March 2017 | 137
It is said of the Balearic Islands that they are like jealous siblings and Ibiza certainly has qualities similar to her big sister and more popular cycling destination Majorca . Ibiza is looking enviously at Majorca ’ s booming cycle tourism and hoping to emulate some of its success by offering similar attractions , albeit on a smaller scale .
On the first day riding on the island we are scheduled to link up with Lawrence Dallaglio and his group of riders on the penultimate stage of the 2016 Dallaglio Foundation Cycle Slam . We meet them at over 1600 kilometres into their adventure , having set off from San Sebastien 17 days earlier via the Pyrenees , Girona and Majorca . At the start line for today ' s stage the talk amongst the riders is of tired legs and sore heads . Ahead of us is a 135km circuit of the island which some of the team are tackling on 45-minutes sleep , having spent the previous night enjoying Ibiza ' s other attractions . But there is serious motivation powering these legs . Dallaglio ' s foundation has raised well over £ 10 million since he started it eight years ago and this year ' s ride is already set to add significantly to that target . Past rides have raised money for Cancer Research and Great Ormond Street but on this occasion they are raising money solely for Dallaglio ' s own social inclusion charity Rugby Works .
50 riders of varying degrees of fitness head out of Ibiza Town ' s port , many of whom have donated tens of thousands of pounds for the opportunity to ride with Dallaglio on all or part of this epic . This morning we are led by Austin Healey who looks every inch the cyclist , now in his retirement from Rugby . As he ' s proved recently , he ' s still pretty light on his feet and he tells me later he regularly puts in between 200 and 300 miles a week . The gentle climb out of Ibiza Town is quite busy with traffic but the green hills that promise quieter riding look tantalisingly close and it ' s only a few minutes before we find ourselves on more cycle-friendly roads .
We ’ re heading North West but soon the rolling olive groves give way again to the island ' s alter ego and Santa Eularia des Riu comes into view . Ibiza ’ s third town Santa Eularia offers a touch of Ibiza Town ' s old world charm but one of the first beach front signs I see is offering “ A Live Lizard Show ”. I don ' t have much time to consider what this might entail before we are pushing upwards again into quieter climbs on our way to Cala San Vincent . Again the comparison with Majorca comes to mind as both islands share a cove beach named San Vincent in their North West quarter . Both these beaches are nestled into the edge of the wildest and hilliest part of their respective islands . And everything about the topography of Ibiza is similar to Majorca ' s , just on a smaller scale . Despite that and with the increasing morning heat , the climb to Sant Joan de Labritja is still feeling pretty arduous but the backdrop now is much more desirable . Twisting tree-lined roads that snake upwards , away from the coast to more remote locations . Sant Joan de Labritja is ‘ real ’ Ibiza ; quiet churches , small cafes and deserted streets . Cafe Gard du Nord provides the mid-morning coffee and a chance to meet and chat with some of the other riders . Amongst them Marc Giusti , founder of Veloforte , is sharing out his delicious Panforte-based riding bars and they were much appreciated , especially since the cafe had run out of cake !
Although we were refuelled , the climb out of the village was very steep and after just five minutes everyone took the opportunity to stop again and admire the view as reward for our efforts . Now we were on single-width back lanes but the road surface was by no means Majorcan billiard smooth and the descent into Portinatx splits the group as many take it easy to ensure their dentures stay in place .
Portinatx is a more restrained affair by Ibizan standards and I see no reptilianbased entertainment on offer as we flash past . We push on through this quieter part of the island and the group begins to splinter as the stronger riders decide to forge ahead and I find myself in a group of five at the front , led by Austin Healey who has ridden on the island before .
Cold drinks are now in order as the temperature makes coffee a less appealing option , so we stop in Cafe Can Cosmi in the tiny village of Santa Agnes de Corona . One of the support vehicles finds us to let us know the main group are a long way back . It ’ s decided we should press on , with still a third of the ride to cover . Mercifully we just skirt the environs of San Antonio and possibility of more reptilian-based entertainment on our way South , in search of a very late lunch . The roads are busy again now and a chain gang of sorts forms between the five of us . My stints at the front are short , which I put down to the four kg of camera equipment I have on my back . We fly past Tropicana Beach Club , which seems like a missed opportunity when Andrew Ridgeley is making up one of the five-strong group , but we continue on in search of a recommendation .
Finally , we reach Restaurant Sa Caleta overlooking Platja d ' es Bol Nou and it is well worth the wait . Exactly the kind of badly signposted dead end that you dream of stumbling upon . A perfect cove overlooked by a great restaurant serving delicious Paella to a laid-back local crowd . A little too much rosé is consumed over a long lunch but everyone has made the mental calculation about how hard we ' ve
August 2016
65