The Balearic Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzá, has argued that cycle tourism is an “opportunity” to benefit inland villages, despite mounting criticism from residents.
Speaking during a plenary session of the Balearic parliament, Bauzá argued that cycle tourism is “not a problem”, and accused eco-sovereigntists of “having a problem with tourists, not cyclists”, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.
However, MP Marta Carrió, from the left-wing, pro-environment party MÉS per Mallorca argues that this type of tourism “clogs up every corner of the island all year round.”
Residents on social media have echoed these concerns, claiming that local roads are not suitable for the scale of cycling tourism now seen across the island.
Jaime Cañellas said: “There are few accidents with cyclists because of how our roads are NOT prepared for this saturation and now we will start with the rent a car cars as another danger”.
Pablo Saavedra Castro agrees, saying, “the problem is not us cyclists. The problem is that half of Europe is here. Resident cyclists we know each other, most see each other all year round.
“Now it’s tourist massification for every 30 cyclists I see, only one is a resident. And this happens with rental cars, housing and more.”
Flory Bella added that “it’s crazy with cyclists everywhere”, claiming that the volume of riders makes her late for work by up to 15 minutes “almost every day.”
The regionalist party El Pi has called for improvements to cycle routes in a bid to increase safety. They argue that cycling is deeply linked to Mallorca, with 110 active cycling clubs in the Balearics, and more than 150,000 cycle tourists visiting each year.
Alongside concerns about congestion, some residents have criticised visiting cyclists for littering, particularly discarded energy bars and gel wrappers.
One resident, Denis Fioranelli, has shared several photos of the rubbish left by the tourists, saying: “You’ve got the balls to come here to the island and enjoy the new tarmac, but you don’t have enough balls to take your own rubbish away.
“And you’ve got no sense of space or proportion. Didn’t your mum and dad teach you any manners? Come on, folks. Are you having a joke?”
Littering was also raised as an issue during last year’s Mallorca 312, with organisers confirming that they had to clear rubbish from two points along the route, away from designated feed stations.
The event, set to take place again on April 25th, regularly attracts thousands of riders. First held in 2010, the gran fondo offers three routes on completely closed roads through the island’s Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, long a popular haven for cyclo-tourists.
However, the race has also faced criticism, with some residents arguing that extensive road closures are “abusive” and restrict their ability to leave their homes.
Despite this, the Playa de Muro Hotel Association has welcomed the increase in early-season cycling tourism.
“It is very positive for everyone,” said its president, Pepe Luna. “It activates not only the hotel sector, but also restaurants, shops and all complementary services. And this translates into a greater number of employees and their corresponding contribution to social welfare.”
15 thoughts on “Cycle tourism in Mallorca “an opportunity, not a problem” says minister, despite resident backlash over disruption and littering”
Nordic and Northern European boomers follow the sun throughout the year (winter 2025/26 will be remembered as particularly unpleasant with plenty of wind and rain). They eat, drink and buy like there is no tomorrow. Enjoy the bonanza while it lasts!
In 10 years from now, they will be gone. Cycling alone won’t be enough to operate resorts year-round.
“Flory Bella added that “it’s crazy with cyclists everywhere”, claiming that the volume of riders makes her late for work by up to 15 minutes “almost every day.”
Either the volume of cyclists is increasing almost every day, or she’s leaving 15 minutes too late almost every day.
It’s called clap trap that, unless Flory drives the MA10 mountain road to work every day from start to finish – remember it’s a 45-minute drive in total from Palma to the north of the Island. Or maybe Flory is caught up in vehicle traffic (due to all the rentals being driven) in somewhere like Palma (where there isn’t much on road cycling), Inca or Manacor.
I’m going to back the third option which is that shes talking out of her arse like most drivers when it comes to cyclists. I sat behind a cyclist for a good 1 minute the other day doing 15-20mph on a 50. I lost at least 30s to that cyclist. On the same journey I lost probably 5 minutes to other drivers. I would wager that the 30s didn’t even end up being 30s because I just caught up with other cars again soon after so it made fuck all difference to me.
Like everything cyclist related, 90% of it is hyperbole and fantasy. No one is stuck behind a cyclist for miles. No one loses 15 minutes to cyclists on their commute.
They have a valid point about litter, last week there was an embarrassing amount of gel wrappers and banana skins dumped on the road sides. At the top of one pass the wrappers were just piled up by a fence with banana skins hanging from it, by the end of the week that had been cleared up.
