Now, I'd never ridden through a tunnel of any substantial length. The one above is in Mallorca, on the way to Cap de Formentor, a lighthouse on the most north-easterly tip of the island. The fellow on the cycle preceded me, whilst I waited for a friendly vehicle to approach. I'd decided that I'd ride in front of it, using its lights to show me the road ahead. And sure enough it worked a treat, enabling me to zip through at a steady 17/18 mph!
The fellow ahead turned out to be Dutch, and he's stopped to take a photograph the other side of the tunnel. He asked me,
"Did you see the big rock in the road as you came through?"
No. I hadn't. And I can't have missed it by much either. So a close shave then, and the rock will undoubtedly be a boulder next time the story is told.
However, the tantrum booking of a short package to Mallorca proved to be a revelation. The Puerto Azul Suite Hotel in Puerto Pollensa was ideal - full of cyclists from Denmark on an organised Cycle Camp - and only a couple of hundred metres from the seafront. Three types of fish on offer at the evening buffet, porridge and honey for breakfast, and the Tour of the Basque Country on TV every afternoon. Bargain!
In the carpark outside we bumped into Bradley Wiggins van, and later his man, wheeling the great man's suitcase from the hotel ready for the next day's riding.
Sadly we didn't see the Tour De France champion himself, but I did ride some of the roads he did on my jaunt to the lighthouse.
On the zig zags above I met two professional riders on a coaching session, their verbose trainer hollering orders at them from the team car, whilst they hurtled up the hill. I crawled up the hill, and enjoyed both the view, and the Kuota Korsa Lite Road Bike that I'd hired for the day from
PollensaCycling. A flighty, stiff little aluminium number compared to my carbon Roubaix, sadly left at home - this being a short 'family' break after all.
Top tip now for 'family' holidays. Make sure that you sneak a pair of cycleshorts into your minimal cabin luggage (no lengthy checking in for us!). You never know if you're going to feel the urge to hire a bicycle! Forty Mallorcan miles on a narrow saddle in ordinary shorts? Only possible if you're a regular user of
Brooks Saddles. Even then, you do end up feeling a little 'bruised'.
Although only 40km (25miles) the route is hilly and packs in 1600m (5200ft) of climbing.
However, like a lot of climbs in the Alps, the gradient is never too severe and the suffering is always tempered by the views. The coffee in the Lighthouse Cafe is improved by the environment, but the cakes are fabulous.
Arriving back at the hotel, recovery mode kicked in.
'I've a window of an hour in which to have a chocolate milkshake and some peanuts!'
This knowledegable, and desperate, statement was greeted with, "Let's go then!"
Lovely Wife Jo was more than happy to venture forth to the
Cappuccino Grande Cafe, now on the list of 'Great cafes we have known', there to have Olives and a Mojito.
The Chocolate Milk Shake was of the finest kind, and greatly enhanced by the knowledge that I'd done the work to earn it.
As the drinks, peanuts, olives and the Sun went down, we soaked up the ambiance of a Mediterranean Cafe, and listened to Cappuccinno Radio. I'm listening to it now too, as I write this, next to the beautifully green, but constantly wet Cotswold Hills.
You could listen too, by clicking this link.
We'll be there, Union flag flying somewhere just above Dutch Corner - the orange swamped bend traditionally adopted by thousands of noisy, excited and often quite well 'oiled' Netherlanders! Fabulously friendly, riding through them is one of cycling's great experiences.
