Road Bikes, Trekking Bikes and E-Bikes on the Rise
Road bike hire on Mallorca keeps growing – the island's variety wins everyone over
The cycling scene on Mallorca is spinning faster and faster – the number of cycling-mad holidaymakers on the Balearic island has climbed steadily for years. Mallorca's year-round travel weather draws crowds of road cyclists onto the island's roads, and never more so than in spring, when you can watch them out training everywhere you look. The infrastructure across Mallorca offers excellent road conditions island-wide, for amateurs and professional road racers alike. The island's varied geology allows for both flat and mountain stages – in the south and the centre you'll find mostly flat cycling routes, aside from the occasional hill or rise. These routes in particular are popular with families and leisure cyclists, since the outstanding infrastructure in the south around the Playa de Palma makes for an easy starting point for a longer bike tour on Mallorca. Setting off along the Playa – chiefly from Arenal – you ride past the Club Nautico, the harbour of S’Arenal, heading towards Son Veri Nou to tackle one of the first climbs towards Cala Pi. Past Sa Torre you can turn left towards the Hilton hotel and head inland to Llucmajor. The short tour then swings back towards Palma and reaches its high point with a fast descent along the service road beside the motorway, with a fantastic view over the Bay of Palma – all at around 60–70 km/h. This route covers roughly 45 km and makes an ideal opener for your first bike ride of a cycling holiday on Mallorca.
Road bike hire on Mallorca – explore the island by bike
Here is our 45-kilometre tour from the Playa de Palma to Mount Randa and back
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Alternatively, for slightly fitter cyclists, we recommend turning off towards Algaida at the roundabout in Llucmajor, just before the Müller store, and climbing Mount Randa. Once you reach the summit of Randa, spellbound by the superb panoramic views of Mallorca, carry on towards Algaida, from where you begin the return leg along the Camí Vell d’Algaida back towards S’Aranjassa and the airport, before reaching the Playa de Palma after just under 65 km – a thoroughly enjoyable route completed.
Here is our 65-kilometre route from Arenal to Arenal
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The north and north-west of Mallorca are made for lovers of the green jersey. The Tramuntana mountains offer first-class stages with long, drawn-out climbs and demanding mountain sections, from Andratx to Valldemossa or Sóller to Deià. In this part of the island a road cyclist's thighs get a real workout, allowing for extended feats of endurance at the very highest level. Here we describe a route of just under 70 kilometres that will test your strength, stamina and fitness to the absolute limit. As our starting point we've chosen the wonderful Read's Finca Hotel in Santa Maria del Camí, which, besides its excellent location for long rides into the mountains and the island's interior, offers superb cuisine in its own Michelin-starred restaurant, along with a relaxed atmosphere for luxury travellers with a taste for the unusual. From Read's Hotel the tour sets off towards Bunyola, a rural community of smart villas and large finca estates. The road, upgraded in recent years and including the „Palma–Sóller“ tunnel, delivers the ride's first climb. For drivers, the newly built tunnel just before the Bay of Sóller saves the ascent and the seemingly endless drive over the mountain pass to Sóller. For keen sporting cyclists, the effort is well worth it, as the descent to Sóller rewards you with a beautiful view over the Sóller valley.
If you like, you can extend the loop and ride down to the harbour at Puerto Sóller, park your bike by the pirate cove and bask in the sun over a good coffee or a beer. The calorie-burners among the cyclists really get going here towards Deià, savouring the ups and downs of the mountain stages along the steep northern coast of Mallorca. From Deià you've almost made it, because once Valldemossa comes into view there's a spectacular descent towards Palma, dreamlike panoramas included. Down in the valley, turn left at S’Esgleieta and you're on the final kilometres before arriving back at Read's Hotel in Santa Maria and a leisurely dinner in Read's restaurant.
Bike hire on Mallorca: into the mountains by bike
Mallorca mountain stage: Santa Maria – Bunyola – Sóller – Deià – Valldemossa – Santa Maria (65-kilometre loop)
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If you have any questions about cycling routes or a good bike hire service on Mallorca, do drop us a line with your query and the Inselrad team will be happy to help you straight away.