There is absolutely no excuse for littering, take it home!
The road congestion I would put mostly down to tourists in cars. The Formentor road was just a one in one out car park by 10 am. They seem willing to sit for hours waiting for a parking space.
Yep, there is a special place in hell for people who litter. Absolutely no excuse and I think that anyone who litters is a scumbag plain and simple.
I always found the road up to the lighthouse to be utterly bizarre. I understand that the view is quite nice and you can park, get out and appreciate it but the view isn’t that nice and there are way nicer views all along the coastal roads.
Even when I go there in off season when cycling and car traffic is low, its still always gridlocked at the lighthouse. I wouldn’t go there in a car personally.
I’ve only been there once on the bike – that was enough (although I admit if I could be bothered to get up at stupid o clock and go for sunrise it would be quiet).
“Even when I go there in off season when cycling and car traffic is low, its still always gridlocked at the lighthouse. I wouldn’t go there in a car personally.”
So … interestingly the road is “closed” from mid-May. Except that – as riggbeck points out – it’s only closed from the beach carpark from 10am. The road to the beach carpark is nominally open until the carpark is full, but (unless I’ve missed it) they don’t hold traffic back at the roundabout once it is, so you still get the usual zoo up to Es Colomer and plenty of cars heading down the other side hoping to get in the carpark. It’s only after that point that the road is actually closed. But then you run the gauntlet of meeting a TIB bus (which, oddly, hunt in pairs) coming the other way whose driver will give you no quarter.
tldr: Cycling in Mallorca is actually great, but you need to get up super-early and be home, showered and installed a bar by the time the sun is over the yard-arm ….
I would also recommend it as a cycling destination, my only advice is avoid being there during events like the 312 or Ironman and try to go off season, I usually start rides to popular places like the light house and Sa Colabra at sunrise (or earlier!) and plan longer routes to return via the country lanes.
Once you learn the country lanes you can always find peace.
No need to rent a car or pay expensive transfers either, the public busses are a great way to get around and cheap.
*I have no connection with the Majorcan tourist board!
I was there at the end of February into early March and last November (I regularly go at these times) and the roads on the whole island are very quiet.
I really wouldn’t read too much into what’s in the MDB – like many publications, it needs headlines which people will click on hoping the article will make them angry so they spend longer having the adverts beamed onto their retinas (see also: NMOTD).
That said, for the tiny majority of locals who need to use the popular narrow roads to get to/from work, the Spring cycling bonanza is undoubtedly a giant pain the backside. In extremis, if you lived in Caimari, worked at the Repsol by Lluc, need to drive to work and start your daily shift at midday and don’t intend to make any dangerous overtakes then you’re going up that road at the speed of the slowest cyclist … which can be very slow indeed. It’s actually pretty annoying when you’re cycling up there stuck in the cars stuck behind the slow guys. Not the cyclists’ fault, but if you work at the Repsol and need to go back down after work then you can expect to meet a LOT of tourists in hire cars coming the other way on the wrong side of the road having overtaken cyclists round a blind corner.
Also, the visiting cyclists don’t exact endear themselves to the local cyclists. If I’m riding the back road from Selva – Campanet – Pollenca or the Cami vell de Muro, I’d expect to be forced into the gutter at least once by a bunch of Huerzeler’s finest not paying attention and riding on the wrong side of the narrow lane.
In your extreme example there are still some safe overtaking spots but I agree that would be a slow commute and would fit into the 15-minute delay category. But it’s going to apply to a very small number of people.
“… not paying attention and riding on the wrong side of the narrow lane.”
Just like Yorkshire.
Yep, very small number of people. I just saw I typed “tiny majority”. Obviously I meant “tiny minority” but for some reason there’s no edit button anymore? Most people either work locally or commute on the radial roads in/out of Palma.
Our neighbours grumble about the big groups descending on cafes and shouting loudly at each other over lunch, kinda spoiling it for everyone else. In my experience it’s only north Americans who do that – and they do that whether they got there by bicycle or not so I think that’s a bit harsh.
I reckon 2026 might be the year our local bar owner takes somebody’s unattended beeping garmin off their bicycle and drops it in somebody’s drink. He will be cheered like a hero when he does …
Or the other side of the coin is lots of people p***ed off at the queues of traffic on the roads caused by rentals.
If your local bar owner has that attitude, he’s stupid. Who’s paying him money, and not just during the usual tourist season?