Cycling Holidays on Mallorca as an Economic Factor

The sheer number of bike-hire outlets on Mallorca shows just how significant this new trend has become as an economic factor for the island.

Hoteliers and finca owners benefit from it just as much as the many retailers, service providers and the whole of Mallorca's tourism economy. First, a few sports enthusiasts were out and about on Mallorca on their road bikes here and there; then the semi-pros and leisure riders discovered the island on their mountain bikes; and next came the families who hire trekking bikes from a Mallorca bike-hire outlet and explore the island in a new way. The organised tours that some Mallorca bike-hire providers offer lead through both easy and very demanding terrain, such as the Serra de Tramuntana, regarded as the queen stage. The Tramuntana mountains run from the north of Mallorca along the west coast, with the highest peak being Puig Major at 1,445 metres. Famous and much-loved is the winding mountain road up to Sa Calobra, which climbs quite steeply over more than 14 kilometres. Along countless hairpins, cyclists gain 800 metres of elevation on this relatively short stretch. In total, the mountain range is 90 kilometres long and is served by an excellent network of walking and cycling trails. The Tramuntana mountains are well worth a trip on a road bike, mountain bike or trekking bike alike; here athletes find unspoilt, intact nature, with no mass tourism to be seen. Pros on their road bikes train on the steep climbs for mountain stages in the Alps and other high mountain ranges. In the immediate vicinity of the coast, ten summits exceed 1,000 metres, and from the top there are the most glorious views over the Mediterranean. Of course, keen cyclists don't only spend their money at the Mallorca bike-hire outlets; they enliven and boost the island's entire infrastructure and are therefore very welcome guests.