ILLUSTRATION
JOSEPH LOVELOCK
what on earth am i doing here?
Thighs
burning, I’mpedalling up an ever-
steepening road. My shoulders ache from
this morning’s dawn swim and later I’ll be
working onmy running but, for now, it’s
cycle time. Keeping one eye on the road, I take in the burnt-
yellowmountains that dominate the scenery.
These beautiful peaks are part of Majorca’s Tramuntana
mountain range – one of the reasons this Balearic island is
fast becoming one of themost popular places to train for
the latest sporting travel trend: triathlon. With some 300
sunny days per year, the island is well suited to the sport.
Indeed, with the Mediterranean for swimming, hilly
roads for cycling, and state-of-the-art athletics tracks – for
€5 a day, you can use the 1,500m cross-country course,
500
mouter ring and indoor gym at Calvià (
calvia.
com
) –
it might have been designed for it.
A decade ago only serious sports buffs
would even attempt this disclipline,
which comprises a killer mix of
swimming, running and cycling. But
more andmore people are now taking
up the challenge – and venturing to warmer climes to do
so. Last year, cycle holiday insurance provider Cyclosure
reported a 150% increase in insurance for such trips.
Aside from the sun, there’s another benefit to training
abroad. Without work to think about, I’mmore relaxed,
have more energy, and ammore likely to assimilate
technique tips fromKiko, the ride captainwho works for
Stephen Roche Cycle Holidays (
stephenroche.com
).
I’ve come to build stamina for my first Olympic-
distance triathlon – a 1,500m swim, 40km ride and 10km
run – but beginners can start with a quarter of those
distances. And even if you just try ‘tri’, virtually nothing
else gets you so fit so fast.
All you need is a road bike, some decent running shoes
and a fair amount of grit. Then, if you decide you like it,
you can invest in an all-important trisuit (an all-in-
one number that allows you to switch
between disciplines). Admittedly, these
look a little like a Lycra onesie, but if the
pay-off is that you get to do tri
somewhere like Majorca, it’s more
than worth it.
“
Must tri harder”
In the first instalment of our new activity column,
Lucy Fry
discovers why
Majorca has become a mecca for triathletes
W I T N E S S
T H E F I T N E S S
M A J O R C A
There’s another
benefit to training
abroad: without work
to think about, I’m
more relaxed
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V I E W P O I N T S
