sun velo | CyCle Tours
chasing
the sun
What do you do when the days begin to get shorter temperatures drop and it
begins to rain even more? You head to Majorca of course!
C
ycling World tracks down a group
that signed up with SunVelo for a
week of sunny autumn riding to see
how they got on and whether or not
Majorca can become as popular for all cyclists
as it is with professional racers and seasoned
club-riders.
The United Kingdom found itself in the
grip of cycling fever this summer; Tour de
France success, Olympic fever followed by
the Tour of Britain caught the imagination of
the nation. Bike sales are at an all-time high
and acres of Lycra have been flying off the
shelves. As our wonderfully unpredictable
British summer has now turned to the more
predictable autumn and winter weather, do
those other than the most committed shut up
shop and start hibernation? Well one antidote
for those wanting to keep the legs turning is
to catch some end of year or early spring time
rays of sunshine on the quiet roads of Majorca.
32 Cycling World | www.cyclingworldmag.com
The island offers long mountain climbs,
rolling countryside and flat plains, making it
justly popular with international cycling stars,
such as the members of Team Sky, who go
there to train out of season in readiness for
major races later in the year. However, it is
easily accessible from most UK airports and
Majorca is by no means the exclusive preserve
of the professional cyclist, triathlete and fast
club rider.
David Harwood is co-founder of SunVelo.
He set-up the cycling holiday business in
partnership with former professional racer
and multiple Commonwealth games medalist
Alastair Irvine. David describes himself as the
archetypal “Middle Aged Man in Lycra” and
has been a regular visitor to Majorca for the
last 7 years.
He says that Majorca is not just the domain
of the pros and club racers: “UK professional
cyclists have been coming here for years to
train and the island has been popular with
German road cycling enthusiasts for decades
(approximately 60,000 German cyclists visit
Majorca each year). More and more UK
cyclists have realized that they can come over
to Majorca too; purely to enjoy the experience
and do things, literally, at their own pace,
regardless of the type of road cycling they do
at home.” SunVelo aims to reflect this: suffer
at a training camp if you like, but Majorca is
still for you if you don’t want to burn those
thighs at all.
“To us someone who wants to ride 40
miles a day and enjoy the countryside is just
as important as someone in training for road
racing or an Ironman wanting to do 100 hard
miles a day,” says David. Anyone who can get
out on a bike and cycle 40 miles is fit enough
to join one of the groups we run and spend a
week out with us in Majorca. Our most popular
groups are geared around sportive riding and
sun velo | CyCle Tours
those wanting to train for sportive events,
general long distance riding or even multi-stage
charity rides. We would typically ride around
70 to 90 miles a day with those looking to build
endurance and stamina and take in many of
the longer climbs on the island.”
Yet, he is eager to point out that he aims
to offer much more. “Our touring groups will
do approximately half the distance of those
coming over to do more serious training. We
believe in providing visitors with a greater
degree of flexibility as to the type of cycling
they want to do whilst staying with SunVelo;
we even offer day ticket options for those who
don’t want to be out on the road every day
and maybe want to combine cycling with a
family break. SunVelo is a place for everyone
and it is by no means a ‘boys club’, over a
third of our visiting cyclists are women.”
Sarah Cosker is a relative newcomer
to road cycling. How was her week with
SunVelo, in October 2012? Fantastic, by the
sounds of it. “I only bought a road bike this
year and whilst I had done some mountainbiking it would be fair to say my road cycling
experience was pretty limited. However, after
a week of cycling with Alastair Irvine and a
couple of his group leaders, I feel my skills
and, most definitely, fitness have improved
massively. Alastair’s knowledge of how to get
the most from yourself when riding across
different terrains is amazing. By the end of
the week the long 32km climb to the top of
Puig Major, the highest mountain on the
island, was well within my capabilities, as
Alastair had been able to give me some great
advice and iron out some inconsistent patches
of cadence. I also found riding in a wellorganized group with a ride leader, a great
experience in terms of being able to cover far
longer distances than I thought possible and
in building confidence when riding in a tight
bunch surrounded by other cyclists. I had a
few initial anxieties before going, worrying
that it may be just a group of ‘boy racers’
trying to out-do one another, but that was not
the case at all. SunVelo has a way of making
everyone feel part of a cycling team; it is like
riding in your very own private peloton”
If you are a racing cyclist, time trialist, or
triathlete SunVelo’s Racing & Training Group
could be a consideration. This is about team
riding where everyone has a role to play,
the opportunity to be part of a co-ordinated
team and ride like the professionals. Irvine’s
years of racing experience are yours for the
week. As a former professional racer and
Commonwealth Games cycling team manager
for Northern Ireland, he knows what it takes
to get the most from an athlete looking for a
new personal best in a local sportive or loftier
competition.
