OK, the title of the journal entry today is not based on any train ride but rather that our route that took us to Orient today. There is nothing Oriental about it, though.
We are situated in a bowl in the Tramuntana mountains and to leave town you must ride one of three challenging mountain roads. Of course, we knew this when we decided to stay here. Or, should I say, it sounded apppealing at the time we booked in here. Seriously though, we are gob smacked by mountain cycling so it is ideal for us. If you like hiking, it's ideal for you too.
There are three roads out of Soller. We rode one on the first day of this trip (Puig Major), the second on the day we transitioned here (Col de Soller) and the third (Deia) just yesterday. The beauty is that there are small towns here and there with their own attractions so today we have chosen a loop ride to include Orient, Alaro and Bunyola. This will entail summitting three cols: Col de Soller, Col d'Honor and Col de Soller. That's technically two cols but from a 'rubber meets the road' perspective, it's three.
To get to the Col de Soller from Soller town, we have to ride the gauntlet of highway MA11 for about 4km uphill to reach the tunnel that diverts traffic heading to Palma. The steep valley is lined with lemon and orange orchards. Seeing the fresh lemons in the ditches was a stark reminder how common and ordinary citrus fruits are in this culture. At home, we covet citrus fruits in season.
The plan was to ride up and over the Col de Soller, hang a left and ride the Col d'Honor en route to Orient, then back to Soller via Alaro, Bunyola, and the Col de Soller again. In total it would be almost 1400m of climbing over 67km.
We see many hibiscus in full bloom in this part of Mallorca. This yellow one is in the courtyard of our hotel.
Just before the Col de Soller begins, the train and car tunnels divert traffic away. The train passes through 13 tunnels, the longest being 2856m long; the car tunnel is 3023m long. Our climb begins with a short steep section that is about 15% and then the switchbacks begin.
The train tunnel that was built to connect Soller with the rest of Mallorca and now serves a thriving tourism industry.
Goats roam the hillsides and kick rocks down on the roads. We have to be careful to avoid the rocks! This little fella' gave us a ba-a-a-ah as we left him to walk the rails.
The col d'Honor is a small winding road that had more cyclists than cars on it today. The road is heavy, meaning it's in rough condition. This adds to the challenge as it takes more energy to ride a heavy road.
At the summit of the col d'Honor, we came upon a very large group of cyclists hanging out and shooting the breeze. After shooing them away from the col sign (such bad manners 😜) we took our obligatory photos and headed off down the hill. The road surface was downright awful and at full speed it rattles your brain, let alone your wrists and forearms! Eventually it smoothed out and we sailed into Orient for coffee.
This is a train station like no other. A creative person has had some fun decorating the seating area at the outside bar. They had beer on tap, but were closed as the train has gone through already. And the washrooms were spotless... a rarity.
A strong headwind was blowing by the time we were on the home stretch. Luckily, the grade of the Col de Soller is gentle on this side, for the most part.
Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles) Total: 532 km (330 miles)
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Anne AnastasiouThanks for adding the comment that it is ideal for hikers too. Good to know. Some of those roads for riding on today looked brain jiggling! Glad you two enjoyed it though. xx Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Anne MathersTo Anne AnastasiouYou two have been on our minds a lot! We can see you would really enjoy Mallorca in so many ways. 😍 Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Anne AnastasiouTo Anne MathersThanks Anne. You are sure on our minds too! We're loving following your amazing journey and knowing that you are having a wonderful time. xx Reply to this comment 1 year ago
