Megan’s Guide to training in the Capdepera/Cala Ratjada/Cala Agulla area of Mallorca

On 16th May I flew out to Mallorca for a week of warm weather training/catching up with sleep from a busy weekend of night shifts! My dad kindly invited me out to stay with him in a villa near Capdepera whilst he did a week of golf. I have only been to Mallorca once previously and stayed in Port de Pollença; a place renowned for cycling holidays. Capdepera is further south east and not quite so popular for training, however I had THE BEST time and would definitely consider going there again. I write this as both a training report and holiday guide for anyone interested in exploring a different part of the island.

Monday- Arrival day, I didn’t land until around 7pm, I had been awake for >24hrs so it was straight to bed!

Tuesday- 10km Run explore/Fartlek. Still feeling a bit knackered from work I headed out to explore the local area. Our villa was down some rural lanes approximately 1.5km from the sea. I had a beautiful run down to the beach on what looked like a road on google maps… but was actually half trail path! Then the trail that I thought was across the beach to Cala Agulla was pure sand, however I found a quiet back road to help me wiggle round and end up on a beautiful coastal path around Cala Agulla and over to Cala Ratjada. I ran through the town centre and wiggled back to the villa via country lanes again. Beautiful.

I spent the afternoon building my bike before falling asleep by the pool all afternoon. We then had a BBQ in the evening which was delish!

Wednesday- First ride out on the bike. 34 miles, 1909 ft elev, 2hrs. Capdepera -> Arta -> PMV-2034  -> Ma-3323 to Sant Llorenc des Cardassar -> Son Carrio -> Son Servera -> Ma-4040 home.

I didn’t want to do anything too challenging to ensure that I had put my bike together properly! This ride was beautiful, particularly the PMV-2034 which became my favourite road- undulating, scenic and not a car in sight! The main road back to Capdepera was a little boring, however the cycle path alongside the road was very safe for cycling.

In the afternoon I did some more pool lounging before marching up the hill with my dad to a wonderful tapas bar- Nou Segle 12. There I had the best sangria I’ve found in Mallorca (and I’ve been to several places!), had some delicious tapas, tiramisu cake and some limoncello to finish…. Before walking back down the hill home!

Thursday- S&C circuits + 3x 8 min sweet spot run session. With a slightly sore head I set up a 30min bodyweight circuits session outside consisting of: walking lunges, press-ups, squat jumps, plank, glute bridges, side lunges, side plank and leg lowers (45 secs on/15 off) Once completed and I had breakfast, I felt much better! However, it did mean I didn’t head out on my run until 11:30am when it was hot hot hot! My run session went surprisingly well, I had scouted out a very straight, long, quiet country lane to do my efforts on- downhill for the first 4 mins, turnaround and then uphill for the rest. With the heat and my slight hangover, my HR was hitting threshold rate (oops) but nonetheless a good session!

Afternoon- snooze by the pool (common theme here) -> evening walk to the beach with Dad -> chicken pasta for dins.

Friday- Long ride! 54 miles, 2,687ft elev, 3hr 18. I debated heading for a hilly mountainous ride but enjoyed the rolling countryside from the previous ride so much that I wanted much of the same! Capdepera -> Arta -> Ma-12/Ma-3400 to Santa Margalida -> Petra -> Manacor -> Ma-3323 -> PMV-2034  -> Arta -> Home.  My legs were tireeed after the first 1hr, there was a decent breeze to offset the 26 degree heat but my legs were just not playing ball. I ensured to stay well hydrated and stopped off at a garage for fanta and some haribo to help me physically and mentally! My legs picked up in the end and I enjoyed my favourite road and then decent through Arta back home.

Afternoon- snooze -> BBQ round 2 + cat feeding (see pic!)

Saturday- Betlem climb! 22.7 miles, 1,769ft elev, 1hr 36. Tim had suggested this climb to me before flying out and finally the day had come where I fancied giving it a go! It is a cat 3 climb 5.1km av. 5% with a cute monastery at the end. The road starts off at a gentle gradient before hitting some hairpin bends up to the top. You reach the top of the climb before descending down a few bends to reach the actual monastery. This does mean when you turn around you are heading back up some steep bends before the true descent begins. The scenery was beautiful, quite different to climbs at the top of the island- more quaint and narrow (but still good road surface!) I hit the climb around 9:30am and it was v.quiet! I went up at pretty steady effort not quite knowing what to expect, however in hindsight I could have given it some more beans!

Afternoon- snooze and pool dip -> Il Ministro restaurant, Cala Ratjada marina. No Spanish holiday is complete without a good paella, the one at this restaurant was most excellent with a beautiful view over the marina! Accompanied by another good glass of Sangria (with fruit +++).

Sunday- 1hr Zone 2 Long run, same route as Tuesday + some extra time around the lanes. I finished off the holiday with a lovely steady run. I headed out at 8am and it was super quiet and tranquil, complete bliss before a long afternoon at the airport. We stopped at Golf Son Gual on the way to the airport (about 15mins away from Palma) for some lunch on recommendation from Dad’s golf coach. The restaurant had the most amazing terrace looking out over the golf course and was a lovely last meal before we headed separate ways at the airport.

In Summary, I really enjoyed my week in the Capdepera area. If you fancy less mountainous rides around some beautiful, rolling, Mallorcan countryside then this is the place for you! Cala Agulla was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and there were lots of off-road trails around there that I didn’t quite have time to explore. The centre of Cala Ratjada is quite touristy but nothing compared to Alcudia/Palma! It is predominantly a German tourist area so expect to see Spanish -> German translation as the norm! There is a big Lidl and Mercadona supermarket as you head into Cala Ratjada which is perfect if you’re self catering. I ran past some beautiful looking hotels in Cala Agulla too. It’s approximately a 1 hr drive here from Palma airport, I would advise hiring a car to make the most of what the area has to offer! Car hire at Palma airport is very easy.

Would I go back? 100% yes!

Megan Powell