There is something about the first turn of the pedals on a climb that makes your pulse quicken. The road starts to rise, the air feels different, and suddenly it is just you and the mountain. The noise fades, the chatter disappears, and all that remains is the sound of your breathing and the steady hum of the chain. This is where cycling becomes pure. Climbing is not just about strength. It is about patience, rhythm, and the quiet determination to keep turning the pedals when everything in your body tells you to stop. It is also where Mallorca comes alive.
The island has long been the beating heart of European cycling. Riders from all over the world come to test themselves on the roads that snake through the Tramuntana Mountains. These are not mountains that punish, but mountains that teach. Their gradients are smooth, their tarmac is flawless, and the sun seems to follow you wherever you go. It is no surprise that Mallorca has become the training ground for so many of the world’s best cyclists, from professionals preparing for the season ahead to amateurs chasing their own milestones. Every bend, every summit, and every stretch of open road tells a story, and each one has something to teach.
At Velocamp Mallorca, climbing is more than a challenge. It is an education. Our camps are built around the island’s most iconic routes, but they are designed to give riders something far more valuable than tired legs. We teach the art of climbing properly. We show you how to find rhythm, how to pace yourself, how to descend safely, and how to recover like a professional. It is the same approach used by the best teams in the world, led by our head coach Ladi Demko, a thirty-year veteran of the sport, a former UCI sports director, and a man who has completed and staffed five Tour de France events. Ladi has worked alongside legends such as Lance Armstrong and Chris Froome, and his experience flows through every ride, every conversation, and every moment on the road. He has a calm presence, but the kind that commands respect. When Ladi speaks about climbing, you listen, because he has lived it.
Climbing in Mallorca is a lesson in rhythm. The Tramuntana Mountains are not defined by brutal gradients or punishing ramps, but by their flow. Roads like Coll de sa Batalla, Coll de Sóller, and the legendary Sa Calobra rise gracefully from the valleys, weaving through pine forests and olive groves, each one a masterclass in patience and consistency. These climbs do not demand that you attack them. They reward those who respect them. They ask for tempo and balance, for smooth pedalling and quiet focus. The first time you ride Coll de sa Batalla, you realise how natural the road feels beneath your wheels. It rises gently, never too steep, never too easy, with just enough curve and shade to let you find your rhythm. You climb not in a panic but in a flow, and when you reach the summit, you are not destroyed, you are awakened. The descent is a gift, sweeping and fast, with perfect tarmac that invites you to lean into each bend and trust your instincts. This is where Mallorca starts to work its magic.
What makes Mallorca such a perfect classroom for climbing is its balance. It offers climbs long enough to teach endurance, gradients soft enough to allow focus, and conditions that let you ride day after day without fatigue from the weather or the roads. It is the kind of place that builds confidence. You can test yourself without fear, push your limits without breaking them, and ride among others who share the same hunger to improve. Each morning at Velocamp Mallorca begins like the start of a stage. The bikes gleam in the morning light, the air is cool and still, and the group rolls out together in matching kit, moving as one. The team car follows close behind with spare wheels, bottles, nutrition, and support. Every detail is handled so that the riders can focus on the only thing that matters: the road ahead.
The climbs come one by one, each with its own personality. Coll de Sóller is a series of perfect hairpins that twist rhythmically through the hills above Bunyola. The surface is smooth and the turns are tight, each one opening onto another breathtaking view. It is a climb that teaches control. You cannot rush it, and you do not need to. The gradient sits steady at five percent, which means you can hold a gear and stay there, working on cadence and breathing. Ladi often rides near the middle of the group, quietly observing, and when the climb levels out he will offer a word or two of advice that instantly makes sense. “Stay loose,” he says. “Let the climb come to you. Do not fight it.” It is the kind of wisdom that stays with you for life.
Then there is Sa Calobra, the jewel of Mallorca’s mountains, and perhaps the most famous climb in all of Europe. You ascend before even reaching the start, a dizzying series of twenty-six hairpins carved into the rock awaits, including the iconic tie knot where the road loops over itself. As you drop toward the sea, the anticipation builds. The views are spectacular, cliffs falling away into turquoise water, the road curling beneath you like ribbon. When you reach the bottom, the village is quiet and small, the sea glimmering just metres away. Then you turn around and begin the climb back up, nine kilometres at an average of seven percent. The first few bends feel easy. Then the gradient bites, the legs start to sting, and the rhythm of your breathing becomes everything. This is where Mallorca teaches you humility and persistence. The climb is not brutal, but it is relentless. It demands control, and those who find it are rewarded not just with the summit, but with a feeling of deep satisfaction that no flat road could ever give.
Climbing teaches you about pacing, and Mallorca is the perfect place to learn it. Every ride at Velocamp Mallorca is structured so that riders can experiment with different pacing strategies, guided by power data, heart rate, and feel. Ladi explains how to break a climb into thirds: find your rhythm early, hold it steady in the middle, and finish strong at the top. It sounds simple, but it takes discipline, and Mallorca’s long steady gradients give you the perfect stage to practice it. Riders who arrive nervous about the mountains quickly find that they have more endurance than they thought. Each day the climbs feel easier, not because the roads have changed, but because they have.
