This video is about the Sobremunt climb, especially near the top of the climb which is quite hard to find amongst the various agricultural estates up there – such as the Sobremunt estate itself. I added new music to it, and some more commentary and stills.
Sobremunt, bottom to top, and some exploring
Here is some mapping for the ride:
Here are some views of the profile of the Sobremunt climb, from GCN and Cycle Fiesta:
I have also added the Strava analysis for the climb segment (with the embarrassingly slow time!) from the Ma1041 junction to the top of the Strava segment (not actually the top of the climb, but where I met Niels & Peter (in the video).
And finally, just the route for the climb, some landmarks, and start of the descent:-
The climb from the Ma1041, and the start of the descent past La Posada de Marquès
My rider view of Day 3 of the 6Points Mallorca in May 2019, organised by Bryan Visser, with my group (one of four) led by Philip Crawford. We rode from our overnight stay at Castell de Mar in Cala Millor back to our starting point in Santa Ponça, about 165kms, flatter than Day 1 (also 165kms) and longer than day 2 (115kms).
The morning part of the ride took us to the southernmost point of Mallorca, the lighthouse Far des Cap de ses Salines, before lunch, and then the afternoon ride back, skirting Palma to the north, to Calvià and then to our finish at Es Caló d’en Pellicer beach in Santa Ponça.
In my view the 6Points Mallorca is the best way to ride around the whole of Mallorca perimeter, in 3 days, and have the time to smell the flowers, so to speak. Lunches, coffee stops (of which you can see a couple in this video) and great dinners at the overnight hotels.
We visit the 4 compass points, the Lighthouses in the extreme West (Sant Elm), North (Cap Formentor), East (Capdepera) and South (Ses Salines) of Mallorca, plus the highest point (Puig Major) and the lowest – any sea level point, Caló d’en Pellicer beach in Santa Ponça in our case at the beginning and the end of our 425kms ride, with 7000m of climbing. A great 3-day weekend of cycling!
Six Points is a charity ride for Asdica, on behalf of disabled children in Mallorca, so if you’d like to donate, there’s a JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfundi… . Please mention my name!! We met some of the Asdica Charity beneficiaries at the finish of the Mallorca event, at the Caló d’en Pellicer beach in Santa Ponça.
My rider view of Day 2 (the easiest, shortest day!) of the 6Points Mallorca, May 18th 2019, organised by Bryan Visser, with my group (one of four) led by Philip Crawford.
On this second day, we started at Tolo’s, visited the Cap Formentor lighthouse (the northernmost point of Mallorca) and then back to Tolo’s for coffee and cake before the next leg.
The easternmost point was another lighthouse, the Faro Capdepera at Cala Ratjada, before finishing the day at our overnight hotel at Cala Millor, the Castell de Mar.
In my view the 6Points is best way to ride around the whole of Mallorca perimeter, in 3 days, and have the time to smell the flowers, so to speak. Lunches, coffee stops and great dinners at the overnight hotels.
We visit the 4 compass points, the Lighthouses in the extreme West (Sant Elm), North (Cap Formentor), East (Capdepera) and South (Ses Salines) of Mallorca, plus the highest point (Puig Major) and the lowest – any sea level point, Caló d’en Pellicer beach in Santa Ponça in our case at the beginning and the end of our 425kms ride, with 7000m of climbing. A great 3-day weekend of cycling! Six Points is a charity ride for Asdica, on behalf of disabled children in Mallorca, so if you’d like to donate, there’s a JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfundi… . Please mention my name!! We met some of the Asdica Charity beneficiaries at the finish of the Mallorca event in May, at the Caló d’en Pellicer beach in Santa Ponça.
My rider view of Day 1 (the hilliest day!) of the 6Points Mallorca May 2019, organised by Bryan Visser, with my group (one of four) led by Philip Crawford.
The whole day was about 165kms, with 3500m of climbing. We rode from Santa Ponça to Sant Elm to the most westerly point of Mallorca, and then up to Andratx for the Ma10 road all the way to Port Pollensa (via coffee and cake at Restaurante Son Tomas in Banyalbufar, for our first overnight stop, preceded by dinner at Tolo’s (of course!). Although we diverted to Fornalutx for lunch, Puig Major is a long steady climb!
The view from the start of the climb!
It was a pretty windy day, and quite damp in the afternoon, after lunch in Fornalutx, at Restarante Es Turo, and at the highest point of our ride (and the three days) at the summit of Puig Major, it was 4˚C – brrhh!
