The last riding day (probably) of the trip, as we have many miles to drive and ferries to take after reveille tomorrow morning. A loop was planned based on the Tramuntana mountains and the corkscrew road & climb down to Sa Colobra and back up, with a return via the flatter lands and the coast.
An early breakfast paved the way, and we left before 0900. A small hiccup lost us a half hour, when the two of us got separated in traffic, with Forest, of course ending up not knowing which way to go. Fortunately, mobile-phone contact inter partes decided to work today, and we hooked up again at the bike shop. Off to the hills without further delay.
Traffic was light, and the climb into the Tramuntana from the east was enjoyable - nothing to get into a lather about, after the Izoard. An hour of gentle spinning saw us at the T-junction on top, where the road to Soller/Sa Colobra splits off to the right. Our exit road for later in the day goes left. Still not much traffic to cause concern, so Sa Colobra looked a runner. Until we got nearer to the next Y in the road, that is.
There had been growing coach activity along the switchbacks getting to the Y, not all of it patient. And quite a few of the attendant grockles in rental cars had scant idea of how to behave around cyclists. At the Y, the turn off for the narrow, twisting mountain-road drop to Sa Colobra, all was a stationary park of coaches and their passengers, rental cars, stalls selling 'stuff' and the odd cab or three. No-one could actually make any progress down the descent to the sea.
Sadly, any attempt to ride down there (and worse, back up again) would have been an unpleasant, maybe dangerous, mistake, so we lost a dozen miles or so from our itinerary, by heading back instead to the junction on the top road, from an hour or so earlier. The descent to the south, back down to Caimari, Selva and Campanet (where we lunched in the square) was a bit of a flier. But, if you have paid the entrance fee, you deserve the ride.
The last leg back to base was familiar, out to the sea, turn north and follow the coast road to and through Alcudia. Two pains au chocolat & two Cokes (A) and a pint of Estrella (F) put some energy back.
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