WHAT KIND OF PERSON COMES TO MALLORCA?

This was my third time taking a group to Mallorca, it was also the best. The other two times I was asked by a Colorado Club to take a group across. I didn't know the group, nor did I know what their trips were like. They went OK but I wanted them to be better. 

This year I decided to take a group of people I know. They were all customers of Sunnyside Sports and I would say friends. If you go into the store you of course know Barb, a huge bundle of energy. Lew, her husband also works at Sunnyside. He broke his leg two weeks before the trip but decided to come anyway. I think it was a good decision. He is having fun visiting with friends but he he ready to ride for sure. Lew is the head planner for our France trip this fall. 

Gary and Patsy are the other couple sitting with Lew and Barb in the lower right hand photo. They started doing OBR and Bike Idahos years ago. Patsy is one of the Chandlerettes. They are the perfect people to go on holiday with. Everything is an adventure and fun. Nothing really bothers them and they enjoy all the new sensations in being in a new country. They take the hills as a challenge and are not afraid to be on their own.

Linda and Paul are also long time Sunnyside customers and friends. They were both in my masters ski class a few years back. They had not been to Europe before but thought this would be an easy way for a first trip. They like to be on their own so they can stop and take photos, enjoy the scenery and ride at their own pace. They found the best restaurant they had ever been to last night. 

Leila is a good friend of Barb's. She is a professional tour guide. Makes one nervous trying to run a trip with a professional  on it.  But Leila is as easy as the rest. She can be by herself or ride in a group. She is not afraid of being in a new place because that is what she is used to.

Mary is the last member of our group. She is here because she was going to take Lew's place when he broke his leg. When Lew decided to come she decide to come anyway. I have ridden hundreds of miles with Mary. I have know her longer than anyone else in this group in fact. She is a joy to be around. Everything new is a wonder to her. When you get to see Mallorca in her eyes it is like seeing it for the first time.

So this is the type of person that comes to Mallorca. I couldn't be more blessed.

Don

WHY I AM IN MALLORCA AND NOT WORKING

I don't really need to write this blog, all I need to do is have this photo. That is the reason I am here and not at work. Now don't get me wrong, March is the best time for me to be gone. I like to get a jump on cycling, this is when I get to revisit with friends from Scotland etc. I have been asked many times "who runs the store when you are gone?" Well the same people who run the store when I am there. I don't run Sunnyside Sports, in fact I run it less now than ever. They run it, all of them.  I want to thank them now, Susan, Gary, Mike, Jim, Eric, Seth, Jacob, Russ, Jeffrey, Jodie, and Damian. Barb, and Lew are here with me so they are thankful they all run the store also. 

We don't have just workers at Sunnyside, we have people with passion, people who love what they do. 

I do a lot at Sunnyside, and I am an important cog, but without me the store still works because of the dedication of those who work when I am gone. I don't worry about how they are doing because I know they are doing the very best that can be done. 

The good part is I am looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone. They are all part of my extended family, if you are reading this, thanks gang, see you in a week.

Don

SUNSHINE, CHOCOLATE NIÑAS, AND SKYPE

Nothing like a little trip to the ice cream store for Ione and Eifa. Ione was very proud of her chocolate mouth. I, of course couldn't help but to take a photo. Her mom is on the bike, with short sleeves and bare legs. It was finally warm enough to take of the protective layers. Of course there will be a few of us with a British Tan this morning. The first long day in the sun means sunburn for some. 

The first year I came to Mallorca I didn't call home for almost three week. Kathy was in San Diego for a workshop and her cell phone was not working. Three years ago we discovered Skype. We were able to talk via the internet at no charge. The hotel didn't have wifi so I found a place in the plaza that had a signal (someone's vacation home I think). 

This year the hotel has free wifi and we have video. Not only do I get to talk to my sweetheart but I get to see her lovely face. How good is that. Somehow that is very comforting. I don't get Skype. It is free and there are no adds. How do they make it. It also works very well. 

Today we have more sunshine and less wind. More fun on the bikes.

Don

DIVERSE DIRECTIONS AND WEATHER CHANGE

Everyone in our group took diverse directions. Yesterday was a day of changing weather and some pretty strong winds. In Palma, about 45 miles from here a cruise ship was blown off it's mooring and the gang plank (maybe only pirate ships have gang planks) fell into the water with some passengers on it. This storm had all of Europe in a turmoil. 

For us it meant the last 5 kilometers of the ride were pretty much scary. The wind tried to blow us backwards and off our bikes. 

Last night the wind blew like crazy and most everyone was hesitant to go out and get blown around again. So it was a tourist day. Paul, Linda, Patsy and Gary went off to Palma. That was a good plan as the rest of the time here is predicted to be sunny and warm. Mary told me she would be a tourist today and Barb hung out with Lew. She went out on her bike in the afternoon after the wind subsided.

Me, well I have bicycle disease. That means I ride no matter what. Bike holiday means bike riding. Today turned out to be a great day though. No rain, we were protected from the wind by both the mountains and the tall bodies of Kevin and Neal (lads from England and Scotland). We rode up to Orient down to Bunyola (stop for lunch), and then back to the hotel. We did over 100k today. Tailwind on the way home. How good is that. How kind of these lads to let me hang with them. I feel very special.

