Mallorca to Mont Ventoux | EP1: 220KM Headwind Hell

🚴 Mallorca to Mont Ventoux | EP1: 220KM Headwind Hell

Welcome to Episode 1 of my Mallorca to Mont Ventoux ‘bikepacking’ adventure — a five-day, cross-border cycling mission packed with challenges, grit, and spectacular scenery.

In this episode, I take on the hardest ride I’ve ever done: 220km from Barcelona to Banyuls-sur-mer, along the rugged edge of the Pyrenees, into a brutal 25mph block headwind. What was meant to be a long but manageable ride quickly turned into a battle for survival on the bike.

💨 Expect:

Scenic but savage riding from Catalonia into southern France

Endless wind, empty roads, and the slow erosion of optimism

Wild landscapes, roadside snacks, and a deep test of resolve

🌍 Route highlights:
Barcelona → Girona → Figueres → Banyuls-sur-mer
A mix of fast tarmac, rough farm roads, and the occasional existential crisis.

This series documents my attempt to ride from Mallorca to Mont Ventoux and back in just 5 days, combining ferry crossings, long-distance riding, and tight logistics, all fuelled by questionable decision-making and a King Gizzard concert.

👉 If you enjoy adventure cycling, bikepacking, or just want to see someone suffer in cinematic fashion — subscribe, like, and follow along.

📍 Filmed: May 2025

Use code Sam15 at Rocacorba here: https://www.rocacorbagirona.com/discount/Sam15

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#bikepacking #cyclingadventure #MallorcaToVentoux #MontVentoux #bikepackingEurope #cyclingMallorca #headwind #pyreneescycling #gravelgrind #epicride

