When first offered the chance to join a friend in Mallorca for 6 days of training, Kate was reluctant, not wanting to disrupt her training and work too much with travel. However, after a commute home in torrential rain and blustery winds, she found herself on the easyJet website searching for flights over the Easter holidays and justifying it to herself with the question, ‘why not?’.
Kate – I had never been to Mallorca before, and all I knew of the island were its holiday beaches and the clubbing scene in Magaluf. I was assured the north of Mallorca was less spoiled, but I had no idea what a cycling haven the island is. After cycling in Spain the previous month, I was excited about the prospect of riding on bike friendly roads again, however I wasn’t expecting there to be so many cyclists. At times this was reassuring as it felt as though, for once, bikes were the dominating force on the roads.
Although our time there was brief, we managed to fit in a ride to the northernmost point of the island, Cap de Formentor, and climb up the iconic Sa Calobra with its countless hairpins. An easier day in the middle of the trip, enforced by heavy rain, meant that I could recover enough energy to explore the middle of the island on the penultimate day, taking in the sights, with a slab of cake, from the top of the Llucmajor climb. Overall it was a fantastic week of quality rides, giving me the opportunity to spend more time on my race bike, and practice my bike handling skills. However, whilst it felt as though I had taken a more relaxed approach to training during my time out there, I did make sure that I continued my swimming and running alongside.
As the pool was so close by, it was a nice change to be able to walk to and from swimming in the morning sunshine. Running close by also had the huge benefit that it was easy to go for a gentle run on the flat following a bike ride. Living in a valley at home means that wherever you run you have to start with a lot of up. Upon reflection, I would love to have had more time out in Mallorca to train, as just as I felt myself settling into the training, it was time to leave. Now as I settle back into my routine at home, I am acutely aware that the countdown to my race season is on. Yet I also know that aside from how I perform in my races this coming season, so far it has already been one hell of a year.
