Cycling Weekly – July 25, 2019

62 | July 25, 2019 | Cycling Weekly

Antonio Parietti’s

engineering masterpiece

W

or

ds

Si

mo

n^ R

ich

ard

so

n^ P

ho

to

A

nd

y^ J

on

es

ICONS OF CYCLING

Sa Calobra

I

t’s hard to imagine why, back in the

early 20th century, anyone on

Majorca would think to build a

six-mile road, down a mountain, to

the sea, in a sparsely populated corner of

the island. Not least because there were few

cars around.

But the island already had its sights set on

tourism and a Local Roads Plan was put

into action. It was 1932 when engineer

Antonio Parietti (who came from Palma)

built the climb of the Coll dels Reis.

Designed to avoid the need for tunnels, the

6.4-mile length of tarmacked beauty was

built using no machinery and has, without

any races gracing its smooth surface,

become a pilgrimage site for cyclists.

The road is a dead end and perhaps the

only mountain in cycling that you have to

descend before you can climb. Once you

have enjoyed the 50 or so bends, stunning

views, tight squeeze through a split in the

rock and the famous 270-degree spiral

(known as the ‘necktie’) you’ll find a cafe,

restaurant, a few other buildings (closed out

of high season), a tiny beach and jetty. But

that’s not why we go there. We go there to

climb back up. The 6.4-mile road averages

seven per cent and

climbs to 682m, and

is better known as Sa

Calobra after the tiny

village at the bottom.

In training camp

season it is the

destination for every

visiting rider. The

problem is it’s a long way from anywhere,

and to get to the top you first have to climb

to Lluc and tackle the undulating road from

there, or over the Puig Major,

an even bigger climb that

starts in the town of Soller.

Whichever way you come,

to ride Sa Calobra means a

big day out. But that’s part of

its allure. It’s the day that’s

circled in your diary when

you book your flights. The

day that everyone fears. The

day that everyone remembers. It’s the same

for the pros who test themselves on this

climb every winter. The record is something

of a mystery, but in

2010 or 2011 Richie

Porte is claimed to

have ridden it in

around

24 minutes. The story

goes that Team Sky

staff were nervous of

telling Bradley

Wiggins that his domestique had set a faster

time than him in training, so decided not to

tell him.

Don’t miss our essential Tour de France review issue!

Analysis: how the race was won

Simon Yates on his win and Adam’s GC challenge

Inside the race: the people who make the Tour happen

NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE

ON SALE THURS AUGUST 1

“It is the

destination for

every training

camp rider”

A 6.4-mile winding road to nowhere, this Majorcan icon is an

Alpine-like climb that enjoys year-round sunshine

Insurance For You And Your Bike