I’ve been on quite a few cycling holidays / trips over the last few years, so I thought I’d compare the most popular destinations: Mallorca, Girona, Calpe and the Alps, give them a score in some different categories and see what came out on top.
Genuinely didn’t see this being the result though…
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0:00 – trailer
0:11 – intro
1:39 – Mallorca
7:46 – Girona
11:33 – Calpe
16:30 – indulgent coffee cinematic montage
17:46 – French Alps
23:38 – final results
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Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/grantritchie/
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#cycling #roadcycling #cyclingholiday
30 Comments
You have a lot to discover in Italy, from Dolomites to Salento and Sardinia. 🤩
On the alps I rate the Swiss and Italian alps better than the French. Main reason is that some roads in the French alps are build for trucks, are boring to ride and have too much traffic (e.g lautaret on the way to galibier)
What happened to your Dr pal who was doing the couch to IM? How’s he getting on
Hi 👋 Planning a trip soon… just wondering if you only speak English too ? Are there any language barriers in any of these locations ? Thanks great videos 👍
next time make a category of this region/Province in Italy: "South Tyrol" -> i think this is going to be your Nr.1
– Passo Stelvio
– Kalterer See(The largest natural swimming lake in South Tyrol, a region rich in lakes, and the warmest Alpine lake of all.) with Passo Mendola
– Sella Ronda( with Sella-, Pordoi-, Campolongo-, Gardena Pass)
…. and a lot more
Way less traffic in Calpe – WHAT
Would you like to check out Slovenia?
Andalusia for the win! Mile after mile of deserted roads, pueblos blancos, great food, weather.
Hard agree. Been to Mallorca a few times, but my real cycle holiday career started in 2021 with Amsterdam to Gibraltar and its just gotten better since then, last years was Pyrenees Coast to Coast, and planning Amsterdam to Alps and Ventoux this year 😆
I like cycling where I don't must have an automobile to take the bike to the start of the ride. Also I found that renting an auto does not help you get your bulky bike box to wherever you are staying from the airport. And getting a bike box on an high speed train is tricky.
10:54 Girona does have the ocean (or sea) if you go to the Costa Brava coast. The coastal loop from Girona is beautiful. I did that last October
Pyrenees, Vosges, Burgundy, Alpes Maritimes. Check them out!
the weather dependability plays a huge role here – you won't go to the Alps in the winter lol. So it's not Alps vs Calpe, it's just for a different time of year
We took a spring cycling holiday in Mallorca and had such a great experience! I would not recommend any gravel riding because in Spain, gravel is what we'd call rocky 😉 Everyone is very considerate and the cycling routes are sooo amazing!
The Ardenne and Flanders are brilliant in the summer (spring like the pros can be harsh weather wise.) iconic segments and climbs, tons of cycling and normal cafés.
G’day from Australia, excellent content mate. A question if I may; In Oct 27 my non cycling wife and I will be in Spain. I have the green light for us to spend 5 days in Mallorca so I can ride. Can you suggest the best location to stay that enables me to strike out early each morning to complete one of the essential climbs and be back by late morning/lunchtime. The location needs to also keep my non cycling wife happy (cafes, shops & maybe beaches)? Cheers.
Dolomites obviously, Corvara, Val Gardena..must be experienced. Summer best. Other than that, great ranked list. Thanks
Where are the Swiss Alps? Especially here in the Valais we have great weather and sun in the spring and iconic climbs
easily forgetting the best place to ride a bike, apart from the weather. in the summer Dutch Limburg around valkenburg is easily the best place on earth to ride a bike.
How about Corsica? It's lovely
I can't believe you did not mention the Canaries especially in March. Does not make sense to me.
Pyrenees…… come on ! Unbeatable ❤
Coffee set up 👌🏼
Heading to Calpe next month – can’t wait!
I would add Sierra Nevada also – especially if you stay at Velez and ride around there. Excellent routes, especially the Goat’s Path
My favorite is probably the Vosges mountains in France in summer. Not extreme altitudes and not really a busy place. Amazing climbs both easier and still pretty tough ones like Platzerwasel, Belle Filles and Grand Ballon. Amazing variety of routes, especially if youre based near La Bresse, Kruth or Bussang.
Just started following your content, binge watching your vids. Got back into cyling 2 years ago, trying to organise my first cycling holiday, likely Calpe in Sep/Oct with friends ( ones parents have a place north of Calpe) junk miles, coffee, food and views.
I split my time between Alicante and Glasgow and just 1 hour or so south of Calpe has amazing roads and climbs. A lot quieter but miles and miles of smooth tarmac.
01:18 I was surprised to see Nordmarka, Oslo
Bro you are missing a big part of the cycling – actual road traffic and level of respect of drivers.
There are so many epic places to cycle but the traffic is absolute ass and drivers are jackass.
This would be at the top of priority for me personally because no vibes can save the ride for me if it's noisy and stressful.