As Le Tour de Chop comes into its fourth year, the chaps have decided it’s time to leave Northern Europe and head for the sunnier climates of Majorca in the Balearic Islands, the winter training home of Team Sky.
Without any doubt, this will be the longest, hardest and loosest tour yet. The internationally renowned route includes over 5km of climbing climaxing with the summiting of Puig Major, the tallest mountain on the island, a cool 8.1% climb over 1km.
The route will kick off early morning near Magaluf, with a short ride over to the capital of the island, Palma. We will ride past the iconic cathedral in the centre where the riders will head down the promenade and out to the east of the city towards the lagoons of Tamarells and Gambes in the south of the island.
A quick dip in the lagoons and its back in the saddle up to the Mondrago National Park, through the small fishing villages on the east coast of the island and up to Cala Millor for a paella stop off and to refuel the thighs. Then it’s back on the mac to blast out the afternoon’s ride up to the cycling capital of the island, Alcudia, for a well-earned rest after a 110-mile day.
The sun rises on Saturday morning to the peloton heading out towards the infamous Serra de Tamuntana mountain range. After 5km of climbing in the mountains through some of the deepest, darkest hours, the chaps will emerge in the south of the island, finishing at the naffest of all the party destinations… Magaluf. The peloton will cruise down the strip and pull up at a beach club for some well-earned beers and some rest for the thighs before the real battle for the yellow jersey commences.
We have lost a lot of good men in Cardiff, Paris and Amsterdam so we dread to think what will happen in the GCSE’s results party capital of the world.
