Our highly anticipated trip to Majorca finally began on a chilly Saturday morning with the coach ride to Gatwick, after an enforced 2 year hiatus. Only one speaker and one Mr Quick didn’t make it onto the flight to Palma where there were whispers up and down the aisle from poor unsuspected members of the public speculating about how rowdy the group of youths in neon pink t-shirts would be.
The plane didn’t fall out of the sky despite concerns after seeing the weight of some of the bags and we all landed safely (although Sam 8 hours later and €500 richer - cheers easyJet).
An alarmingly high number of freshers managed to injure themselves in some way within the first few hours of being on the island which set a precedent for the chaotic nature of the week. That poor first aid kit was opened more times during the week than bottles of sangria. One particular fresher learned a lesson in instant karma after spraining their ankle attempting to climb the wall to steal another villa’s furniture. The mighty fortress of Villa Pedro remained strong, even if missing 4 outdoor dining chairs.
The excitement of arriving was overwhelming for some and so the idea of cooking dinner was forgotten about until 10pm leading to a rather hungry bunch of triathletes at the evening briefing. Nonetheless, everyone got prepared for the first day of riding.
Sunday
The first morning swim was beautifully with clear skies and clear waters. The gorgeous sunshine was enough to make even Izzy Gelder (mostly) forget the cold. Hire bikes were collected and groups set off up Coll De Femenia, the first of many beautiful climbs. Pizza, chips and ice creams at the top, enough to cure a certain pre-bonk, and then some groups headed back and some continued on a slightly longer route. A very hectic trip to the supermarket to stock up for the week was the evening entertainment and I think the poor Eroski staff didn’t know what hit them after we rounded up food for 40 triathletes for a week.
Monday
After another sunny morning swim the second rides of the week lay ahead of us and proper fuelling was essential. The volume of oats consumed across the villas was impressive. The rides out to Arta battled a brutal headwind but it was all worth it for the climb up to the monastery. Joe was so excited to make it up the climb he launched his helmet off the side of a cliff and spent the following 20 minutes searching through long grass in his cleats to find it. Of course he would not let morale drop and a fabulous pizza stop fuelled the speedy ride home. This was many people’s first 100km and the sun on the way back just made the vibes immaculate.
Tuesday
This was the big day. Villa Lenny (and Mary) took on the mighty 180km ride whilst most others tackled the 140km, both including the largest climb on the island - Puig Major. What an eventful day. There were mechanicals, bonks and some crazy impressive climbs galore. Unfortunately there were a couple of rescue missions needed but everyone made it back safe in the end and everyone earned their big dinners, enjoying the fact that they didn’t have to get on the bikes the next day. This again topped lots of people’s longest rides and I was so proud of everyone for their perseverance, grit and kindness. No person was left behind and it was evident to see everyone caring for each other. 10/10 day.
Wednesday
Rest day. Tragically the one day of the week where the weather wasn’t on our side. This didn’t stop us. Day drinking at its finest was on the cards with the afternoon beer mile followed by the talent show. Alumni, former president and current record holder of the UoNTri beer mile Luke Donald gave an immaculate display to storm to a (contested) victory, after Fresher George decided to participate in a “Sangria Mile” resulting in a decider beer lap. The amount of talent of display was incredible, with guest stars from Zac Efron and Macklemore himself. Kudos to Joe G for being in both the winning and losing acts.
This was followed by a lovely paella at a restaurant in town who were a bit taken aback by the level of intoxication of our party as we entered the establishment. This was not improved when it was discovered that a bottle of wine was €10 but a great meal overall.
Villa Llenaire (after some slight coercion) hosted the rest of us afterwards and the descent to chaos was rapid. The most remarkable thing to take away from the evening is that the ability of some of our freshers at Zummy Zummy is abysmal. And that Aidan moves his shoulders like no other.
Thursday
The day of Sa Calacalacaobra. The big beefy 10km climb. We had some outstanding performances here but everyone who made it up there should be proud of themselves. Especially Luomi who got taken out by a MAMIL who wiped out going down far too quickly but dusted themselves off and made it to the top and were still smiling. In the evening most of us headed to the nearby cove on a run/walk/hobble with crutches. The sunset views were immaculate and the pink t shirts lit up the cove like little magical lights. Unfortunately Izzy had a navigational malfunction and ended up very lost but the heroes of UoNTri Bryce and Mary made sure everyone made it back in one piece. Where will this club be without those two next year I dread to think.
Friday
Last day with the bikes and we went out with a bang cycling up to the NE tip of the island where the Formentor lighthouse is in our matching white jerseys. Never have I seen such coordinated chic cyclists and it was great to have the alumni join in for this ride and catch up with them. 4 of our athletes decided to ditch the bikes and run an ultra marathon to the lighthouse and back!!
An afternoon in the sun concluded with the highly contested Super Super Sprint triathlon on the sea front. Great racing from all involved, congrats to the winning team.
As well as all our daily jerseys we also had two limited edition mini jerseys to give away to two people that Adam and I agreed deserved a token of our recognition. Congratulations to Naomi and Will for getting these prizes for the unbelievable good vibes and kindness you both showed throughout the trip.
After the final jersey presentations and awards it was time for Party Pedro. The sangria was flowing and the bangers were pumping. Pedro were shit at beer pong, others were average at beer pong. The usual 2am skinny dip occurred and the troopers were dancing into the early hours to Take That. What a night.
All that was left was to pack and leave the villas ready to head back to Notts. An absolutely fantastic week with so many great memories with an amazing group of people. I’m already counting down the days until next year babyyyyy. See you there 1st-8th April 2023.