Route from Alcúdia · start & finish Alcúdia
Alcúdia – Bonany – Sineu
- Moderate
- 83 km
- 569 m
- ≈ 3–3½ h
Map and elevation profile
Move along the elevation profile to see where you are on the map.
Food & coffee stops
Tried-and-tested places where cyclists like to stop for coffee, food or water.
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Café 21 kmJunior's Cafe Santa Margalida
Cyclist-friendly café at Carrer de la Constitució 5 in the centre, just off the route at km 21. Bike racks on the terrace, a display for the local cycling club, coffee, homemade desserts, tapas, pizzas and burgers. According to its listing it is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Sunday 8:00–22:00.
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Café 31 kmCafe Can Tomeu 1945 Petra
Café on Petra's main square, Plaça Ramon Llull, which the route crosses at km 31 before the Bonany climb; at km 40 you pass a block away. Breakfast, coffee and lunch, with bike stands by the terrace; cyclists report having their bottles filled with cold water. Open daily 8:00–22:30, according to its listing.
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Café 59 kmS'Acústic Cafè Llubí
Café with a terrace right on the route at km 59, on the church square (Plaça de l'Església 6). It has a Cycling Friendly banner and space for bikes: coffee and pastries, tapas, pizzas and a lunch menu. Closed on Mondays; Tuesday to Sunday 8:00–22:30.
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Alcúdia to Bonany: Petra, Sineu and the quiet roads of the Pla
Route summary:
Ride this when cloud sits on the Tramuntana or your legs want tempo rather than mountains. From Alcúdia you roll along the bay to Can Picafort, then turn inland onto the quiet roads of the Pla de Mallorca: hilltop Santa Margalida, Petra and the one real climb of the day, 3.4 km up to the Santuari de Bonany with a view across the whole plain. The way home runs through Sineu, Llubí and Sa Pobla, between fields and dry-stone walls. With 82.7 km and 569 m of climbing it suits intermediate riders and works as a tempo day or an easy spin between mountain stages. Allow 3 to 3.5 hours in the saddle. Refuel in Santa Margalida (km 21), Petra (km 31 and again at km 40) or Llubí (km 59).
Cycling route summary:
Km 0–12: from Alcúdia you head down to the Ma-12 and ride flat past the hotels of Platja de Muro and the s'Albufera entrance at the Pont dels Anglesos (km 6.5) to Can Picafort. Hotel traffic is heavy and there are several roundabouts, so ride single file. At km 12 you turn inland on the Ma-3413 and Ma-3410 and climb gradually, about 70 m, to Santa Margalida (km 21). The Ma-3340 then rolls south through open fields to Petra (km 31). Expect some lorries on both roads.
From the edge of Petra the Camí de Bonany climbs 3.4 km at an average of 5%. The first half is gentle, with a short dip; the last 2 km average around 7%, with ramps up to 10%. The road ends at the sanctuary (km 36): turn round and descend the same narrow lane, braking early and watching for cars, riders and walkers coming up. At km 40 you are back in Petra.
The Ma-3300 rolls west to Sineu (km 50.5), finishing with a gentle 3 km drag into town. From there it is mostly downhill or flat: the Ma-3511 drops to Llubí (km 58.5) and the Ma-3501 crosses farmland to Sa Pobla (km 67.5). The last 15 km, on the Ma-3433 and Ma-3470 past s'Albufera and on quiet asphalt farm lanes into Alcúdia, are often into the afternoon sea breeze.
Tourist summary:
Alcúdia's walls were begun under King Jaume II in 1298, and the ruins of Roman Pollentia lie just outside them. Inland you cross the Pla, the farming heart of the island. On the first Sunday of September Santa Margalida holds the Festa de la Beata, with devils, farmers and decorated floats. Petra is the birthplace of Junípero Serra, the Franciscan who founded the first missions in California; his birth house and museum stand on Carrer Barracar Alt. From Bonany, where Serra said his farewells in 1749 before sailing for America, you look out over the whole plain. Sineu has held its Wednesday market since 1306, Llubí is known for capers and Sa Pobla for potatoes.
