Day 1: Autos, Planes, Vans & Bikes
Day 1 was a whirlwind, and long. Travel started at 12noon Friday (10/1) from ‘Lake Country’ down to Chicago. After some masked waiting in baggage/ticketing and security (damn it, I need to get TSA Pre-Check!), we were fantastically early - I was not in charge. We - Ryan Barbieri, Alicia’s work colleague who introduced me to triathlon - had an O’Hare sandwich and a few beers before our 4pm take-off.
Pro Tip: International flights leave in the evening US time. Drink several beers beforehand.
Getting on Lufthansa, I was greeted in German. My brain started firing in places I haven’t felt for a while. I don’t know where languages operate in your brain, but it seems like when I hear German, a literal different part of my brain starts up that isn’t typically used. I get to my seat and wait for the rest of the plane to board. When the announcement comes on that everyone is boarded, I’m the only person in my row - huge bonus! 8hrs to Frankfurt with some extra leg room and a quick German breakfast sandwich (man they have great bread there!), then we were on our final leg - 2 hours to Mallorca, Spain.
Arriving in Mallorca, we were greeted in a large van by Billy Ochowitz, leader of Half Wheel Holidays. Billy is a Lake Country cyclist that has been organizing this Mallorca trip for 10+ years for small groups of friends. After a 45-minute van ride, we successfully make it to our resort.
‘Cyclotourism’ is one of the main revenue sources for Mallorca.
Time To Ride: After a quick check-in, getting my rental bike at the on-site bike facility (most of the island highly supports cycling, in fact ‘cyclotourism’ is one of the main revenue sources for Mallorca) and putting the clothes away for the week, we are ready for a ‘shake-out’ ride. Note: it’s 4pm on Saturday, 10/2 (9am CST) after about 4 hours of sleep on the plane.
With several members of the group either having arrived a few days earlier and ridden that morning, or still in transit, there were four of us out for our first ride. We first headed out of town on a standard European road (6-7 round-a-bouts in the first 5 miles), but then turned inland on many backcountry roads. “Take the next left past the olive patch and follow it down the old goat path until you reach the small vineyard”; this was one of the directions I was given. As we meander through the backroads, we come upon several small cities. In prototypical European fashion, the homes are right up to the road, which will fit two cars if they drive up on the small sidewalk.
“Take the next left past the olive patch and follow it down the old goat path until you reach the small vineyard” - Billy Ochowitz
Amongst the neatness of the of the initial experience, my travel buddy Ryan experienced a flat tire on the ride, which came after his personal bike was damage in the flight rendering it unridable for now. As you can imagine, these mechanicals, after a 18-20 hour travel day created a yearning for a tall drink.
We made our way back for a very, very welcome shower, dinner and drinks. Then, it was lights out to ensure we could hit it early again for day #2.
