@JB, @Coach Patrick when is the full payment due please? @all: landing the day before and leaving the day after so I can take in the full experience of the camp, will probably rent a bike there ISO bringing mine.... Can't wait to see u guys.
With a deep sadness, I have to pull out of attending this camp in 2018. With a new full time job and a pending divorce, my time and resources are limited moving forward. Only one IM and one camp for this girl in 2018. Bummed, because this experience was something I wanted very much to do. Someday!
With a deep sadness, I have to pull out of attending this camp in 2018. With a new full time job and a pending divorce, my time and resources are limited moving forward. Only one IM and one camp for this girl in 2018. Bummed, because this experience was something I wanted very much to do. Someday!
@Danielle Santucci - any shot at BRC?? riding with you might be enough to suck me back in.... stay strong & I promise to worship the bean properly for the cult
For those of you that don't know, I've gone to Puerto Pollensa (PP), Mallorca, for 7 consecutive years now (first 3 years in April, then last 4 years in May) for a cycling camp. it's a paradise for cycling and triathlon.
I'll present some info for your perusal here. Green "X" shows where I've stayed before. Red
Bubbles/callouts show bike shops I have experience with. The pin drop is where the EN camp hotel is in 2018.
First, BIKES. -Short answer...rent a road bike locally. Don't anticipate getting a rental TRI bike, there are not many available around here. I would NOT use a tri bike out here at all. The terrain doesn't really suit it, IMHO. -For the first five years of my camps, I brought my own bike (Specialized
Tarmac/SL-3) in my own bike case. In my experience, this cost $150USD from
DFW-PMI on American Airlines with 75EUR (~$86USD) cost on the return trip via Iberia. So,
about $235 round trip. My bike made
it WITH the airplane 4 out of 5 times. The 5th time, it didn’t come
for 2 days after. And it was my own expense to get back to the airport to pick
it up and return to Puerto Pollensa.
-We had a 3rd
party shuttle service from/to PMI airport from Puerto Pollensa (~40 miles one
way). If it was just a person (no bike) for us, it was $65 round trip. If it
was a person + their bike, it was about $95 round trip. @Coach Patrick, I don’t know
if these costs are included in the EN camp???
With all this said, there are four shops I have experience with in Puerto Pollensa (although there are a few others):
My
experience/background: -This is the
official bike rental shop of the first few years of my tenure. They consistently
rented more than they were able to supply (# of bikes, overlapping timeframes,
gruppos, components, etc.) Ex, one of my friends asked for a 58cm road bike,
they gave her a 54 with a super long stem and seatpost (aka "frankenbikes"). Not only uncomfortable
but unsafe! After multiple years of messing up reservations, our bike camp
sponsor switched to pinarello. -Multiple
bike brands, including Masi.
My
experience/background: -Because of
the involvement of Bradley Wiggins, including his secondary home here in
Mallorca, Pinarello built a shop here. -Higher
prices generally. -US Expat is
manager of store. -Only
Pinarellos (obviously).
My
experience/background: -I've rented
here the last two trips -Trek Madones
and Damones, with di2. -Cheaper, but
smaller inventory. -Smaller shop, and don't speak very good English if you need to talk to them.
My
experience/background: -Kuota
(italian) brand bikes.
Some overall BIKE notes -I'd reserve your ride ASAP if you know your dates. -ask for a compact crank!!! -if you rent
bike, get the insurance from the bike shop. -bring a
spare of whatever you need. Don’t count on a local shop having refills
(especially nutrition/hydration products you’re used to) or replacements of
equipment (I had to hitch a ride to a shop in a completely different town one
year to find a 10spd chain replacement).
Second, FLIGHTS: -I've spent everywhere from $800 to $1200USD to get to PP. I was only able to use AA frequent flier miles the very first year I went. Of course, the further in advance you can book, the better chance at cheaper flights. -From my experience, there are only 2 connections from Madrid (MAD) to Palma Mallorca (PMI) during a day, via the American Airlines/Iberia "one world" alliance, either around 9am or 4pm. So it's either a quick layover in MAD or a long one (6+ hours, which I had to do earlier this year).
Third, OTHER NOTES: -get separate trip insurance. Just in case something happens, at least you can get reimbursed after you pay for unexpected expenses. I use allianz travel insurance frequently (no, I don't get a commission or referral bonus).
Fourth, my DAILY ROUTINE: -I don't know what the plan is for THIS camp, but this is what I've been doing for my 7 year tenure on an annual basis. My camps have been cycling-focused, with occasional running and swimming thrown in, so take it with a grain of salt what you want to do or has been planned as part of this EN camp. -Every day, this is the general schedule: wake up, eat breakfast at the hotel ("english" breakfast, not what most Americans would consider "normal", but it's def edible and nourishing), ride in a group to the day's destination, sit in town square while having coffee and pie or small lunch (baguette sandwiches) in the sun, ride back to Pollensa, chill at pool with recovery (and adult) drinks for a bit, shower/clean-up, have a small dinner at hotel buffet, a few adult drinks at hotel bar, regroup and head out to the various restaurants/bars/pubs for entertainment and frivolity. Rinse, lather and repeat. -the daily rides for my previous camps have been everywhere from 12 miles (recovery day) to 110 hilly miles/day. Day in-day out. My largest volume camp was 12 days and almost 1000 miles with many thousand feet of climbing. -We had up to 3 separate groups daily where you could "choose your adventure" with regard to varying speed, elevation and difficulty. I would anticipate and hope for something similar for this camp.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I've not ventured a whole heck of a lot outside of PP, but there's a lot to see in/around!