In my view the 6Points is the best way to ride around the whole of Mallorca perimeter, in 3 days, and have the time to smell the flowers, so to speak. Lunches, coffee stops and great dinners at the overnight hotels. We visit the 4 compass points, the Lighthouses in the extreme West (Sant Elm), North (Cap Formentor), East (Capdepera) and South (Ses Salines) of Mallorca, plus the highest point (Puig Major) and the lowest – any sea level point, Caló d’en Pellicer beach in Santa Ponsa in our case at the beginning and the end of our 425kms ride, with 7000m of climbing.
A great 3-day weekend of cycling! Six Points is a charity ride for Asdica, on behalf of disabled children in Mallorca, so if you’d like to donate, there’s a JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfundi… . Please mention my name!! We met some of the Asdica Charity beneficiaries at the finish of the Mallorca event in May, at the Caló d’en Pellicer beach in Santa Ponça.
Day 1 of our 6Points tour of Mallorca, all compass points, and the highest and lowest
We have lunched on the tree covered patio at Restaurante Es Vergeret MANY times and it’s very well worth a visit (view to Cala Tuent attached). It’s very easy to go down there for a dip. As some will know, When descending Sa Calobra, I always stop at the turn to the left a few kms before Sa Calobra and point it out, but most want to go to the cafés at Sa Calobra. This article by Mallorca Cycle shuttle might change that…
Here are some our Cala Tuent pictures from 2001/2, from the patio of Es Vergeret and also down at the little bay itself.
This video is about the 2018 Mallorca 312 I rode with Leslie. We did the 225kms version, and, as for the full 312 kms, most of the interesting riding is along the Ma10 road along the north of the island, through the Tramuntana mountains, and then through the western Tramuntanas, where most of the climbing, apart from Puig Major, is located.
The return to the east of the island, unaccountably, DOESN’T go though the beautiful Orient valley, which I think is a pity, but instead follows a succession of minor roads from Esporles to Lloseta and Sa Pobla, running parallel to the Orient valley (which would have had some good climbs, such as Coll d’Honor and Orient itself) and the Palma-Inca main road.
After that the route goes down to Arta, on a loop that adds the necessary 80kms or so to bring the 225kms route up to 312kms. I have ridden those roads before, and didn’t miss them!
Consequently most of the video covers the start of the 312, the north and west of Mallorca, and the finish.
Leslie’s and my 2018 Mallorca 312 adventure
A shorter video collage version
I published a shorter video clip earlier, comprising a collage of Apple Photos pics and short clips, in my blog post on Sep 24th, 2019, about Cycling in Mallorca generally, which is also on YouTube. See it here:
Collage of photos and clips from the 2018 Mallorca 312
Having been riding in Mallorca since 2015 (before that I used to run and swim more, to keep fit) here is a randomly selected set of pictures and video clips (by iOS Photos) showing what a lovely island it is.
I was attracted to the 6Points back in 2018, when I was already committed to some mass participation events which, while challenging and demanding, are a completely different experience from 6Points.
I set aside 2019 for my first 6points entries, both for the Mallorca event in May, and also for the Ibiza and Formentera event in October, both of which had been held in 2018, with Mallorca the inaugural 6Points event in 2017.
I have organised my thoughts into 6 points(!) which highlight the essential elements of 6Points for me, and why I intend to participate in 6Points twice a year from now on. But first, get a flavour of the Mallorca 6Points from the official video:
Official 6Points Mallorca video, 2019
1) Charitable purposes
I have ridden a few, not many, Sportive events, and they had all been in the UK previously. I’ve done them mostly because friends have recommended them; some of them have elements of my “6 Points” of attraction here, but none of them cover them all.
It’s always good to know that an event has a specific charitable purpose, as the 6Points has, as have some other events. I have raised significant funds for Marie Curie myself doing the Prudential RideLondon 100 twice, and, for its size, 6Points parallels that charitable focus.
Prudential RideLondon 100, 2019 (top of Box Hill)
But I doubt whether many others events are as proportionately successful as 6Points in fundraising for their chosen charities, especially events at the same kind of scale. I was frankly amazed (not in a good way!) to see the Mallorca 312 organisation broadcasting their €10,000 charitable donation this year, which even though the 312 is a commercial event, and not primarily a fundraiser, is really disappointing given that 8,000 people were riding. See more about the 312 and how busy it is (at least early on, until we decided to focus on the 225kms version) in my video collage from the 2018 event with my neighbour and cycling buddy, Leslie:
Mallorca 312 in 2018, with Leslie
By contrast, 6Points have managed, both from entrant fundraising and from their very active sponsors, to raise over €65,000 for their chosen charities (of which Asdica* is a primary one) in just three years of activity.
