The lads looking good in the sun, during a week of warm weather miles, craic and (of course) a few beers.
A growing number of Irish cyclists – of the racing and leisure variety – are taking off to foreign climes to get some miles in under the sun.
Some go abroad on a mission to whip themselves into even better shape, while others take a more relaxed approach.
Belfast club VC Glendale have been heading out to Majorca for about 20 years. And having just returned home from their latest trip they’ve put together the video clip below, offering a cool insight into what they got up to.
There’s no footage of any of the night stages, but you can take it from us that it wasn’t all cycling! (Story continues below video)
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VC Glendale on tour in the sun, By Colm Watson
Most of their trips have been spent in the southern part of the island in the resort of S'arenal.
It’s located about a five minute taxi ride from the airport the same resort is also used by Banbridge CC and Kinning Cycles, to name a few.
A lot of clubs prefer the northern resorts of Alcudia and Pollenca as these are closer to the mountains.
But all three locations offer great riding challenges every day.
Most of VC Glendale’s spins leave the resort at 10am when temperatures are in the early 20s, in March or April when the club normally travels.
Is that a grimace or a smile?
Those riders are led by former international 'Bo' Graham, with the club’s riders getting to mix it up with current elite riders Roger Aiken and Glenn Kinning.
The lads tell us that depending on the time of year, it's not unusual to meet current and ex professional riders.
Last year, for example, they got to ride with cyclocross legend Sven Nys for over an hour.
And this year they met the Etixx-QuickStep and LottoNL-Jumbo WorldTour teams out on their spins.
A typical ride from S'arenal to the mountains taking in a couple of climbs such as the infamous Sa Calobra - as used by Team Sky for testing - will guarantee a 160km spin.
That would be more than six hours in the saddle so you probably won’t be giving the beers a pounding that night. And if you are, you won’t be back out on the bike too early the following morning or venturing too far.
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The lads were still smiling going up the climbs; always a good sign!
Other climbs to be ridden in the area include Lluc, Soller, Orient and Puig Major with plenty of Strava segments to be tackled along the way if you want to race each other or compare your progress from trip to trip.
Easier days can include a trip to the outdoor track in Sineu, with the VC Glendale lads going there on their week away this time around and shooting some footage.
But if you think riding up big climbs or whipping around a track practicing your lead outs all sounds a bit serious, a huge number of riders simply pedal out to a coffee stop each day, take a break there for a while in the sun, and then ride back to base again.
For many though, the climbing is a bit attraction.
Many groups take in a ‘challenge of the monasteries’ ride; consisting of riding up to monasteries typically dotted around the island perched atop climbs around 8km in length.
Beer o'clock; has to be done, especially when you've earned it like the VC Glendale boys did.
Many of the 160km or so spins taken in three such climbs for a testing day in the saddle with some great views.
The lads in VC Glendale tell us another ‘must do’ spin is the ride up to the resort of Port de Pollenca.
From their base at S'arenal it’s a round trip of about 150km to the famous Tollo's bar and restaurant where Bradley Wiggins is known to hang out.
His Tour de France-winning bike and memorabilia hangs there.
And if you’re really lucky you'll catch Sean Kelly having his coffee there as the area is one of his stomping grounds on his SportActive cycling trips open to cyclists of all ages and abilities.
In short, the VC Glendale boys say Majorca is a great spot for anyone looking to ride their bikes for anything between 20 and 200km per day.
At the local track, perfecting the lead-out train!
Popping a wheelie; Sagan eat your heart out.
You'd be in great shape after a week with a good few hills covered, and you wouldn't need to kill yourself.
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