The Cap Formentor is the iconic “lighthouse” ride to the headland tip beyond Pollenca. If you feel up to it during your 7 day Tour de Broads Abroad cycling holiday, your expert Ciclos Major ride leader will guide you to the head and back! Here is Ciclos Major’s Darryl & Liz to explain how your day would unfold:
A ride to Cap Formentor or ‘The Lighthouse’ is a shorter ride of about 65km and entails climbing approximately 850m. Setting off from Alcudia we generally go through the lanes until we reach Port de Pollenca, where we skirt around the back of the port to reach the start of the first climb to the Coll de Sa Creueta aka the ‘Viewing Point’ There are a number of viewing points and we suggest taking photographs on the way to Cap Formentor.
There are two hairpins to negotiate before we climb to the 5km point at a hight of 209m. We will regroup here before descending down towards Formentor beach. As we reach sea-level we turn left to head through the wooded area to start climbing again to the headland. There is a steady climb for the next 7km, generally nothing greater than 7% though there are two short segments of approximately 10%. There is a tunnel that has to be negotiated, so don’t forget your lights and check the traffic before you enter. Though lit it is not a long tunnel and it is better to follow the lights of a car. Soon after the road levels out and you will have the benefit of some downhill sections when the lighthouse comes into view. As you get close to the lighthouse the road rears up and can be busy with cars, buses and goats, so you will need to pay attention to what is going on around you.
We generally don’t stop for coffee as it is busy, expensive and our four-legged friends will want to help you with your food. There will be time to take photographs before we head back towards Pollenca.
The road back to Pollenca is the same road that you rode in on, so you will have a short descent before climbing back up for 3 kilometres before descending back to Formentor Beach via the tunnel. We may stop for coffee at the beach or we may climb back to the viewing point and descend back to Pollenca to have coffee and a snack in the Port before heading back to Alcudia.
It is possible to ride from the ‘View Point’ up to the Ruines d’en Colomer or the ‘Pepper Pot’ which adds a couple of kilometres of riding and 150m of extra climbing, though the road surface is not good in places, though you are afforded excellent views.
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