From a financial standpoint, the 6Points purpose is PRIMARILY charitable, and very successful, and that is good to see.
2) Location
I have to own up and say that I have virtually given up road riding back in the UK where I spend most of my time.
On the other hand, I LOVE riding in Mallorca (and now Ibiza and Formentera too, thanks to 6Points) and have been coming to Mallorca for 40 years and more.
Most of my riding is on Zwift nowadays, but 6Points (around which I now plan my Balearic cycling) gives me the opportunity to ride in much more relative safety (from a traffic perspective (or lack of it!)), in far more reliable weather, over many more days per year, and in great company.
Mallorca and the other Balearic islands are well provisioned with beautiful countryside, great views, and a suitable café around every corner, it seems, very often near the top of the wonderful climbs that abound on the islands.
I do have some of these possibilities where I live in Scotland; good company with my club, Glasgow Green Cycle Club (GGCC); and the topography and views – the Trossachs are on my doorstep; but road quality, weather and traffic are far less bike friendly than Mallorca.
Two road falls in Scotland (2015 and 2016), both owing to road conditions (and my own lack of foresight(?)) have persuaded me that the high mileage I like to do is safer indoors for the pain and base miles, and with 6Points Mallorca for the pleasure!
I know that many others, who have been even less fortunate than me regarding traffic, pothole and weather related incidents, are ready to change (and some HAVE changed) their cycling regime regarding training, racing and pleasure cycling: turbo for training; road (and track) for racing only; and somewhere sunny like Mallorca for pleasure!
3) Company & camaraderie
Most serious bike riders join a Cycling Club, as I did, and when I started riding (in the early 1960s) I almost immediately joined Bruce Castle Cycling Club. It’s the shared ethos of cycling for fun, the mutual support in case of adverse events (mechanicals, biologicals, psychologicals etc!) and all sorts of collateral social interactions that help the enjoyment of cycling.
6Points is just like a Club in those respects, only more so. As with GGCC, with 6Points we ride in small groups of 10 or a dozen or so. The groups pretty much self-select in terms of pace, covering all abilities and preferences, from the usual “steady” at 14-16mph, through several levels to a faster pace at 20mph+. There is freedom to swap between groups (we don’t always feel the same every day!), and at the cafés and over dinner, plans can be made to make sure you are in the right group for the day, or part of a day.
Each riding group is supported by its own vehicle (see below).
Above all, and we are lucky as cyclists with this, 6Points succeeds in attracting people who share that mutual ethos and shared supportive outlook which makes sure that everyone has every chance to get the best possible experience out of their days with 6Points. Many riders are back for their second or third visit, so that any rider can rely on having great company and experienced support: emotionally, practically and socially.
4) The 6Points Challenge
On the 6Points Mallorca, we ride between 100kms and 100 miles each day. I have done quite a few 100 mile rides (when I was younger, back in the 1960s, it didn’t seem such a big thing – or I was so ignorant I didn’t know enough to worry!) Here is my “rider view” video photo collage of the 2019 6Points Mallorca event, where you see its Clubrun nature
6Points Mallorca, May 2019
I have done a few Imperial Centuries in recent years with my Club GGCC, but I admit that before the first 6Points, I wondered how I would cope with the Mallorca format of 160kms, 115kms and 160 kms on three CONSECUTIVE days. But it’s a challenge, right?!
Well, it turns out that even at 72 then (73 now) I need not have been concerned as a regular rider (albeit mostly on Zwift at 60kms a day, 5 days a week (that’s my regime)).
I know Mallorca quite well from many previous holidays and cycling trips (we are lucky enough to have an apartment there) so much of the route wasn’t going to be a surprise.
The first day is what I call “the Little Daddy” after the Mallorca Cycle Shuttle term “Big Daddy” for the ride from Andratx to Port Pollensa along the Ma10 road (very smooth and safe!) taking in the climbs to/from Port Valdemossa and Sa Calobra.
The “Little Daddy” version, in my terminology, misses out the descents to Port Valdemossa and Sa Calobra (and therefore the climbs out!) but we DO ride west first from Santa Ponsa to Sant Elm (the West “Point” of the 6Points) before heading east via Andratx and the Ma10 to Port Pollensa via the big climb at Puig Major (the high “point” of the 6Points) and quite a few other hills on the Ma10 (such as Coll de Femenia), to the very welcome dinner at Tolo’s (a sponsor) and an overnight hotel stay, after the odd 160kms.
I’ve done that ride before a few times (from Andratx, anyway) and so forewarned was forearmed, and also I KNEW it was going to be enjoyable. I have to say that in 2019 the weather was unusually – erm – windy and a little damp, but hey, it’s the exception that proves the rule!
