We had already set our sights on the highest point on the island yesterday, circling it from all sides. It was the topic of conversation at dinner, the reason for the neighbour's excessive calorie intake, and on this Sunday morning, 20 October, we finally make our way up Monte Toro. With a panoramic view over the whole of Menorca, over forests, walled green fields and white towns. And all the way to the sea, suffering combined with pleasure. For a few minutes, a relaxed autumn tour turns into a competition that everyone has to fight with themselves. The road is too steep, at least for the average cyclist, to take it easy or even enter into a duel.
Over the last few hundred metres, the morning sun shines on the tarmac, cheers resound on the steep ramp, and just before the time check, clapping riders, photographers and family members are all shouting upwards. Venga, vamos, vamos! At the top of the car park next to the former Franciscan monastery, those who have made it are drinking Coke and water from plastic bottles. Dirk Swars, who cycled up here a few years ago, is also smiling. "I didn't remember it being that steep." The 61-year-old has just completed the most difficult part of the international Menorca cycle tour. Now it's just back to the family and later to the beach.
The round trip almost Volta a Menorca fell into the water
Two days earlier, you could have lost faith in the sun, beach and sea. Even 73-year-old Arturo Sintes, a seasoned organiser of the international Menoca Tour, had lost his patient confidence for a few moments. "That was nothing today, nothing at all," he said after he had reached the Plaza de la Constitución in the centre of the island's capital Mahón again on Friday afternoon with a very reduced entourage of completely soaked cyclists.
Just as Sintes sat down in his silver car with the loudspeaker on the roof at a quarter to four and opened the prologue of the 23rd tour of the small island, drizzle set in and quickly turned into heavy downpours. It poured down on the brave starters, who actually wanted to start the three-day sunshine tour in a relaxed manner. A trip up to the Sa Mola fortress in front of the harbour entrance in the east of the island became a test of character. If you're here once, then you'll ride all three days. Back at the finish line, Sintes quickly regained his composure: "Tomorrow will be something completely different, you'll see."
Arturo Sintes is the man who founded this event 23 years ago. The "Volta Cicloturista Internacional a Menorca" is firmly established in the racing bike scene on the Balearic Islands, it is also a highlight of the season for clubs, especially from the neighbouring island of Mallorca, and for some time now it has also been a magnet for cycling tourists from England, who enjoy the autumn sunshine and are certainly not shocked by the rain. At the same time, the event is an insider tip. Only one participant travelled from Germany, not including the author of this story, and even he only came to the field by chance. Engineer Dirk Swars had heard about the tour from the landlord of his holiday flat, a cycling fan and friend of the organisers. So he ventured into the peloton as an individual starter.
This is the 23rd time that Sintes, who headed the Balearic Cycling Federation for nine years until 2015 and runs a swimming pool construction company in Menorca, has organised this round. "It's a family event where we ride in a group but also incorporate a competition," says Sintes, explaining the concept of the tour. Over three days, you discover the advantages of the small island, get to know most of its cycling attractions and can also throw yourself into an unfiltered competition: Sintes, the racing bike promoter, has set aside Menorca's two highest climbs for the combined timed competition, both of which are dead ends with a mountain finish. So the Tour of Menorca is twofold: a group ride at a set pace in a closed formation - and a battle for trophies, with all sorts to be won.
Great importance for the island
It is easy to see that the Menorca Tour has a firm place in the life of the island. The local daily newspaper reports extensively, car, bus and motorbike drivers on the roads accept the temporary route closures with patience and even applause, and in the island's capital, Sintes and his team are allocated the best places. The stages start and finish right in front of the seat of government on the cobblestones of the old town, and on the evening after the prologue, Sintes is even given the council chamber in the government building for the official opening. The importance of the race in Spain's traditional sporting culture is evident on the evening of the opening. The guest of honour is multiple mountain bike world champion Marga Fullana, and former Tour de France star Haimar Zubeldia has also travelled from the Basque Country for the weekend.
Sintes ensnares the stars. "I thought we were invited to wear swimming trunks here," jokes Zubeldia, "but jokes aside: we want to enjoy these days on the bike with you." Those who come to Menorca for the tour will soon meet celebrities: Iban Mayo, Oscar Freire, Joseba Beloki, Samuel Sanchez, they have all been guests at Sintes in the past few years. Miguel Indurain, the eponymous son of the most successful of all Spanish cyclists, is also standing with a bottle of beer at the buffet with cheese and pastries. "We know each other through cycling on Mallorca," says the young Indurain, now Mallorca area manager for a large cycling company, about the connection to the organisers. There is something like a close-knit cycling family in Spain, which is also evident here. "And the participants get really close to the stars," says Indurain, who never turned pro himself.
