the gradient is remarkably consistent, which is part of why it has become a benchmark climb. There is no shade for most of the ascent.

• Best ridden early: the road narrows and fills with tour coaches later in the day.
• There is a café at the bottom, but nothing on the climb itself.
• Winter and early spring give the quietest roads and the most comfortable temperatures.

Lluc monastery

A shorter and more forgiving option that still earns its height. The road climbs steadily from the Pollença side through the Coll de Femenia, gaining around five hundred metres over twenty kilometres before reaching the monastery.

Lluc is a pilgrimage site and has been for centuries, which means it is also one of the few places in the Tramuntana with reliable food, water and shelter. That makes it a natural turning point or rest stop on longer rides, and it is busy with cyclists most mornings in season.

The gradient is manageable for most riders with some hill experience, and the descent back towards Pollença is fast and open.

• A good first mountain ride if you are building towards Sa Calobra.
• Can be combined with Sa Calobra for a much longer day.
• The Coll de Femenia is a standard interval session for riders training here.

Cap de Formentor

The MA-2210 runs from the port out along the peninsula to the lighthouse, thirteen and a half kilometres of continuous bends above cliffs that fall more than two hundred metres to the sea. It is not a long climb by Tramuntana standards, but it is relentless — there is barely a straight section.

The Mirador des Colomer, a few kilometres in, is the viewpoint everyone stops at, and in high season it is where the traffic backs up. Riding early avoids most of that. Access restrictions for cars apply during peak months, which makes the road considerably better for bikes.

It is exposed to wind along most of its length, and the crosswinds on the higher sections deserve respect on a light bike.

• Around 27 km round trip from the port — a solid morning ride.
• No services on the peninsula: carry what you need.
• The lighthouse marks the northernmost point of Mallorca.

Flat routes and recovery days

Not every day needs to be a mountain day, and this is where the location earns its reputation as a training base rather than just a climbing destination. South of the town the land flattens out towards Alcúdia and the s’Albufera wetlands, giving long stretches of gently rolling road.

These are the roads for base miles, for easy spinning between hard sessions, and for anyone in a group who would rather not spend the day climbing. The wetland reserve is also one of the better birdwatching areas in the Balearics, if you are inclined to stop.

• Flat coastal riding towards Alcúdia and Can Picafort.
• Quieter inland lanes connect the villages of the plain.
• Useful for building volume without accumulating fatigue.

Practical matters

Weather. The season works because of the temperature range: winter minimums rarely below seven degrees, summer maximums seldom above thirty. February to May is the sweet spot — mild, dry and quiet. Summer riding means starting at first light; by midday in August the heat on exposed climbs is punishing.

Traffic. The mountain roads are shared with tour coaches, hire cars and other cyclists, and in high season they get busy from mid-morning. Riding early is not just about temperature. On the Formentor road, seasonal restrictions on private cars actually improve conditions for bikes during peak months.

Water. There is little between villages in the Tramuntana. Lluc is one of the few reliable stops on the main routes; Sa Calobra has a café at the bottom but nothing on the climb. Carry more than you think you need.

Descending. The descents here are long, technical and often into shade. A gilet or packable jacket for the top of a climb is standard practice, even in warm weather.

• Best months: February to May, and again in autumn.
• Start early in summer and in high season generally.
• Carry water: services are sparse in the mountains.
• Take a layer for the descents.

Beyond the bike

Training blocks have rest days, and the geography helps here too. The Bóquer valley walk starts at the edge of town: three kilometres through a gap in the hills to a secluded rocky cove, about forty minutes each way, and one of the better birdwatching routes on the island.

Pollença town, six kilometres inland, has the Calvari steps — a stairway of 365 steps, one for each day of the year, climbing to an eighteenth-century chapel with views over the north of the island. The Sunday market fills the main square.

The bay itself is the recovery option: flat water, and the same thermal wind that riders curse on the coast road is what makes it a windsurfing centre.

• Bóquer valley: 3 km walk from town, 40 minutes each way.
• Calvari steps in Pollença: 365 steps to an 18th-century chapel.
• Sunday market in Pollença, Wednesday market in the port.

Planning a training block

The standard approach is to alternate. Base phases use the flat ground to the south; build and sharpening phases use the Tramuntana passes — Sa Calobra, Coll de Femenia, Puig Major — where sustained efforts of thirty minutes to an hour come naturally with the terrain.

Most riders base themselves in the port rather than inland, because the climbs are reachable directly from the door and the flat roads run the other way. A stay of one to two weeks is common.

Bike hire is well established locally, including road bikes of a standard suitable for serious training, and many places accommodate cyclists specifically — secure storage, early breakfasts, workshop space.

• Peak season for cycling is February to May, and again in autumn.
• Summer is rideable but hot; early starts become essential.
• Roads are shared with tour traffic in high season — the earlier you ride, the better.