Mallorca ERV training week - Mountainbikers go mad on skinny tyres.
Photo link
Well you've all probably heard of getting the training base miles in before starting your race season, and as this happens around the time of zero daylight and sub zero temperatures in this country its a tough challenge.
ERV have been going out to Mallorca for a few years, the guys ride all types of bikes as Jack, Adi and Ryan do but out here the road bike is king.
There are MTB trails, they are not well mapped and hard to find and you'd do a lot of miles on road tracking them down anyway.
A typical days ride here can start at the beach front from our base at S'Arenal nr Palma, and wind up for some killer climbs to 700 metres, taking in 100 miles in around 6 hrs.
The Hairpin decsending, especially between a bunch of ego led mountainbikers can be as hairy as any off road descent, speeds are breathtaking.
Add in some nice temperatures, @ 18 degsC normally and some Sun and you soon rack up 600 miles in a week of quality riding.
Now 2004's trip proved eventfull in many ways, a big group of 10 of us on the road led to quite a few crashes in quite the craziest of circumstances, luckily only a few ripped shorts and scars and Adi's descending confidence were the only casualties.
Ryan, Geoff Beetham, 2003 FNSS champ Martin Smith tore up the road generally. Gavin Rumbles did a superb chunk of riding keeping with the elite boys and the rest of us generally did our own thing at a distance. Dotted throughout the rides all week were the usual Monastery climbs where a quick re-group was the signal for mass uphill racing for King of the tea-stop points.
After all that riding the calorie loading begins, first with the hotel buffet. With up to 300 calories a day to refuel dinner is a Mr. creosote affair, with fights over the puddings, and plate stacking championships.
Its then bar time to unwind and in the Interests of an Impromtu stag night celebration for Neil, whose girlfriend proposed to him whilst he was out here (leap year, boys) a few visits to Las Vegas sports club (ahemmm). Funny how Adi and Ryan seemed to know most of the staff by name there.
Luckily we didn't find the most generous landlord untill the last night, the shots were flowing and the lads were falling. I'm still laughing at the boys antics on the beach, and the packed lift, chunder, T-shirt over head incident was a classic.
The gang in order of drunkenness on the last night were;
Lawrence (lance, Chippo, or whatever name we through at him) baby of the group
Adi (no legs, beach diver) Scott
Wayne (pavement painter) Bennett
Geoff (pack it all in one night) Beetham
Create and add links of
some of the climbs here.