Tom Ewart Smith
A CYCLING expert has raised concerns about safety in Mallorca following a recent accident involving six German national team cyclists.
The cyclists were struck by a car driven by an 89-year-old man near Palma airport last month.
Gordon Neale, who established the first professional Mallorca training camp for British cyclists, has decades of experience in the sport.
READ MORE: Six German national cycle team members hit by a car near Mallorca airport
In 2023, he published Cycling 70 Years Once World Champion, detailing his career and time in Mallorca.
In an interview with the Olive Press, the 86-year-old Brit highlighted the growing risks for cycling tourists on the island.
Mallorca has become a global hotspot for cycling, attracting around 400,000 riders annually. However, Neale warns that the roads are becoming dangerously overcrowded.
“The roads are too busy,” he says, pointing to large cycling groups that often lack experienced leaders.
Many organisers struggle to provide enough trained guides due to financial constraints.
Additionally, Neale notes that the type of cyclists has changed.
More triathletes now train in Mallorca, using ‘tri-bar’ bikes, which offer less control than standard road bikes.
These athletes are also highly competitive, often racing to record the fastest times on open roads.
“Being seriously competitive on the open road is asking for problems,” Neale warns.
Mallorca’s popularity extends beyond Europe, with cyclists from as far as the U.S. choosing it over domestic training locations.
This influx has brought many inexperienced riders who ‘follow the crowd’ without a solid cycling background, increasing the risk of accidents.
Cycling fatalities in Spain rose from 49 in 2011 to 90 in 2023.
While exact accident figures for Mallorca are difficult to find, data from On the Road Trends reports 19 cyclist deaths on the island over the past five years, with 150-200 accidents annually.
Despite these numbers, many cyclists believe Mallorca is relatively safe.
Members of a Mallorca cycling Facebook group, such as Marco Laufenberg and Santi Brage, claim the island is ‘incredibly safe’ and ‘much safer than most parts of Europe’.
Neale, however, disagrees. He believes the actual number of accidents is higher than reported, alleging that local authorities deliberately downplay incidents to protect tourism.
“I see accidents that never make the press,” he says. “They try to cover it up because of tourism”.
He also suggests that tour operators have a vested interest in keeping discussions about cycling accidents to a minimum.
Above all, Neale insists that ‘one accident is one too many’.
His advice for cyclists includes: riding with experienced people, avoiding dangerous weather conditions, and not cutting corners on the dangerous mountainous descents.
He also wants authorities to reschedule endurance events like Ironman to less busy months, reducing the strain on Mallorca’s roads.
As cycling tourism continues to grow, the debate over safety on the island is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