[Music] [Applause] [Music] morca to Mombu It’s got a ring to it doesn’t it This trip was born out of a half plan hatch on a Tuesday with the first pedal strokes taking place less than 3 days later on the Friday A fittingly frantic start for an adventure that will carry that same hairbrained energy to its very end Now before we get going let’s address the other thing in the bridge the Balarchic Sea I’ll be honest the opening leg of this journey involves a modest 11 km ride to the ferry tunnel As much as I love a challenge I’ve yet to find the time field suitable for open water From there is 700 km in just 4 days plus another full day of trains feries and logistical gymnastics with absolutely zero margin for error Why the mad rush Well this whole thing is bookended between two non-negotiables A King Gizard and Lizard Wizard concert in Barcelona on Friday night and hospital appointment back in Morca by Wednesday lunchtime So without further ado let’s begin with our slightly over ambitious protagonist reflecting on his last experience aboard the Alcondia to Barcelona bus ferry Last time I was here I accidentally threw my wedding ring into my car’s air conditioning vent Never got it back Only had it 3 weeks Okay so now we’ve established the kind of idiot that we’re dealing with Let’s address another question that you might be having Okay so I’m not bike packing I’m not camping that I don’t do that But I’m not exactly living in luxury This is the room Notice the lack of windows Just about squeezed the bike in You can just about open the door as well but there you go So still sluming it [Applause] [Music] Just walking back from King Gizard Great time First solo gig ever And uh bloody loved it Could go where I wanted No fussing about staying with friends or you know having to stay where you were Ended up right now near the front in my first mosh pit in probably 5 years And I’d say probably my first circle pit and close to 15 Great time Managed to not get too carried away with the beers Maybe four Um water now So should be fine Only uh 215k tomorrow Okay Good morning everyone So today marks the start of day two and the start of the proper section of this trip Uh we’ve got 215 km uh to do today So we’re going to be going to a place called Bunyal Sumere uh via Jirona where I will be meeting up with the team at Rocka Corba And yeah it’s going to be a good day Probably the least enjoyable ride I’ve ever need to go get some food before I smash a window or something [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] Heat Heat [Music] As you may have guessed from the clip shown earlier day one ended up being a bit of a cut making a bit hard to watch back my foolishly naive and blissfully unaware vlogs from what as you’ll have seen was other than a bit of a main road mash out of Barcelona a very pleasant morning So in the spirit of getting into the action a little bit quicker here’s a super cut of my more inane and banar vlogging moments from the morning’s initial 100 km plus a quick visit to the Rocka store and the spot of lunch in Jirona Feeling great Got the tunes blasting on the uh on the JBL clip and uh yeah feeling really good Going through a garden center How lovely Look at all that mayo and pulled pork Reminds me a bit of like I don’t know dog food or something Oh look There’s a cool cloud up there Let me show you The more I look at it the more I realize it doesn’t look that cool Also like to apologize to the lovely Joanna in the Rock of Corvvis store I rather sprang a little bit of uh you know filming on on her cuz part of the idea Oh me Don’t worry Uh but she you know she dealt with it valiantly Top customer service did a cracking job Five stars All right then Let the suffering commence So the good news in a change from this morning I’m now on much quieter roads So I feel a lot more relaxed and like I can just kind of go a nice gentle pace The negative is the wind has picked up and it does appear to be pointing directly in my face I don’t know how long this is going to continue but based on the direction I’m heading it could be all day So you know that’s the one downside But look where I am I can’t complain [Music] Heat [Music] This headwind sucks Not had a headwind like this in ages Completely block headwinds I don’t know maybe like 15 mph winds I would guess Does take the shine off things a little bit Okay so I’ve just looked it up Turns out it’s a 21 mph headwind Killer man I think it’s just this um this particular area is kind of notorious for having a lot of wind I’m just approaching the border with France now Uh yeah just kind of at the bottom of the Pyrenees so you know I’m not going to complain I am quite desperate for some water though I still got a decent amount in a bottle but it’s uh it’s basically sugar syrup It’s super thick but it’s not very uh quenching So I’m hoping I can find somewhere fairly soon It looks like I’ve got a couple of towns coming up so should be good I’m also going to treat myself to an ice cream I’ve had a hankering for one all day Not got round to it So hell Look at this Okay so 6 hours in Just gone over 150k 152 I believe So it’s about 65 or so left to do Maybe a bit more cuz I’ve taken a bit of a detour to get here Uh got some water No ice creams though Uh not done any vibe checks yet on this trip I would say that they’ve dipped slightly I We’re probably about a five at the moment Just that headwind’s just absolutely brutal I’m hoping when we get to the coast it’s doesn’t intensify further Um this headwind it Right off the cliff Okay so I’m now heading up a climb the climb of the day Not sure what it’s called but I understand or I remember from Straa that it’s a category 2 climb I think it’s 6 km at about 7% about 500 m elevation gain So not insignificant Pretty spicy Um pretty hot It’s quite exposed here And uh yeah vibes have dipped But now that I’m climbing I’m not really noticing the headwind quite so much anymore So there’s that Once I’m at the top it’s about maybe 45 km along a coast road and then we’re done So the end is kind of nearly in sight I think I’m going to get that ice cream in a baby [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat Heat [Music] All right I’m now at the top of whatever the heck that climb is called It was a big boy really steep in parts It was like 14% at one bit but yeah very nice Beautiful views I’ve can now see the sea over there Got mountains over that way Quite hot but not too bad So now time to descend And I’ll be taking this somewhat gingerely on account of the old windy windy woo bar So uh yeah see you at the bottom Heat up [Music] here Heat up here [Applause] [Applause] Okay so we’re beyond hour eight now We’ve got about 27k left to go Um a fair bit of climbing still to do but I think it’s pretty rolling along the coast So we’ve got about 4 or 500 m left to do So the final stretch So five maybe a five And I think I am actually gonna Oh if I made this wind I’m going to reach for a gel Let’s see how I get on with that final little bit Right So 204K done 8 hours 40 ride time but we still have 17k and 314 m climbing And this is a lesson ladies and gentlemen in not rushing your route planning and actually looking at it and thinking about you know how you’re going to be feeling blah blah blah blah blah cuz I thought this was going to be a nice kind of coast road like the MA10 or something you know not you know a bit rolly but this is like proper brutal climbs And then the wind is just I know I keep going on about it but this has been the by far the most prolonged and intense headwind that I’ve ever faced like pretty much from Jirona it’s been like 110k of like non-stop headwind and it’s been like 20 25 mph headwind It’s just been a just been crawling and you just don’t get any kind of it’s just not like fun you’re just like crawling along and then soon as you do get to like a descent like it’s just sketchy because you’re just getting blasted in the face um when you come around the corners So is what it is Tomorrow and all the rest of the day should hopefully be a lot easier This is by far the biggest day So get this out the way and then hopefully it’s all all fine I just pray that the wind isn’t similar tomorrow as well This kind of southern bit at the bottom of the Pyrenees is notorious for wind It’s not just me being a little little wimp I mean I am a wimp I’m a wimp I’m a worthless little worm and a wimp It’s hard It’s hard Right That was hard That was really hard I’m back in my Airbnb now It’s very cute It’s very very small That folds out Absolutely tiny But I’ll be honest I’m a man on the edge I’ve calmed down a little bit but like I’m pretty hungry It went on for ages And I get here and I find like this You see that password That’s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 That’s nearly a 40 character password I’ve tried putting it in twice and it fails every time What Right I need to go get some food before I smash a window or something Oh dear Look at me We had quite a good run on this channel of me seemingly you know being able to do anything Like I did some really big rise and I was always fine And then we’ve almost had backtoback horror shows with the 312 today me It was around here I look at 28 mph winds in my face That was for six hours Probably the least enjoyable ride I’ve ever No It was so hard to enjoy Right I’m going to stop naturally and go get some food Bye Okay so there we have it That was episode one And apologies for the non-stop moaning there It really was pretty horrendous and actually probably was the hardest ride I’ve ever done At least with the 312 I had a bit of camaraderie from those around me You’ll be pleased to hear or maybe you won’t that episode 2 has considerably less complaining If you enjoyed that please remember to like subscribe or even stage a little screening for your nearest and dearest Your validation makes all the suffering worthwhile Thanks And if you like the look of my kit make sure to check out Rocka Corba and use the code Sam 15 Little lesson for you all If you’re ever out doing one of these silly adventures make sure there is some degree of civilization where your Airbnb is And if there’s not don’t just cycle straight through the last kind of place to eat on your way there