@Scott Alexander - Thanks for the great info. Do you have any knowledge or opinions on Bimont Bike Hire (bimontbikehire.com) for renting bikes. They provide bike pick up/drop off at the hotel we're staying at for 2 types of Bianchi bikes. Thanks.
@Scott Alexander - Thanks for the great info. Do you have any knowledge or opinions on Bimont Bike Hire (bimontbikehire.com) for renting bikes. They provide bike pick up/drop off at the hotel we're staying at for 2 types of Bianchi bikes. Thanks.
I've shopped there, if I recall accurately, but not rented bikes. Sorry. They're a big shop though, so they've got to be at least decent at what they do.
Alcudia is ~6 miles from Puerto Pollensa, so keep that in mind "if" something happens. That's nice they have drop-off though.
@Scott Alexander Any downside to renting a bike with carbon wheels (i.e braking on descents)?
@Satish Punna, there are some LONG descents with lots of hairpins on some of them, so I'd ask myself three questions: 1) how much you ride the brakes? as a part of 2) how well you corner on descents?, as an overall part of 3) how much do you weigh?
For me, as a big dood (~210lbs), I corner decently, but usually brake later than I'd suggest. I probably wouldn't rent carbon wheels.
Also, as a cheapass, carbon wheels = extra $$. Not worth it for me.
@matt limbert, for some reason I cannot reply directly to your direct message. It's going to a long-extinct email address of mine and I cannot do anything about it. But I think my response could be helpful for others, so I hope you don't mind if I respond here.
Scott, I could use your advice. My wife and I are going to Mallorca Camp with EN in April. I'm riding, she is just going because its cool. We are coming in early and staying in Palma then have 2.5 days at the end to stay anywhere. What do you recommend to see / do in Palma before camp in Palma or after camp?
In all honesty, I've never stayed anywhere but Palma (very briefly) and Puerto Pollensa (mostly). The only non-cycling/triathlon thing I've done in Pollensa, especially that early in the year, is to shop, sit on the (still somewhat cool) beach, eat and drink. There are plenty of hiking opportunities, some vineyards too and it IS a relatively-small island. I know people that rent cars and just drive the perimeter from city to city.
There's a younger more party-centric city named Magaluf (not too far from Palma) on the other side where the leftovers from Ibiza go. I've never been, but understand it's quite the party spot. Although, once again, April is pretty early in the year for it to be open in my experience.
Yo, @Scott Alexander shoot me an email on what nights you're looking for and I'll make it happen. There are a few folks who are looking to do just that. emily@mile18inc.com
Hey folks -- Just to confirm, the camp is check in Saturday, April 14 - checking out Saturday, April 21st. If you need to add a night before or after these dates, I can confirm that with our hotel contact. Just shoot me an email to emily@mile18inc.com with the additional nights you will need. Sorry for any confusion!
Comments
@Coach Patrick when is the full payment due please?
@all: landing the day before and leaving the day after so I can take in the full experience of the camp, will probably rent a bike there ISO bringing mine.... Can't wait to see u guys.
thanx
@Danielle Santucci - any shot at BRC?? riding with you might be enough to suck me back in....
stay strong & I promise to worship the bean properly for the cult
https://www.facebook.com/groups/364255863976555/?ref=group_browse_new
I'll present some info for your perusal here.
Green "X" shows where I've stayed before.
Red Bubbles/callouts show bike shops I have experience with.
The pin drop is where the EN camp hotel is in 2018.
First, BIKES.
-Short answer...rent a road bike locally. Don't anticipate getting a rental TRI bike, there are not many available around here. I would NOT use a tri bike out here at all. The terrain doesn't really suit it, IMHO.
-For the first five years of my camps, I brought my own bike (Specialized Tarmac/SL-3) in my own bike case. In my experience, this cost $150USD from DFW-PMI on American Airlines with 75EUR (~$86USD) cost on the return trip via Iberia. So, about $235 round trip. My bike made it WITH the airplane 4 out of 5 times. The 5th time, it didn’t come for 2 days after. And it was my own expense to get back to the airport to pick it up and return to Puerto Pollensa.
-We had a 3rd party shuttle service from/to PMI airport from Puerto Pollensa (~40 miles one way). If it was just a person (no bike) for us, it was $65 round trip. If it was a person + their bike, it was about $95 round trip.
@Coach Patrick, I don’t know if these costs are included in the EN camp???
