Palma de Mallorca

Most rides give you a few kilometres to settle in. This one does not.

The ride begins on flat agricultural roads before the terrain changes character completely. Somewhere near Lloseta, on the other side of the railway tracks, the mountains begin. What follows is one of the most varied gravel routes on the island — fire roads, hidden singletrack, concrete switchbacks, and eventually the medieval castle of Alaró perched on its improbable rock.

This is Mallorca for people who live here. Not the Tramuntana classics with their processions of rental bikes and team buses — just a good morning out, back before the city gets properly started.