Winter Cycling in Mallorca: A Four Night Escape from the Grey

A four night winter cycling holiday in Mallorca, empty mountain roads, mild sunshine, a private chef and a villa with a pool, a short flight from anywhere in Europe.

The Tuesday Everything Went Grey

It is the first week of November and the sky has been the same shade of wet slate since Sunday. You wheel the bike out of the garage, look at the rain running down the window, and wheel it back in.

You have been doing this for years. The Friday group ride, the long weekends, the summer holidays that always seem to end just as the legs find their form. And now the clocks have gone back, the evenings are gone by half past four, and winter stretches ahead like a long wet road with no summit in sight.

Then a message arrives from a friend who rides. A photo, nothing more. A winding mountain road, pine trees, pale blue sky, and not one car in the frame. Underneath it, one line: Fifteen degrees and sun all morning. You should come.

You look at the photo for a long time. Then you look at the calendar. Four free nights, starting this Wednesday. You do not need a month of planning. You need a flight and a bag.

This is the story of that trip, and it is one we see unfold every winter at Velocamp Mallorca.

A Short Flight and a Warm Welcome

Wednesday arrives quickly. By lunchtime you are at the airport with one bag and no bike box, because there is nothing to pack that you will not find waiting at the other end. The flight is short, a few hours at most from most of Europe, and you spend it with a coffee and a window seat, watching the grey cloud thin out and fall away.

Palma greets you with a clean winter blue. Someone is waiting in arrivals, and that someone is me. I take your bag, you take a long breath, and we drive inland towards Alaró, a quiet village tucked against the foot of the Tramuntana mountains.

The villa has a private pool, a terrace that catches the last of the afternoon light, and a smell of something wonderful drifting from the kitchen. Our private chef welcomes you with freshly baked cakes, pastries and quiche. Your room is ready. In the garage, a Canyon road bike with electronic Ultegra Di2 gears and a power meter is set out for you, alongside a fresh Velocamp jersey and bib shorts, bottles, chamois cream and sunglasses.

Our first team dinner is that same evening, for a small group of never more than eleven riders. Nobody asks what you do for a living. They ask what you ride, and where, and whether you have done Sa Calobra. By the second course you are laughing with people you met two hours ago.

Thursday Morning on Roads You Have to Yourself

The morning is cool and bright. You are wearing arm warmers and a gilet, and you feel faintly ridiculous for about ten minutes, until the first climb warms you through and the layers disappear into your pockets.

We roll out of the village two by two, a guide at the front and another at the back. The roads are the quiet kind. Ahead of you, tarmac climbs through pine forest and olive terraces towards ridges that were crowded with traffic and tour buses in July. Today they belong to the cyclists and the occasional farmer. Over three days on the bike you will ride some of the finest cycling roads on earth, with almost no traffic and barely another cyclist in sight.

This is what winter in Mallorca hides from the people who only visit in summer. The tourists have gone home. The hire cars have gone with them. On a road like Coll d'Honor, with its smooth new tarmac and its scent of pine, you can ride for long stretches without seeing a single vehicle.

On the climbs, everyone finds their own pace. Nobody is chased and nobody is left. We regroup at the top, and whoever arrives first simply turns round and rides back to meet the others.

You reach the summit and stop. The valley below is green, the sea is a silver line on the horizon, and the only sound is the wind in the pines. You realise you have not checked your phone in three hours.

Winter Sunshine When Home Is Grey

Winter in Mallorca is not quite as consistent as springtime or early autumn, but it is still significantly better than back home, and better than almost anywhere else in Europe at this time of year.

Daytime highs in Mallorca's winter typically sit around 15 degrees, with a normal range of roughly 12 to 18, according to WeatherSpark's January figures, and December daytime temperatures are commonly quoted at 15 to 18 degrees. Winter days bring around five hours of sunshine on average, per SeeMallorca. That is cool enough to climb all morning without overheating, and bright enough that your photos still look like a holiday.

It is the sweet spot for the Tramuntana. The air is cool, the climbs are long, and the winter sun does the rest.

Compare all that with a November evening at home, and you will see why professional teams have trained here through winter for decades.

A Full Day Out, With Everything Taken Care Of

Here is the part that surprises first time guests. You do not carry anything.

The support van follows the group all day, loaded with food, refreshments and spares. When your stomach starts to growl, the van is parked at the next lay by with something to eat and something sweet. If a puncture strikes, the guides sort it out while you stand in the sun and take in the view.

Your bike is a pleasure. The electronic shifting is crisp, the power meter quietly tells you the truth about your effort, and if you want a Hammerhead Karoo computer or a heart rate monitor, we simply hand you one.

