Last week Colette and I went to Mallorca to join a small group of friends for some cycling in the sun. One of the rides I had been looking forward to doing was the Orient circuit, passing through the village of the same name in the mountains. I’m sure Colette would have liked to try it too, but she had a small problem in the form of a broken thumb, which she picked up on a mountain biking outing a few weeks earlier.
In fact, the cast had just come off a few days before we left for the holiday and she was left wearing a removable splint. We weren’t even sure she’d be able to ride a bike at all when we arrived in Puerto Pollenca but we hired her a flat bar bike anyway and I moved the right hand shifter round a bit so that she could change down gear by pushing with the metal strip on the palm of her splint. That turned out to work but was quite uncomfortable, and so was braking with that hand, but at least she could change the front gear with her left hand OK, effectively giving her a range of 3 gears to choose from!
That wasn’t an ideal situation, as was the over 4 weeks of not cycling before the holiday, so we started with a few short and gentle rides. When it came round to the day to do the Orient, she felt that she wasn’t up to it, but thanks to Lynne and Keith, we came up with a cunning alternative plan…
The plan was for the whole group (numbering seven) to set out together, and to split up before the Orient climb, with Keith leading the main ride and Lynne taking Colette on a shorter and easier alternative.
So we set off bright and (relatively) early from the Duva hotel, heading roughly southwest from Puerto Pollenca on flat and fairly quiet back lanes. Quite soon, we passed a small group of road skiers, propelling themselves along by the power of their arms. This trip was the first time I’d seen this, and it was quite an amazing thing to watch, especially when they were going up the mountain roads.
After a short section on a more busy road, we turned off at the start of the Campanet valley. This next bit was undulating and quite fast, so some of us went off for a blast while Colette and Lynne took a more sedate pace and chatted to some other cyclists as they went.
Egrets, we saw a few
We then regrouped and went up a short climb to the outskirts of Campanet village, where we found a little shop. Every time we passed it, the shop was mobbed with cyclists stocking up on bottled water and sweet treats to keep the energy levels up.
The following section was lovely, as it was much quieter and the fields had a more rustic feel, with the mountains suddenly much closer. After that, we passed through Selva before stopping at Lloseta for a coffee. Time was marching on though, so we decided that this would be a good place for the Orient group to part company with Colette and Lynne, who had decided to head for Alaro.
Twin peaks guarding the entrance to the Orient
So after also heading initially towards Alaro, we turned off to the right and made towards the gap between two prominent mountains: Puig d’Alaro and Puig de s’Alcadena. It was a very impressive sight, followed soon after by the Orient climb. Alison went ahead, while I caught up with Keith after stopping to take a photo of the twin peaks, then stayed with him for the rest of the climb, which was steady but never too steep. Susan and Fiona followed a short way behind.
I have to admit that I don’t remember a lot about the scenery that surrounded us during the climb, apart from the fact that it was generally open and the sun was beating down on us as we made our way up. The general consensus afterwards was that it was nice, but not as spectacular as the climb from Caimari to Lluc which we did on another day.
We didn’t bother stopping at the top for photos next to the sticker-plastered “Coll d’Orient” sign, as there was nothing else there. Instead, we continued on the descent till we reached the tiny village of Orient itself. There, we found Alison had stopped and ordered a drink at the cafe/restaurant. We did likewise and then had a long wait in the baking sun for our drinks to arrive. That wasn’t ideal, as it was 2pm, and as we hadn’t finished with the climbing yet, we wanted to get that over with before having another stop for lunch.
Finally, we got underway again and after a short descent, came to the plateau before the second part of the climb. However, another stop was necessary when Susan’s bike developed a problem. The cable to the front derailleur had pulled loose, meaning she was stuck in her granny gear. After a bit of fiddling, I was able to secure it in place and gear shifting was resumed, as was our progress up the mountain.
The next climb was shorter but much more “hairpinny” than the previous one, and ran through the shade of pine woods. I thought it was lovely, but the others weren’t so keen, primarily because of the poorer road surface. More like home in fact! After reaching the top (Coll d’Honor), Keith went ahead for a fast descent, but was thwarted by a slow moving vehicle that he couldn’t pass. I definitely wanted to take it more sedately on the descent, partly after Keith’s warning that some of the corners were potentially dangerous, but mostly so that I could enjoy it more. And I certainly did! This was one of my highlights of the week, following the twists and turns of the road as it descended through beautiful scenery, with new views opening up on every corner, and catching glimpses of the convoluted road ahead allowing me time to anticipate the fun to come.
I continued to descend through the town of Bunyola, until I found Keith waiting at the square. A while later, we had all congregated and thoughts turned to lunch. Colette and Lynne had sent photos of their lunch to my phone, but here we were not yet halfway through the ride, and it was already 3pm! There was no option but to keep going if we were to get back to the hotel before dark.
We carried on for another 6 miles or so, till we reached Santa Maria del Cami. By this time, we had decided to stop at the first supermarket and grab a quick sandwich. Unfortunately, all the shops were shut for the afternoon, so we ended up having a brief ice cream stop in place of lunch. Not an ideal substitute, but delicious nonetheless.
Vineyard country
Keith had been in touch with Lynne to find the quickest way back, and after a short detour, we found the correct road out of town and began our return journey through vineyard country. The roads were flat, straight and well surfaced, which helped us keep up a good speed. In fact, we hardly stopped for long stretches, apart from a pause for some silly photos next to the sign for Buger.
Shortly after, we reached the town of Buger and were taken aback by the sudden reintroduction to steepness on our way up to the town centre. A fast exit from the town then followed, bringing us back to the Campanet valley, which we tried to power through. Susan found the pace a little fast, but after packing in six sweeties for energy, she was rejuvenated and we had to work hard to keep up with her all the way from Pollenca back to Puerto Pollenca.
Meanwhile… after splitting from the Orient crew, Lynne and Colette made for Alaro, with a small detour for a look at the twin peaks, without actually having to do the climb.
THAT pizza
They reached Alaro and decided to choose the cafe with the most people at it for lunch, on the assumption that the most popular would most likely be the best. After spying a delicious-looking pizza being delivered to another table, topped with loads of rocket and parmesan shavings, they just had to have the same thing, which they duly ordered, along with some cold beers. They took photos and sent them to us, and I must admit to feeling very envious at the time!
Another cyclist enjoying lunch in Alaro
From Alaro, they continued to Consell and from there, reached the same vineyard route as the group led by Keith, taking them back to the hotel via Buger, then the Campanet valley and various back lanes. The main difference was that they got back well ahead of the Orient crew, who returned around sunset with bike lights twinkling.
There was just time for some showering and getting changed before dinner, where we hit the buffet with a vengeance!