Up on the saddle: start of the Volta a Menorca
Arturo Sintes was proved right. After the continuous rain, the island shines in the early morning sun on Saturday, the air is clear, the temperature is still quite cool, but quickly approaching 20 degrees. The first of the two stages after the prologue begins for everyone with the sign-in. There is a big hello on the plaza, then the peloton rolls out of the winding old town. The 320 or so participants in the Volta are protected by the Guardia Civil in front, by motorbikes belonging to the organisers and by two ambulances and a mechanic's vehicle accompanying the peloton at the back. It is a smooth roll over the almost empty streets of the island.
Sintes plays pop and rock music over the loudspeakers on the roof of the lead vehicle when passing through towns, passers-by applaud and he repeatedly makes announcements: when which programme item is due in the evening; when the female starters come together for a photo; where to take a break in order to lead the group across the main road as a group; where a little more speed is allowed. In between, there are always undulating sections where the front of the group picks up speed noticeably. With a lot of momentum, you roll through a landscape that must be a new discovery for the vast majority of racing cyclists from Europe. "We don't have that many roads on Menorca, but they are in very good condition and we can cycle well almost every day," says Victor Rodriguez, the president of the local cycling club. Some places along the route make participants rave out loud. In the north of the island, near the coast at Fornells, the route winds between hills. Javier Maurolagoitia is also fond of the area, as well as cycling on Menorca, which Sintes introduced him to. The 61-year-old raves about the Volta: "Here in the Basque Country it's always very competitive, here it's relaxed, you meet people," says Maurolagoitia.
Extremely positive feedback from participants
The German Michael Breunig, who has lived on Ibiza for 24 years, was surprised after the 100-kilometre stage on Saturday. This is his first time on Menorca. "I loved the landscape, the climbs aren't too long, it's perfect for people with a bit more weight," says the 57-year-old. This tour is primarily relationship-orientated. The people in the peloton chat in Balearic accents, in Spanish and also in English, and many are there in teams with their clubs. But individual starters also feel welcome. "It's very friendly, I feel very comfortable," says Dirk Swars from the Odenwald. The organisers also encourage socialising away from the saddle, which is particularly important to organiser Sintes.
"You've probably never seen anything like our farewell ceremony," he said at the welcome on Menorca, "this isn't a pasta party, this is a real meal." In fact, just under an hour and a half after the end of the second 60-kilometre stage, the participants gather in the exhibition hall in Mahón, most of them showered, some still in their jerseys. They sit at festively laid tables, very attentive service staff serve stuffed aubergine, braised beef and a bread and vanilla dessert, accompanied by wine. Meanwhile, Arturo Sintes, described by Spanish journalist Laura Meseguer from Eurosport as the "most passionate person in Spanish cycling", is hosting the event.
Sintes has a private cycling museum right next door, full to bursting with unique pieces and dedications from great racing bike stars. Sintes brings people from the sport together. This tour is something like his child, he says, for him and his wife Lina Puig, who scurries around in the background, distributing paper and giving instructions to the team. There are also plenty of tears from the spectators as Arturo Sintes honours his wife for her commitment to the Volta. And also for her quick reaction in January when his heart stopped. Sintes was only just able to be saved, waking up from a coma days later in Palma de Mallorca. That's why, he says, every moment of this 23rd Volta is a gift for him. Even when it rains.
Hope for next year in Menorca
"We hope that next year, German cycle tourists will also come and get to know what makes us so special," says Sintes. At the top of Monte Toro, holidaymaker and accidental starter Dirk Swars talks about the appeal of this island. It is easy to cycle in a closed group, and the Volta can also be combined with a family holiday, Menorca offers good opportunities for a week's leisurely cycling holiday. For longer holidays, on the other hand, the island has too little variety of roads. The civil engineer has comparative values, he used to be a guide on Mallorca. He also knows that it is difficult to get German cyclists to cross over from one island to the other. The big neighbour can be seen from up here on the 357-metre-high Monte Toro, the climbs of the Tramuntana, which attract athletes in droves. Everyone knows its infrastructure for cycle tourists, the Mallorca 312 race is fully booked within hours every year. All that feels far away up here. But there's nothing missing when, after a break for refreshments in the sunlight, the convoy, led by Arturo Sintes and his microphone, rolls back over Menorca's undulating roads.
Info and interesting facts: Volta Cicloturista Internacional a Menorca
The International Tour of Menorca is a group ride in the style of a stage RTF. It takes place every year at the end of October with the start and finish in Mahón. The tour consists of a prologue and two stages. On each of the two stages, there is timekeeping on a climb. These times are combined to determine the winner. Participation in 2024 costs 65 euros for riders with a licence and 75 euros for riders without a licence. https://www.menorcacicloturista.com/en/