But climbing is not only about the ascent. What goes up must come down, and Mallorca’s descents are as legendary as its climbs. Smooth, sweeping, and predictable, they allow riders to develop descending technique safely. The key is to look ahead, stay relaxed, and trust the bike. Under Ladi’s guidance, riders learn to corner efficiently, to modulate brakes smoothly, and to use body weight to stay stable. Descending becomes not a fear but a joy. There is nothing quite like dropping down from Coll de Sóller in perfect flow, the bends coming one after another, the air rushing past your ears. It is the closest thing to flying on two wheels.
Climbing also challenges the mind. When the gradient turns up and the group stretches out, the chatter stops, and you are left with your thoughts. This is where mental strength becomes as important as physical endurance. The Tramuntana Mountains are beautiful but unrelenting. The sun reflects off the limestone, the road snakes endlessly, and the summit seems always just out of reach. This is where Ladi’s coaching truly shines. He teaches riders to break the climb into sections, to focus only on the next turn, the next shadow, the next few hundred metres. You learn to quiet the noise, to replace doubt with rhythm, and to treat each climb not as a battle but as a conversation between body and road.
The group dynamic at Velocamp Mallorca makes this process easier. You ride as part of a team, each rider supporting the next. The stronger ones take the front, the others follow the wheel, and when someone struggles, they are never left behind. It mirrors the structure of a professional squad. On the long climbs, you hear encouragement rather than competition. It creates a sense of unity that makes even the hardest efforts feel achievable. By the time you reach the top, the applause and laughter feel like a small victory shared by everyone.
At the end of every ride, the focus shifts from effort to recovery. The moment the group rolls back through the garage doors of the villa in Alaró, the transition begins. Bottles are handed over, bikes are racked, and recovery starts instantly. Smoothies and fresh cakes appear on the terrace, while riders slip off shoes and stretch their legs beside the pool. Some head for massage, others relax in the compression boots, and a few simply float in the cool water, watching the mountains they conquered that morning. The atmosphere is calm but content. You can feel the quiet pride that comes after a hard day well ridden.
Evenings at Velocamp Mallorca are where the learning deepens. Over dinner prepared by our private chef, riders refuel properly with meals designed for performance and recovery. The food is fresh, balanced, and satisfying, the kind of fuel that makes you feel ready for the next day rather than heavy from the last. After dinner, the chairs are turned towards the screen, and Ladi begins the evening’s coaching session. His presentations are part storytelling, part science, and entirely captivating. He talks about energy systems, about the psychology of climbing, about the details that separate good riders from great ones. He shares stories from the Tour de France, insights from years of managing professional teams, and advice that instantly connects to what you felt on the road that day. It is the perfect blend of experience and inspiration.
By the end of the week, riders begin to notice the difference. The climbs that seemed daunting on day one now feel familiar. The legs respond faster, the heart rate sits lower, and the mind stays calmer. What once felt like survival now feels like enjoyment. The magic of Mallorca is that it teaches without forcing. Its mountains are patient. They let you learn at your own pace. Each climb becomes a chapter in your progress, and when you reach the top of the final ascent at Cap de Formentor, with the lighthouse gleaming against the sea, you know you have changed.
It is here, at the very tip of the island, surrounded by cliffs and ocean, that the Velocamp Presentation Award takes place. The group gathers for a moment of celebration. Ladi stands with the coveted Velocamp Medal, ready to honour one rider who has shown the greatest improvement, the most supportive spirit, or simply the best attitude throughout the week. It is light hearted, full of laughter, but it means something. It captures what Velocamp Mallorca is all about. Progress, positivity, and the shared joy of cycling in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
The final descent back down to Pollença feels different. The effort is gone, replaced by a sense of gratitude and quiet accomplishment. The road winds down through the Tramuntana Mountains one last time, the sun warm on your back, the group riding smoothly in formation. The villa comes into view, and you can already smell dinner on the breeze. The week may be over, but the lessons from the mountains will last far longer.
More than the climbs
Cycling in Mallorca is about more than the climbs. It is about the feeling of moving as one with the road, the knowledge that every pedal stroke takes you somewhere new, and the realisation that you are capable of more than you thought. The Tramuntana Mountains have a way of revealing that truth to anyone willing to listen. At Velocamp Mallorca we see it happen every week. Riders arrive with doubts and leave with confidence. They learn to climb with rhythm, to descend with grace, to recover with intention, and to ride as a team. That is the essence of cycling. That is the spirit of Mallorca.
If you have ever dreamed of riding these roads, of testing yourself against the same climbs that have shaped generations of cyclists, then the island is waiting. The roads are smooth, the skies are clear, and the mountains are ready to teach. Visit our camps calendar to discover how you can experience it for yourself. The journey begins with a single turn of the pedals, and there is no better place in the world to start.
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