With all this said, there are four shops I have experience with in Puerto Pollensa (although there are a few others):
1. Pro cycle Hire (PCH)
https://www.procyclehire.com/
My experience/background:
-This is the official bike rental shop of the first few years of my tenure. They consistently rented more than they were able to supply (# of bikes, overlapping timeframes, gruppos, components, etc.) Ex, one of my friends asked for a 58cm road bike, they gave her a 54 with a super long stem and seatpost (aka "frankenbikes"). Not only uncomfortable but unsafe! After multiple years of messing up reservations, our bike camp sponsor switched to pinarello.
-Multiple bike brands, including Masi.
2. Pinarello Experience (PE)
http://www.pinarelloexperience.com
My experience/background:
-Because of the involvement of Bradley Wiggins, including his secondary home here in Mallorca, Pinarello built a shop here.
-Higher prices generally.
-US Expat is manager of store.
-Only Pinarellos (obviously).
3. Rent March (RM)
http://www.rentmarch.com/en/
My experience/background:
-I've rented here the last two trips
-Trek Madones and Damones, with di2.
-Cheaper, but smaller inventory.
-Smaller shop, and don't speak very good English if you need to talk to them.
4. Pollensa Cycling Center (PCC)
https://www.pollensacycling.com/
My experience/background:
-Kuota (italian) brand bikes.
Some overall BIKE notes
-I'd reserve your ride ASAP if you know your dates.
-ask for a compact crank!!!
-if you rent bike, get the insurance from the bike shop.
-bring a spare of whatever you need. Don’t count on a local shop having refills (especially nutrition/hydration products you’re used to) or replacements of equipment (I had to hitch a ride to a shop in a completely different town one year to find a 10spd chain replacement).
Second, FLIGHTS:
-I've spent everywhere from $800 to $1200USD to get to PP. I was only able to use AA frequent flier miles the very first year I went. Of course, the further in advance you can book, the better chance at cheaper flights.
-From my experience, there are only 2 connections from Madrid (MAD) to Palma Mallorca (PMI) during a day, via the American Airlines/Iberia "one world" alliance, either around 9am or 4pm. So it's either a quick layover in MAD or a long one (6+ hours, which I had to do earlier this year).
Third, OTHER NOTES:
-get separate trip insurance. Just in case something happens, at least you can get reimbursed after you pay for unexpected expenses. I use allianz travel insurance frequently (no, I don't get a commission or referral bonus).
Fourth, my DAILY ROUTINE:
-I don't know what the plan is for THIS camp, but this is what I've been doing for my 7 year tenure on an annual basis. My camps have been cycling-focused, with occasional running and swimming thrown in, so take it with a grain of salt what you want to do or has been planned as part of this EN camp.
-Every day, this is the general schedule: wake up, eat breakfast at the hotel ("english" breakfast, not what most Americans would consider "normal", but it's def edible and nourishing), ride in a group to the day's destination, sit in town square while having coffee and pie or small lunch (baguette sandwiches) in the sun, ride back to Pollensa, chill at pool with recovery (and adult) drinks for a bit, shower/clean-up, have a small dinner at hotel buffet, a few adult drinks at hotel bar, regroup and head out to the various restaurants/bars/pubs for entertainment and frivolity. Rinse, lather and repeat.
-the daily rides for my previous camps have been everywhere from 12 miles (recovery day) to 110 hilly miles/day. Day in-day out. My largest volume camp was 12 days and almost 1000 miles with many thousand feet of climbing.
-We had up to 3 separate groups daily where you could "choose your adventure" with regard to varying speed, elevation and difficulty. I would anticipate and hope for something similar for this camp.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I've not ventured a whole heck of a lot outside of PP, but there's a lot to see in/around!
Alcudia is ~6 miles from Puerto Pollensa, so keep that in mind "if" something happens. That's nice they have drop-off though.
owe you a long overdue beer when i see you on this trip!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/364255863976555/members/
Done
Al can you invite me to the same facebook group too?
Thanks
Matt
1) how much you ride the brakes? as a part of
2) how well you corner on descents?, as an overall part of
3) how much do you weigh?
For me, as a big dood (~210lbs), I corner decently, but usually brake later than I'd suggest. I probably wouldn't rent carbon wheels.
Also, as a cheapass, carbon wheels = extra $$. Not worth it for me.
Scott, I could use your advice. My wife and I are going to Mallorca Camp with EN in April. I'm riding, she is just going because its cool. We are coming in early and staying in Palma then have 2.5 days at the end to stay anywhere. What do you recommend to see / do in Palma before camp in Palma or after camp?
In all honesty, I've never stayed anywhere but Palma (very briefly) and Puerto Pollensa (mostly). The only non-cycling/triathlon thing I've done in Pollensa, especially that early in the year, is to shop, sit on the (still somewhat cool) beach, eat and drink. There are plenty of hiking opportunities, some vineyards too and it IS a relatively-small island. I know people that rent cars and just drive the perimeter from city to city.
There's a younger more party-centric city named Magaluf (not too far from Palma) on the other side where the leftovers from Ibiza go. I've never been, but understand it's quite the party spot. Although, once again, April is pretty early in the year for it to be open in my experience.
Hope that helps!
I know the details show that camp starts on Sunday 4/15, so I assume we'll have a place to stay on Saturday night? or no?