But the good thing about the 6Points Mallorca format is that the hardest climbing day is that first day, for which you have time to prepare; the second day (Tolo’s up to Cap Formentor, the North “point”) and back to Tolo’s for breakfast, and then down to Cala Millor for our overnight stop via the East “point” at Cala Radjada, is just 115kms and fairly flat by comparison – an “active recovery day” I would say!
Finally, the third day is the same distance as Day 1, but also relatively more flat, from Cala Millor, via Cap Ses Salines (the South “point”) back to Santa Ponsa via the north side of Palma and Calvia, finishing where we started, on the beach at Caló d’en Pellicer (the lowest altitude “point” of our 6Points ride).
This is definitely a challenge, but from personal experience I can attest that doing the 440kms circuit of Mallorca in 3 days with 6Points is FAR preferable to trying to do the 312 kms of Mallorca in one daylight day. I want time to smell the flowers (and the coffee), not just my handlebars and stem!
In those respects, the 6Points IS a Challenge, but also a delight – not just afterwards, as an achievement to look back on, but also, crucially, DURING the event!
5) Organisation & support
One element that sets the 6Points experience apart from a Club ride is the high level of backup, with a vehicle available to support each group with equipment, water, food and any kind of moral support required. See the support in action during our October 2019 6Points in Ibiza:
6Points Ibiza October 2019
Although the events are described as “unsupported”, and riders are encouraged to plan JUST as they would for ANY long ride each day, and to carry the usual items on their bikes for small emergencies, there IS that backup if bike or body should fail in any way.
I have been getting a flavour, having got to know the event better, of the huge amount of work undertaken by the Visser family, and friends and sponsors (such as Ticket, for example) prior to the event: route planning; hotels researched and booked; any travel required (for the Ibiza and Formentera event especially); support vehicles and volunteer drivers; baggage and equipment transport; sponsor identification and confirmation; other funding; entry and rider communications; and much more.
I can see that the reason the event has the “family and friends” touch and feel mentioned below is because that is exactly how it is organised; with close attention to detail from a small, consistent group of dedicated people, determined to make sure the event is fault-free for those they regard as their friends and family!
6) Touch and feel
I first heard of 6Points in early 2018 when I had already entered the Mallorca 312 that year. along with the Prudential RideLondon 100, which I have also ridden a couple of times. These are mass participation events, with 8,000 and 32,000 riders respectively.
As I said, the 6Points has very much the feel of a family and friends event, at a scale which is much more akin to a Cycling Club event, albeit over a few days.
Depending a little on which group you choose to ride with, frequent/sufficient café stops are part of the planning, and overnight, between good days of riding between 100kms and 100 miles, there are hotels and evening meal locations chosen to suit the needs of cyclists riding those kinds of distances.
Social interaction and discussion is highly encouraged, and lively!
The prime intention for the riders is that they should ENJOY the event. Some Sportives (as I know very well) turn into races for a proportion of the participants, which for mass events can create issues for fun riders.
At 6Points, with the Clubrun feel it has for each small riding group, each rider knows that those around her/him have the same, FUN objective. No-one is under pressure to keep up a pace – the groups, and especially the “steady” group are no-drop, and there is, as mentioned, great backup to keep everyone going.
Summary
I am a convert! I plan to do the 6Points events into the foreseeable future, both Spring and Autumn, with Mallorca the Spring focus, and, in 2020, with Menorca on the autumn calendar for the first time. Here is the Formentera 6Points from October 2019:
6Points Formentera October 2019
I have an extensive network of Zwift and “in-real-life (irl)” riders and friends, both locally and internationally, and I recommend wholeheartedly the 6Points experience to them all – and to you!
*Asdica – a Mallorcan charity benefiting disabled children. See lots more on the 6Points website at https://6pointschallenges.com/
A new video with more action from my GoPro Session, and music from David Guetta. It’s 18 minutes, but I hope you can spare the time to take a look!
A newly created iMovie version of my Sobremunt GoPro and iPhone material
A day out achieving a recent ambition, to climb Sobremunt, Es Verger, generally accepted as the hardest climb in Mallorca, particularly from the south side. On the descent, I took in lunch at Esporles, and then climbed Es Grau and Galilea (with the usual coke, coffee and Magnum stop at Café Sa Plaça!) and completed the loop down to Es Capdella back to Costa de la Calma. A lovely ride with terrific views as you will see from the video collage.
At the top of the Strava segment of Sobremunt
Tom Last and the boys at GCN went up there too!I really did go up to the same place as Tom Last of GCN!
