Mallorca in January

[Mark83]

Mrs B is away for a week with work. I have some extra holiday that's rolled over. EasyJet flights are stupidly cheap. Internet says temperatures are between 5-12c, either way, better than the UK and rainfall is low. Why not?

Never been before. Looking for recommendations where to stay (bike friendly). Would want to tick off the climbs so would need to take proximity to those into account.

Hire a bike or take my own? I love riding MY bike but is it worth the hassle for a few days?

Over to you...

[LJTS]

It will be warmer than the UK maybe!

Make sure that the place you stay in has good heating and expect rain

On the positive side it will be very quiet

[schmalex]

If you still want some bars or restaurants in the evening, you would be looking at Pollenca (old town), Soller or Inca as these places still have decent sized local communities

[RATATTAK]

Have you thought of Lanzarote ?

[Mark83]

LJTS said:

It will be warmer than the UK maybe!

Make sure that the place you stay in has good heating and expect rain

On the positive side it will be very quiet

Spanish roads have a reputation of turning into ice rinks in the wet. I assume these will be same?

[Mark83]

schmalex said:

If you still want some bars or restaurants in the evening, you would be looking at Pollenca (old town), Soller or Inca as these places still have decent sized local communities

I was looking at Pollença for its location between the Cap and Sa Calobra.

[Mark83]

RATATTAK said:

Have you thought of Lanzarote ?

I'll have a look. Was trying to avoid Canaries to keep costs down and we're going there early Feb for some winter sun / all inclusive binging. I hired a bike last year and cycled up El Teide but feel guilty disappearing out on the bike while away together.

[ALawson]

Be careful if you think about going back to Tenerife, my mate has a place out there and we have been in Nov, Dec, April and May. He has been stopped at Vilaflor before due to snow on the road to the crater, temperature toward the coast are obviously better than the UK.

I have been in Lanzarote in December as well and it was an unseasonal 22 degrees, normally mid to high teens. There are plenty of cheap villas around Playa Blanca see Lanzarotelates.com cheap car hire via www.autoreisen.com/car-hire/Lanzarote‎ and a decent bike hire place in Playa Blanca.

[river_rat]

I've been to Lanzarote many times over Xmas and end of January and done a lot of mountain biking whilst there.

Weather has always been warm enough for shorts and t-shirt cycling.

If you end up there I can recommend bike hire and tour guides based in either Teguise, Puerto del Carman and Playa Blanca (for road or MTB)

[ShortShift811]

It's a 50/50 call in January I'd say. Warmer than the UK, yes, but any wet or icy weather will make the mountain passes dicey at best, or could mean it's too risky to ride at all. Expect some very cold winds on the higher spots too, especially Formentor. If it stays dry and relatively warm you'll have a great time.

Pollenca (town, much better than the Port) or Soller are your best bets for towns to stay in if you do go.

Alternatively, I've just come back from Girona. Amazing rides and much more of a cycling community with the pros living there over winter. Plus it's inland, so conditions perhaps more favourable. Maybe worth a look.

[neil-1323bolts]

I am out in Cyprus at the moment and doing some cycling, it’s still very warm here26 today and I believe it’s around 17 degrees in January but you can get some heavy rain , and a 4 1/2 hour flight to get here , it’s a good option I think though

[anonymous-user]

"Rich & Tom" of the twittersphere (father and son into cycling in a big way) are heading to Mallorca for the festive500 period (again)

As it is at least their 6th time, there must be some appeal

https://twitter.com/richpips/status/10543801158183...

[whatleytom]

Off again in a few weeks. I wouldn't bother with Easyjet personally. BA on economy plus will let you take a bike on for free as a part of your normal 23kg allowance and will usually work out slightly cheaper, especially with avois. Easyjet is something like another £40 each leg. Hire cars are hilariously cheap on some of the travel sites. Something like £15-£20 a week for a small crossover.

Last time I went I stayed in Port de Soller. Lovely place and some mega climbs not far away. Some great bars/restaurants all within walking distance around the bay too.

Edited by whatleytom on Monday 22 October 20:24

[Sa Calobra]

Don't know if this helps but I stayed in Tenerife. I'd never go there in a month of Sundays for a holiday but for mountain biking it was spot on off season. (Uplift guided). Road riding was ok but very much only climbing (it felt like). Sky's trained out there.

[Paul 8v]

I'd personally hire a bike out there. The baggage handlers are not the most careful and you also get to try out something you've not ridden before, there's no better place to test ride something! There are loads of hire places there. I got mine from a guy who was an ex German CX racer who did BMCs, something I've never ridden in the UK.

One thing that's worthwhile doing is taking a set of small lights, that way you won't get squished in the tunnel on the Cap Formentor road and also you can get out really early in the morning then if you're doing a monster one. Aim to be out of the way of places like Cap Formentor or Sa Colabra by about 11am otherwise your enjoyment of any descents is going to be spoilt by hordes of busses and cars.

I went for the first time earlier this year, it's like a magical bike theme park wonderland. The only issue is you'll want to go back straight away... The drivers are considerate, the roads make ours look like the surface of the moon and the scenery is epic.

[millen]

I went for the first time in mid-April with a group of 80+. Yes, truly magical cycling. We stayed in ApartHotel Duva in Port Pollenca. Our package allowed all-you-can-eat breakfast and dinner but I think you can stay as self-catering, with a kitchenette in the rooms. We were lucky to have 7 days dry and sunny - the group has been going for 8 years and said normally you can expect a couple of wet days even in April so I imagine mid-winter will be a matter of chance. 3 or 4 in the club like it so much that they've bought apartments out there. Around 70% of the group hired bikes, though some were staying just 4 days which makes bringing your own bike uneconomic.

[SoliD]

I went at the back end of January in 2015 and it was still -2 at the top of Puig Major, had a couple of days that were affected by rain, but lower levels it wasn't too bad, just be prepared and take layers. Warmish at sea level but soon cools off. Not much open when I was there compared to end of feb. I stayed in Alcudia old town, just a few bars available but obviously great base for riding.

[Mark83]

All booked for 14-18 Jan. Bought a Bike Box Alan so taking my bike instead of hiring. Staying just outside Alcudia. Hired a Polo for £15 a day.

Fingers crossed it doesn't rain.

[Sa Calobra]

SoliD said:

I went at the back end of January in 2015 and it was still -2 at the top of Puig Major, had a couple of days that were affected by rain, but lower levels it wasn't too bad, just be prepared and take layers. Warmish at sea level but soon cools off. Not much open when I was there compared to end of feb. I stayed in Alcudia old town, just a few bars available but obviously great base for riding.

Eek. I'm thinking of going late Feb

[Mark83]

The weather forecast is looking promising for next week. Looking forward to kick starting my 2019.