Top 33 Cycling Routes in Mallorca

Keep the first two days low-intensity – travel, a new bike and the warmth take more out of you than you think. Then alternate hard and easy days, never two intensity days back to back, and build volume gradually.

Measure saddle height at home (bottom-bracket centre to the top of the saddle, along the seat tube) and saddle setback. Bring your own shoes – and pedals if you like – or pick the pedal type in online check-in. Fine-tune after your first short ride.

Use the talk test: Z2 = full sentences, sweet spot = short phrases, threshold = a few words, VO2max = no talking. Heart rate lags in short intervals and drifts up in the heat, so let perceived effort (RPE) lead.

Start in the first hour: 30–60 g of carbs per hour on rides up to 2.5 h, 60–90 g on longer ones (top end only with a trained gut), plus 0.5–0.8 l of fluid with electrolytes per hour, more in heat. Refill at village cafés and petrol stations.

Mornings are cooler and calmer; from late morning the embat sea breeze blows in from the sea, so the ride back to Can Pastilla is often into a headwind. On windy days ride out into the wind and home with it. Sunscreen even in autumn.

Ride efforts single file at the road edge – never through villages, roundabouts or on descents. Use a rear light by day and a front one for the Puig Major tunnels. After the clocks change in late October the sun sets around 6 pm, in December about 5:20.

You get fitter while resting, not while riding. Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep, eat carbs and protein within an hour of finishing, and keep easy days truly easy – no town-sign sprints. Alcohol hurts sleep and recovery.