Sa Calobra

For the second time this year CTC South Westerners had made the headlines in ‘Bike Watchers World’,“Early migration of CTCSW’s spotted over the Channel heading south!”

Professor Ian Stein specializing in avian cerebrum evolutionis at the ‘University of Information No One Wants to Know About’ explains,

“Usually it is not until May or June that we witness the now familiar fluffy yellow and blue streaks across the Channel sky, but this year unlike their sparrow cousins, a small group had taken to the skies remarkably early”.  The audience full of keen bike watchers went silent for a second and then all hands went up with a plethora of questions… there was a real buzz in the air, a sense that something truly remarkable had been witnessed.  “Could it be due to climate change?” “…what about changing feeding habits?” “…had they been spooked by their arch nemesis?” (catus Tomas and Co).  And so the questions went on.  Professor Ian Stein did his best to answer, “…it could be any one or all of these things… what we know for certain is that they continue to search for and congregate at eateries… in particular cafés with an abundance of cakes not least chocolate which seems to be a prime favourite.  This continues to be their raison d’etre as confirmed by bike watchers in Mallorca who spotted the distinctive yellow and blue markings gathered and hovering about a local ‘pasteleria’ in the vicinity of Palma.”

 

Pedro

 

Pedro in action

 Little did we know we were the cause of so much excitement in the bike watchers’ universe.  The main grouping landed in the southern part of Mallorca in the outskirts of Palma.  Sabina and myself swooshed into the Port of Soller where a little to the north resided ‘Sa Calobra’.  On our way to collect our bikes I noticed a canine quadruped staring at us behind a front garden wall.  I surmised that he was smiling at us and wanted to make friends.  I started to wander over to make this amiable fellow’s acquaintance… it was then that a local elderly gentleman came running over to me and grabbed my arm.  Pedro he explained was a trained guard dog and had recently swiftly dispatched some rather wicked would be robbers to “l’hospital” with some rear wound injuries in need of urgent attention.  I looked over at Pedro as his eyes became ever more alert as they locked onto me… “Hmmm” I thought and we walked on.

We reached the esplanade and there resting peacefully taking the early morning sun we saw a sweet little cat.  We patted Lola who kept her eyes closed and took no notice of us unlike Pedro who I noticed was watching me.  I took nice Lola’s presence to be a good omen and she certainly made up for nasty Pedro.

Lola

Lemons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (At this point in her proof reading… after noticing what I believe were a couple of yawns… Sabina commented, “… is this supposed to be write up for our bike ride or your autobiography as the modern day Saint Francis of Assisi?”  I took the hint and so dear reader I’ll fast forward to the ride but I can’t help but share a couple of photos of lemons, oranges and an 800 year old olive tree).

Oranges in February

 

Sa Calobra is the name of the little port at the bottom of the climb but to reach it you have to cycle up the other side of the mountain (Mont Puig being the highest point in Mallorca) and then  down, very down, a long winding road to the port where you will meet numerous stray cats lounging on the sea front and taking no notice of the tourists in the cafes.

Sunbathing cats

 

You then have to cycle back up whence you came.  I underestimated how hard it would be and overestimated my own strength (not helped by the fact that I hadn’t eaten enough energy food by far).  Sabina rode to the highest point and very sensibly stopped there in a nature park.

There she would wait for me to go down to Sa Calobra and back up.  The cycle hire lady’s words would prove prophetic… she had said to Sabina, with a smile, “you can relax whilst you watch him suffer!”  And suffer I did.  I’ve marked on the mountain profile where I suffered, conked out, stopped  and worried that I was not going to make it.  On the way back up towards the top my leg muscles had reached their limit… no amount of willing on my part made any difference. 

I christened this phenomenon ‘BMS’, Blancmange Muscle Syndrome.  Yes I could will my legs to push but it was like pushing into blancmange… very little happened and so I had to stop… and allow some energy to trickle back into my legs… but there was very little energy going and I had to stop and pause three, four perhaps five times.  It was embarrassing to have other riders that I had overtaken lower down now come past me as I stood watching and wondering why.  I needed something to get me up the last kilometer or two to where Sabina was waiting.

Sa Calobra is on the far side of the mountains

 

 

 

 

Inspired by Pedro

 

 

 

I thought of Pedro… of having to cycle for my life… and with that I just about made it.  Sabina as cool as cucumber waved at me…and as I reached her and explained she made some positive remarks about my efforts seeing that my obviously rumpled ego needed propping up.  But soon we were on our bikes, wheels spinning so fast as we descended the heights.  It was a fantastically long downhill freewheeling ride back to the bike shop.

As we walked back to our place Pedro was there watching us and I thanked him… from a distance… for helping me up that climb… I think he smiled back and even if I had only imagined it I like Pedro.
As we relaxed that evening in a local bar with a cool drink we heard playing in the background the Mallorquin singer Maria del Mar Bonet.  I highly recommend that you listen to her to reignite that very special Mallorcan feel good factor.

~ Bernard