Mallorca 312 Route

Playa de Muro is the start and end of the Mallorca 312 route, located on the horseshoe bay of Pollensa. From Palma Airport, it's about a 45-minute drive. On the west, you can get to Port Pollensa, and on the east, you can get to Alcudia, along the golden beaches. All routes take on some of the top climbs in Mallorca. Taking on the larger of the two trails will give you the chance to explore some of the most stunning roads near Andratx.

Playa de Muro to the Coll de Femenia 

The 312 starts at Playa de Muro, a resort on the northeastern coast. Following this, the route winds along the mountainous northwest coast, passing over the Col de Femenia (519m). This is the beginning of some serious climbing in Mallorca. It's a beautiful climb with steady gradients as the Coll de Femenia climb stretches to the southwest along the famous MA-10 road. You can access several well-known climbs in Mallorca from this road, which traverses the entire mountain range,

There are almost 5 kilometres of slow going as the elevation bgeins to creep up before the tough part of the climb actually begins. Signs indicate that there are 7.7 km at 5.5% to highest point of Coll de Femenia. The road gets narrower as you continue the climb but the terrain remains excellent as the tarmac is of great quality. You'll experience a few wide 180-degree turns with messages painted on the tarmac, creating an atmosphere of professional racing and this will push you on as you complete the first major climb of the day.

The Puig Major Climb

Once you've ascended the Femenia, you will drop down before the biggest climb of the day, the route up to the Monnaber tunnel and Puig Major. You will climb into stunning territory, flanked by two reservoirs to your left and rocky peaks all around. You can learn more about climbing Puig Major here although the 312 route ascends from the north whereas our route guide is from the south. Once you're up to the Monnaber tunnel, you will have climbed as high as you will at any point during the day and you will be rewarded with an incredible descent towards Soller, descending close to 800m in just over 10km.

View of the road descending Puig Major in Mallorca

Soller to Estellencs

The route gets more breathtaking from Soller onwards and you will find that the road hugs the coast tighter in Deia than anywhere else on the island. The climbing continues from Soller as you head up towards Deia and past Valdemossa before you come to what we think is the most beautiful part of the ride. The MA-10 is well known for the Andratx to Formentor route and this section is the undoubted highlight. The road bends around the coast towards Estellencs offering incredible views over the Mediterranean.

Campanet to Playa de Muro

Respite comes in the way of the Mallorcan flatlands and you will skirt the foothills up towards Campanet without any really tough climbing, and a fair amount of downhill. It's on to the picturesque Artà from here, riding through the famous orange groves and rural Mallorca before a final push back up the coast to the finish at Playa de Muro. Even though it isn't in the mountains, the last third of the event isn't flat and so you need to have some energy left in the tank. Here you will find your final two feed stations at 238km and 284km. In the final stages of the race, nutrition is crucial, so make sure you keep refuelling!

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO COMPLETE?

The ride itself is challenging enough, but there's a 14-hour cut-off, which means you have to maintain an average speed of 22km (14mph). While this may not sound fast, the route has a lot of climbing and will push you to your limit. There should be huge emphasis on getting fuelling right. The first feed station is at 50km, and is where you can get fluids. The second feed station is at 94.6km, and is where you can collect food. However, many of the most challenging climbs of the route come within the first third of the event, your average speed is likely to be slower than usual over this period.

The Mallorca 312 route map