I have been here seven times now. I have ridden most of the roads that exist on this side of the Island. Today we found another road that makes our riding more fun. This is not a new road. We looked for it the first year I came over and did not find it. It bypasses three town on a busy road. It is one lane wide with pretty good pavement. Kind of cool to find something new after being here for so many years.

In the photos you can see what our life is like, Paul and Linda having breakfast, pretty typical Mallorcan hotel breakfast food. They are actually English breakfasts. Toast, cereal, bacon, sausage, eggs etc. 

In the next photo is your American custom of food photos. That is a plate of paella we had last night. Some of us went out to check the local restaurants. This is my favorite. Ca'n Ferra. The family has had this restaurant for many generations. When I went in the owner recognized and had a big smile for me. This is a very typical Mallorcan cafe. The locals all come in to have a drink and talk. That is the photo with Leila and Elaine in the foreground. 

And lastly it was two peoples birthday this week. Rhoda and Ben (both Scots). We had a pre dinner party in their room. Cake, cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and good company. 

Now with the weather predicted to be perfect the rest of the holiday we will all get back to serious riding.

Take care.

Don

GOOD THINGS IN MALLORCA AND HOW TO DRY SHOES

We had a wet day yesterday and my shoes were soaking wet. It wasn't a cold rain (just wet). I washed everything and I have spares so it wasn't important for everything to dry, except my shoes. I tried paper and it just wasn't happening. So I use cloths pins and attached them to the ceiling fan. They were dry in an hour. I was careful to balance them. More good food and Sunshine today. Proof is in the photo. Don Corleone is the name of the cafe were I like to get my cafe con leche. I have one of these cups at home so I can remember Mallorca. Kathy has it out so she can remember me. This is a photo of the real thing at the real cafe. Made me feel at home and made me glad to be here.  Then we have Ione on her Skut. Now Sunnyside is proud of families that buy there bikes at our store. Most of those families live in Bend, I have one that lives in Arizona, this family (three Sunnyside Bikes and a Bob baby jogger) lives in Selkirk, Scotland. They are Ali, Pete, Ione and Eifa. I gave Ione her Skuut. She was about 18 months old at the time (not old enough). Now she is almost three and the Skuut is a hit. She told me it was a very fast bike. With her on it it is. No fear going down the ramp in the hotel lobby. Even in the couple of days she has been on it she is getting better. Sorry about the out of fucus photo I will try to get a better one soon. 

It is quite windy right now but we hope that calms down for tomorrow so we can go to Petra for a famous lunch. All of are hoping to meet there around noon or so. I hope it works out. Thanks for reading and take care.

Don

                               

RIDING IN THE WET ENJOYING THE FOOD

Most of us come to Mallorca for some warm weather and great roads. Europeans don't understand that in most of the US we don't have small winding perfect cycling roads. That is why I come to Mallorca. In the spring it is usually pretty dry and the roads rule. The Government of Mallorca has gone to a lot of trouble to make cyclists welcome. They have gone out and paved some old farm tracks and then marked them so we can get from village to village without using the major highways. It takes some work to find the correct path but once you learn a few tricks it is quite easy. You can see in the one photo we have stopped to make sure we haven't gone wrong. It was raining and a couple of us were quite tired. We didn't go wrong and got back to town in time for some late lunch. Yes we were wet but it was close to 60 degrees so we were not cold.

Food is the other good thing about Europe. They take it more seriously than we do in the States. A simple sandwich becomes a work of art over here. They always use bread baked the same day, jamon serrano, (spanish ham), and olive oil. We also had some papas fritas (they look like french fries). They taste completely different. Again they use olive oil to fry the potatoes. What a difference. They also use fresh potatoes. There are lots of good reasons we like to ride over here, those are just a couple. 

So even though it has been wet we have still had a great time. Time to go to the market and get ready for a late morning ride.

Don

WE HAVE ARRIVED IN MALLORCA

We got to Mallorca Sunday around 8 PM. Travel always takes forever. As you can see from my photo below we lived the life of Riley on the way over. Barb, Lew and I decided to splurge and use a few more frequent miles and fly Business class. It made the trip easy for sure. I slept about 7 hours on the flight, had two gourmet meals and turned down countless glasses of wine. When we got to Frankfurt we were allowed into the Business Class lounge and I even had a shower. How cool was that. Lew would not have been able to come (broken leg) if we had been in economy. It still wasn't comfortable but it was doable. 

Two of our bikes were late but they showed up in the morning in time for the first ride. Patsy, Gary, Leila, Barb, Linda, Paul and I did one of my favorite loops. The small person below is Patsy going quite well up to Lluc. This is an 8 Km climb at about 5 % with lots of switchbacks. It feels like a Euro climb without all the hard work. We then rolled into Pollensa and had a terrific lunch with cafes and chocalates all around. A perfect first day. 

When we got back to the hotel the Scots had arrived. Ione, who is almost 3 brought her Skut with her. She was busy showing off her skills on the ramp in the hotel. She will be an awesome mountain bike rider. 

Today (Tuesday) started of cloudy which turned to rain by afternoon . Yes we got quite wet but it wasn't cold. 50 miles and around 3 hours later we were back at the hotel trying to wash and dry everything. Tired but happy I would say.

The forecast tomorrow is for some rain and wind so who knows what we will do. Dry it will be some mountains, wet, more cafe and flat windy roads. See you around and take care.

Don