Climbs click to show on the map
- Santuari de Bonany (Puig de Bonany) from Petra 3.4 km · Ø 5 % · max. 10.5 % · top 281 m km 32–36
Tips from our guides
- Leave by 8:30–9:00 at the latest, earlier in summer. Inland it is hot, there is almost no shade and water points are few. Carry two bottles and top them up in Petra before and after the Bonany climb.
- In the afternoon a sea breeze often blows in from the Bay of Alcúdia, and the last 15 km from Sa Pobla are mostly into it. Save something for the finish and take turns on the front if you ride in a group.
- Descend from Bonany on the same narrow road you came up: brake before the bends and expect cars, riders and walkers coming up. If your GPS suggests another way towards Sineu via the Camí de Son Maimó or Son Baró, ignore it; these are farm tracks unsuitable for road bikes.
- On Mondays both Junior's Cafe and S'Acústic Cafè are closed, so plan your stop in Petra. On Wednesday mornings Sineu's market packs the centre: the route passes about 200 m away, but if you detour to the squares, walk your bike.
- Any road bike will do: the whole route is on asphalt and the only climb is short, so a compact chainset is plenty. Pack a spare tube, a pump, sunscreen and some cash for the village bars. On the Ma-12 ride single file with a rear light on.
Did you know?
- Junípero Serra was born in Petra on 24 November 1713. Pope Francis canonised him on 23 September 2015 in Washington, D.C. source
- Sineu's market was established by King Jaume II in 1306, and it is still the only weekly market in Mallorca with live animals. source
- S'Albufera, which you pass at the start and finish, has been a natural park since 28 January 1988. At 2,036 ha it is the largest wetland in the Balearic Islands, and 303 bird species have been recorded there. source
Places along the route
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10 km
Alcúdia – old-town walls
The ride starts and finishes at the roundabout below the walls, begun under King Jaume II in 1298. Just outside lie the excavations of Pollentia, the Roman city founded after the conquest of the island in 123 BC. Leave time after the ride to walk through the gates into the old town.
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27 km
s'Albufera – Pont dels Anglesos
The Pont dels Anglesos bridge on the Ma-12 is the entrance to the Parc Natural de s'Albufera, the largest wetland in the Balearic Islands, protected since 1988. You may only go in on foot or by bike (10 km/h limit); it is open 9:00–18:00 from April to September and 9:00–17:00 from October to March. On the way back from Sa Pobla you ride past its edge.
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321 km
Santa Margalida
A village on a low hill above the plain; the resort of Can Picafort belongs to the same municipality. On the first Sunday of September the Beata procession honours Saint Catalina Thomàs, with devils, farmers and decorated floats. Junior's Cafe is just off the main road through the centre.
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431 km
Petra
Birthplace of Junípero Serra (1713–1784), founder of the first Franciscan missions in California, canonised by Pope Francis in 2015. His birth house and the museum opened in 1959 are on Carrer Barracar Alt, about 100 m off the route. You ride through Plaça Ramon Llull and its cafés at km 31 and pass a block away at km 40.
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536 km
Santuari de Bonany
The sanctuary sits on the Puig de Bonany (317 m), with a view over the whole Pla. The name means 'good year': according to tradition, rain finally fell after a procession to pray for it during the drought of 1606. The present church dates from 1920–1925, and a stone cross from 1949 recalls Serra's farewell here in 1749 before he left for America.
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651 km
Sineu
The old royal town at the centre of the island. King Jaume II granted it a market in 1306 and later built a palace here. The Wednesday-morning market, the only weekly market in Mallorca with live animals, fills the centre around the church of Santa Maria, about 200 m off the route.
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759 km
Llubí
A farming village surrounded by caper fields; the pickled buds are a staple of Mallorcan cooking. In early June the bars serve caper tapas during Llubí va de Tapes amb Tàperes. The route passes right by the church square of Sant Feliu, home to S'Acústic Cafè.
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868 km
Sa Pobla
The farming hub of the north, famous for its export potatoes; on the first weekend of June the town celebrates them with the Fira Nocturna de la Patata on Plaça Major. The square is about 200 m off the route, and the Can Planes museum in the centre holds more than 100 works by Mallorcan artists.
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