Mallorca Training Camp - Day 5

Day Five: Col de Soller, Puig Major and home
Distance: 155km
Climbing: TBC
Weather: Slightly overcast and bit chilly at the top

Partially refreshed from the rest day we headed out to Campanet and today we were joined by Uncle Phil who was feeling a bit better and intended to ride to the top of Soller.
We shepherded the B Team through the winding roads to Campanet and Selva, on to Llosetta and bang Nigel blew a spoke and where it went nobody knows.
Phil swopped his wheel with Nigel and we pressed on but had to climb out of Llosetta until we found the van.
the climb up to the van was a bit of a burn up and I pushed myself a little harder than normal just to see what the Garmin said which was: 'you are trying hard but you're nearly 50 and there isn't much there'. Thanks.

After coffee and cakes served by the most miserable man on the island we rode on to the Col de Soller and tapped our way up gradually increasing the pace before the final effort to the line. When I say line there always seems to be an imaginary finish line somewhere that if we reach before somenone else in the group means we have increased our status in the peloton or at elast we think we have and outside our bubble nobody gives a shit. But it is fun.

Lunched-up on pasta we descended down to Soller (new owners at the cafe now and excellent food) and then climbed the 15km to Puig Major which isn't the most exciting of cimbs but does give you a good test.

George snapped his chain and we passed him next to the van covered in grease and wrestling with said component in an attempt to unravel and tame it ; Phil looked on helplessly in his latex gloves.

Getting tired now and we tackled the rolling road between the viaduct and the garage. Never easy this stretch it always feels there is more up than down whichever way it is tackled.

A few riders had gone on by now and I brought back a few on my own; Gretchen was alongside me setting the pace and at Pollensa we turned off for the wriggly road to the resort. Well I thought I did but as we tonked along the two hills at Alcudia appeared on my left side instead of my right. I confided in 'The Gretch' that I had done a wrong 'un and looked back to check evryone was with us, but they were'nt. Two were missing! It was Lesleygate all over again…and I was leader.
I left the group at the roundabout and rode back but there was no-one to be seen, they can't have been dropped otherwise I would have come across them…but they are two grown men they should be able to manage I thought.
Eventually we rolled in to the car park 150km later only to find John and Ross the missing duo explaining how chains had fallen off and how they had attempted to cut through the maze of roads behind Club Pollensia only to have to retrace their steps.

At least they were safe and everyone home.