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Daniel's Wild Week in Mallorca - Day 2
Part: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09 - 10

vicente
Cala San Vicente
Photo Credit: Ulf Haase


A WEEK OF SKATING IN MALLORCA, SPAIN (Day 2)
by Daniel Edman of Stockholm, Sweden

I am awakened early in the morning by sunbeams which manage to sneak in behind the bedroom curtains. I realize I have forgotten what it is like to feel the sharpness of the summer sun in the mornings, but that is a pleasant reminder. I decide that yesterday's cold is gone, put on a T-shirt and shorts and head for the hotel breakfast room, which is already full of enthusiastic skaters. After a good breakfast the skating gear goes on and my feet are wrapped in plenty of protective tape due to my fear of what 7 days of intense skating might do to my poor little feet. I also add an extra bottle of water in the waist bag, and I realize it is almost 10 o'clock and time for take-off.

At 10:00 sharp a bunch of skaters leave the Laguna Hotel at Dollar Street in Port dŽAlcudia. We head for Alcudia, some 3 km north, and manage to loose 3 people already at the first intersection. But thanks to the "queue man" the group is complete again before we leave Alcudia. (A "queue man" is the last man of a group, responsible for making sure no one is lost. I do not know if that expression is international?)

Alcudia and Port dŽAlcudia; these similar city names might need some explanation. On the transfer bus the day before we were informed that long ago, when pirates were a reality, the cities were often located some distance from the shore and only a small port was built right on the water. This made it harder for the pirates to reach the cities, and these ports were given the same name as the real city but with a "Port d'" or "Puerto de" as prefix. Now most of the Ports have grown to the size of a real city but the names are the same as before.

countryside
Photo Credit: Ulf Haase

We leave Alcudia in a northerly direction with the sea on our right side and the beautiful mountains in the background straight ahead. A warm breeze blows in from the sea, blue and green waves roll in on the shore, the sky is blue and life is wonderful. We are skating slowly but a bicyclist that suddenly overtakes the queue gets a speed skater right up on his rear wheel, but the biker proves faster and the skater has to give up the attempt. A police car honks since the group of skaters on the shoulder of the road is a little bit too wide, and it has forced some bicyclists out into the road. We wave our most friendly "hey-we-are-on-a-vacation-skate-waving" back to the police and that is it.

North of Alcudia is Puerto de Pollenca, but halfway there we turn left toward Pollenca. Johan announces that speed is now free up to Pollenca and due to some volunteers up front the speed increases. When Ulf finally makes it to the front and adds some additional speed I find myself forced to drop the front-runners. This embarrassing blunder I totally blame upon the cold, which all of a sudden has come back in full strength. With the group reunited at the Pollenca City Dump I cough as loud as I possibly can, making sure everyone understands it was exclusively due to this very temporary lack of physical health I had to drop the front-runners.

Kathie rests in a worn out armchair and seconds later she finds herself hoisted by four Swedish gentlemen and Ulf's camera captures the moment. If you do not get high from skating, this is another option! Kathie lets us understand she can stand the idea of not being put down again, but the four gentlemen seem to be of another opinion. As soon as the photo is taken they let her down! Maybe in more than one way?

Kathie
Why Kathie Loves Swedish Skaters
Photo Credit: Ulf Haase

The united group goes westward toward Puerto de Pollenca on a wide and nice road shoulder, and halfway we turn left toward a small village called Cala San Vicente. The road to C S Vicente provides good excellent skating conditions and the steep final part seems to end right in the sea. But luckily it does not, and once on the waterfront with reduced speed we find a bar where we stop for lunch. I try some almost forgotten Spanish phrases like "Hola señor, somos Swecos" and "una Cola, por favor". The bar owner smiles with his entire body and answers in English!

After having a tasty lasagna we carefully skate down a narrow and winding road to what might be C S Vicente down town. The view is gorgeous with huge waves rolling in between the sharp rocks and the warming sun is back again after quite a chilly lunch. Then we fight ourselves through a steep uphill before we are back on the road that we came an hour earlier. Back down to the main road and left to Puerto de Pollenca, where we head for the harbor pier to check out the water temperature.

Pollenca Bay
Pollenca Bay
Photo Credit: Ulf Haase

After some photos on the very tip of the pier we head back south toward Alcudia, and back where Johan proclaimed free speed earlier the group is stopped and divided into two. Those with sour feet skate directly back home, while the others who do have sour feet but do not admit it, head back up to the Pollenca City Dump again. This latter group is now fairly small

In a small uphill along this stage I gain 10-20 meters on the rest and while going hard I wait and listen for the typical sound of tiny wheels at high revs in my left ear. Actually I have to wait longer than expected, but once I do hear the wheels coming, they are coming very fast, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Marten and Sven rockets by (doing a good 39 km/h) and with all my strength I can just keep the gap constant, no chance whatsoever of catching them. But at least they do have the courtesy to show they are really tired once we stop at the main road from Inca.

 More of This Article
Introduction
Day 1
Day 2/disciplines/roller-sports/
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
If You Only Have 2 Days
Distance/Altitude/Speed
With the group of 10-12 people together again we follow the main road to Alcudia, and once back at the Hotel Johan decides there will be an evening tour at 5pm. He also serves the lie of the day by saying: "I think we will go slow tonight".

The participant on this first day bonus trip proves to be solely Johan, Marten and Ulf. They go south to Can Picafort and back again. Later they report good surface conditions and wide shoulders but also the danger of asphalt mounted plastic reflectors every 30 feet, right on the white line separating the shoulder from the road itself. It can become very dangerous if you hit one of the one-inch high plastic fellows at full speed, which could occur if you are drafting close behind each other and do not have clear visibility ahead. Hitting one of these obstacles could easily cause a severe accident.
~ Daniel Edman


<-- Part 2 | Part 4 of this Article -->


Daniel
Author
Daniel Edman

Ulf
Photographer
Ulf Haase



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Daniel's Wild Week in Mallorca - Part 1
Daniel Edman - Main Menu
Skating in Spain
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