Event: Mallorca 312
Date: Sat 27th April 2024
Riders: 8500
Bike: Road
Routes: 167/225/312km
I arrived in Mallorca a few days early to ease myself into the 312 by riding a few scenic routes prior to the race. The roads and landscape were magnificent and raised my excitement for the big day. The first day I did quite a bit of climbing, including the most famous climb on the island called Sa Colabra. After that, I gradually eased off for 2 days and did Cap de Formentor before an easier recovery day prior to the event.
There is a large expo that opened on the Thursday where I picked up my bib number and which offers a large number of assorted items for purchase such as cycling jerseys, socks and lots of other stuff. Previously, I had heard horror stories from some Viceroys members and others that the 2023 event was not very organised. Fortunately, this year was far more orderly and structured. I can’t fault the organisation at all.
The big day came around and it was a 4 am start for me. The official start was 6:30 am but people arrived very early to make sure they got in the right queue and not stuck at the back of the line. I managed to cross the line at about 6:45 am which is a good start time. Off we went!
The first 25km were fast and flat before you hit the mountains which were all in the first half of the ride. The gradients were relatively easy – estimated 6% average. Everyone was taking it steady up the climbs for obvious reasons. The scenery was fantastic and fortunately for us, it was warm but not too warm and the clouds kept the sun off us. In the mountains there aren’t any flat roads – it’s just up and down repeatedly so you just have to ride at a comfortable pace. It was a little windy on the day and so the descents had to be negotiated carefully. I saw a few crashes on the road so you just need to ride within your limits and be aware of other people who are not.
The feed stations were very good. They served cold Coca Cola, sandwiches, gels, fruit and organisers were happily refilling bottles of water for riders. They didn’t have any energy drinks or electrolyte mix so I’d recommend bringing a your own. I stopped at 3 of the feed stations but I believe there were 7 or 8 in total.
Towards the end of the mountains, the coastal scenery was fantastic, and the roads were lovely. After that, you are then on to a lot of long rolling hills and flat sections where the trains come along at significant speeds. Quite often on the flats, bigger groups were riding at 45kph+. You had to find the right group for you so you were not killing yourself just to stay on the back. At that point, there were still another 100km+ to go. There were still some climbs, but they were mostly 100m kickers just to get over.
I finished in just under 11 hours (Garmin) which was 11:30 official clock time. I was ahead of my goal of under 12 hours. It takes a little time to recover after such a long ride, but they had free pasta, drinks, and ice cream for refreshments. You could even get a massage for free, which I took advantage of and it worked wonders. The expo was buzzing at this stage as people were finishing. They had music and lots of other things going on. It took me a bit of time to get my appetite back after the ride but the pasta was just what I needed in the end. It was a really fantastic event, and I really enjoyed it.
Arguably, the 225 gives the best views without the extra distance so many people choose to do that. 8500 people is a huge amount and the only thing to be aware of is that some people do push past on narrow roads and descend too fast. My advice is to be very careful and watch your surroundings.
Other than that, it’s a great event and a fantastic trip in general as you also have the opportunity to enjoy the quieter days to do some other rides.
I flew out with my bike on British Airways and it was very easy. I also got the public bus from the airport to Alcudia where I stayed which turned out to be a smooth journey.
Note – the 2024 event sold out in 6 minutes. I didn’t get a place. However, many people either get injured, can’t go, don’t train or for whatever reason return their place. Those places then go back on to a “marketplace” for people to purchase and I found it very easy getting a spot that way. So don’t be disappointed if you don’t get one in the first entry sale.
