Mallorca 2023 Day 1 - The Arrival

Seems I formed an advance party of one! Maybe because I'm used to rising early, I booked the 9.10 flight, although my actual intention was to get to Port De Pollença by mid-afternoon to get the lie of the land and, most importantly, to see if I could get the hang of riding with drop handlebars. No Plan B as all the Stuart Hall hire bikes are of that persuasion. 

The travelling went swimmingly and I just got here in time to have lunch before the restaurant closed for the afternoon. Eventually I was checked in and unpacked and made my way down to bike collection, where a sea of bikes were tagged with our names.

With 2 guys in the cycle store and having only 1 customer they were super helpful and full of good advice, including a reminder to ride on the right side of the road! I’d opted for hiring flat pedals which were fitted quickly and seat height checked. A few more words of wisdom and explanation and I was let loose. 

So far, so good. It’s a nice lightweight bike and I can brake and change gear, although not necessarily in the intended direction. I’m sure I’ll get round to managing hand signals before the week is out. Not convinced about cycling on the drops yet though, that feels like a whole different ball game. 

Well that was my cycling on day one, about an hour altogether, and am now sitting in the bar waiting for my fellow cyclists to arrive. What fun we will have! 

Steph writes:

Travelling by bike in Mallorca ...going up is so easy 😁

Arrived safely with Terry travelling by Easyjet from Gatwick. Terry and Steph slightly worried but in no time the main gang arrived from Heathrow.  Another wait for 2 extra very fit young men before we departed in the minibus for the beautiful Porto Polenza,,bikes, food, drinks.