The sun is shining brightly. The landscapes are epic. And the tourist flights are so closely timed that you could almost describe them as an extension of the German public transport network. Mallorca is the Germans' favourite holiday island. And the cycling paradise par excellence. Every spring, kilometre-hungry cyclists make the pilgrimage to Mallorca in droves to get themselves going in pleasantly warm temperatures. But as paradisiacal as the conditions are for racing cyclists on Mallorca, they are just as difficult for mountain bikers.
Biking on Mallorca now open to everyone
A large part of the island is private land. If you want to ride trails, you need excellent local knowledge to avoid getting lost in the labyrinth of fences and gates. The bad news: this is unlikely to change for the time being. The good news is that biking on Mallorca is now open to everyone. In Paguera, a tourist resort on the rugged south coast, Mallorca's first trail park was opened last week. Harald Sandner, who runs a local bike centre, and Michael Kuttler, who works for the centre, came up with the idea. Those responsible at the tourist office were enthusiastic and assured their full support. The realisation dragged on for two years. Now the mayor of Paguera, Christina de León, ceremoniously cut the opening ribbon.
The trails: more flowing than radical - for normal bikers
The most important information in brief: Nine routes with three different levels of difficulty lead from the starting plateau at an altitude of around 300 metres towards the sea. The routes can be combined with each other. They have a rather flowy character. There are no radical jumps or built obstacles. If you want to ride the trails, you have to cycle to the starting point yourself.
"A park for normal bikers," says Harald Sandner. His colleague Michael Kuttler, who regularly competes in enduro races himself, nods: "Even bikers who enjoy riding challenging trails can have a great time here. But if you're looking for metre-high drops and huge doubles, you're in the wrong place."
An overview of the routes can be found on the Rad International website: www.rad-international.de/de/mountainbiking/. The park is open all day and free of charge.
You can find the detailed background report on the grand opening of the Paguera Trailpark on Mallorca here here.