The route is chosen by people who live here. No poring over maps, no wondering whether the road ahead is good. We ride the climbs that matter and the descents that reward you for them, and we always take a little care on the corners, because a smooth, quiet road invites you to go faster than you should.

At some point in the afternoon the group rolls back into Alaró and stops at Cycling Planet, where David and Laura have a coffee and a slice of cake with your name on them.

If you are nervous about keeping up, there is a simple answer. Our Scott Fastlane e bikes put you at the front of every climb. Nobody is ever dropped, and nobody ever has to fake being fine.

The Afternoon Belongs to Recovery

Back at the villa, the real luxury begins.

A protein smoothie is put into your hand before you have unclipped a cleat. On the kitchen counter sit the post ride cakes and quiches our chef has made, one sweet and one savoury, still warm. You eat more than you meant to, and nobody judges you.

Then you shower, and then you hand yourself over. Our qualified sports physiotherapist gives each rider a daily massage, and the compression boots are waiting in the living room, so you can put your legs up and let them do the work. Your quads, which were complaining on the last climb, quietly stop.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, you drift out to the terrace with a book and lose an hour. The winter sun is low and warm on your face, the pool shimmers beside you, and the mountains you rode through that morning glow gold in the distance.

Dinner is the sort of meal you would pay serious money for in a restaurant. Risottos, pastas, curries, barbecued meats, fresh vegetables and crisp green salads, all cooked to fuel tomorrow's ride, the way a professional team would eat. If you have any allergies or dietary needs, they are covered on your registration form, and everything from gluten free to fully vegan is looked after.

Evenings, Friendships and What to Pack

By the third night something has changed. The table that felt like strangers on Wednesday now feels like old friends. Many of our guests arrive alone, and every week the same thing happens. Riding together all day and eating together every evening does what a dozen introductions could never do.

Some of those friendships last well beyond the week. Riders swap numbers, plan next season's trips, and turn up at each other's local cafes at home.

There is nothing to organise and nothing to worry about, which is exactly the point. You came for the riding, the rest, and the people who understand why you love it. Everything else, from the transfers to the bike to the photographs we take of you on the climbs, is handled.

As for packing, it is simple. Most of the kit is provided, so you only need to think about the cool mornings. Bring tights or an undervest and perhaps a pair of gloves, depending on how much winter you are leaving behind. Riders from colder places often find our winter mornings perfectly comfortable, while those of us who live here tend to feel the chill a little more. Either way, most people find it very manageable.

Four Nights Is Enough to Change Your Winter

On Sunday morning, after a final breakfast together, the Velocamp shuttle takes you back to the airport, a little browner, a lot lighter, and quietly planning how soon you can come back.

Four nights is not a long time. But it is long enough to ride the best roads on the island without a single queue, to sleep better than you have in months, and to remember what your legs can do when the weather is on your side. It is long enough to arrive home with a tan line on your forearms in the middle of winter and a photograph that makes your friends ask where on earth you have been.

That is why we run shortened four night winter camps. They are made for exactly the sort of trip in this story: a short flight from home, a long weekend away from the grey, and everything taken care of from the moment you land. Winter is also our quieter season, so there is often more availability than in summer, which is good news if your plans come together late.

What Your Four Nights Include

Our four night winter cycling holidays in Mallorca cost €1,995 per rider, all inclusive, with professional ride photography included. You can reserve your place with a €500 deposit. The balance is due 30 days before arrival, and if you are booking within 30 days, you simply pay in full to confirm.

• Four nights, all inclusive: €1,995 per rider (Professional ride photography included)
• Group of ten or more: €1,795 per rider (A 10% saving, with the whole villa yours for an exclusive weekend)
• Private room: €395 (Your own room for the full stay, limited availability)
• E bike upgrade: €150 (A Scott Fastlane e-bike for the full trip)

Each Winter Long Weekend runs with a minimum of six riders, confirmed 10 days before arrival. In the rare event a date does not go ahead, you can move to another weekend or receive a full refund.

Make a Bigger Trip of It

Travelling from further afield, or simply fancy more time on the island? Many guests add a few days either side of the camp to enjoy Palma and the rest of Mallorca in winter, without the summer crowds and endless rental cars. We collect you from the airport on arrival day, wherever your journey begins.

Ready to Escape the Winter?

If you have been looking at the rain and thinking there has to be a better way to spend the next few months, there is. Take a look at our winter camps and see which dates suit you.

See our four night winter cycling holidays in Mallorca

Cheers, Alex

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