Yet, if that’s not you, never fear. David goes
onto explain that whatever group is more
Above left:
Sarah Cosker
on Majorca’s
highest
mountain
Puig Major
Above:
Alastair Irvine
suited to your needs, the team leaders will
ensure the pace is regulated and that everyone
is looked after; “We never leave anyone
behind, ride leaders are able to mix abilities
within a group and ensure everyone completes
their ride and satisfies their own objectives”.
The touring group aims to cover forty to
seventy miles a day. You’ll learn skills that will
make the most of group riding whilst on the
way to places of interest and beauty. Majorca
has plenty of both of these; walled-towns,
ancient monasteries, rugged mountain roads,
shimmering seas in cliff-girt bays, sleepy
towns and lively resorts. Happily, the Iberian
provincial government really understands the
value of cycling to the island’s economy and
does much to promote it and protect its
reputation as a cycling destination.
www.cyclingworldmag.com | Cycling World 33
sun velo | CyCle Tours
Photo – Gary
Downs
SunVelo is based on the east coast of the
island, at Playa del Muro. This gives easy
access to Majorca’s rolling interior, as well as
the coast, with its ports, cliffs and long, golden
beaches. There are resorts, but they are a far
cry from the urban sprawl of the south coast.
The mountains are a not too far away, and you
will welcome the few miles of flat road warm
up before the gradient begins to increase. The
mountains rise spectacularly along the north
coast and give magnificent coastal scenery as
well as vast panoramas across the island to
the south. You’ll also find charming towns
with market squares full of bars, restaurants,
families eating, drinking and playing, and
touring cyclists seeking refreshment.
As cycling trips to Majorca are
predominantly outside of the main summer
tourist season (October/November and
then in the spring from late February to
mid- May) the roads are quiet. They are also
well maintained. Typically temperatures are
around a very comfortable 60-70 degrees.
Unsurprisingly, demand is being met; good
four star hotels are now extending their
tourist season to cater for cyclists.
SunVelo uses the highly acclaimed fourstar Viva Blue Hotel in Playa de Muro as its
34 Cycling World | www.cyclingworldmag.com
Below:
SunVelo part
of the lively
cycling scene
in Playa de
Muro, shirt
on wall at the
famous ‘Hard
Bike Café’
cycling base. The hotel is a two-minute walk
from the beach and close to the S’Albufera
Nature Reserve.
Gary Downs has visited Majorca several
times over the years on family holidays and
was surprised by what it also offers cyclists:
“I really had no appreciation of what the
Majorcan countryside is like once you get a
few miles away from the main resorts and
beaches. It is quite spectacular in places
with some breath-taking views from the
high mountains. It is not just cycling in the
mountains that I found surprising. The variety
of rolling terrain through orange groves and
farmland in the middle of the island, together
with virtually traffic free, smooth roads makes
for great days on the bike.”
What about a bit of R&R after a day’s
cycling? “In spring time, Majorca is ‘cycling
central’, the place is buzzing and the
atmosphere is fantastic,” David enthuses. “At
Playa de Muro, there are some great bars to
relax, swap stories and enjoy a drink. In fact
the evening is a great time to pick the brains
of the ride leaders and hear about many of
their international cycling exploits and next
morning it is back on the saddle and put into
practice anything learned.”
The SunVelo spring season starts from
early March and runs through to early May
with autumn season throughout October.
www.sunvelo.com