Road bike season start without Mallorca: the best alternatives in Europe

Mallorca is the classic spring training camp for road cyclists. But flying to Spain every year can be expensive, repetitive and logistically awkward. That's why we present the best Mallorca alternatives for the start of your road bike season - without a flight, without a hire bike and with real road bike pros on site. From Italy to Slovenia, thanks to the mild climate, you will find almost year-round training areas to shorten the winter and prepare perfectly for the new season.

• Lake Garda / Trentino / Italy - From sporty mountain tours to enjoyable lake tours - everything is possible. Road bike season starts in January - incl. gelato & pure sunshine right on the lakeshore.
• Ligurian Riviera / Liguria / Italy - Coastal roads, alpine classics such as Poggio & Cipressa, mild climate and Mediterranean cuisine - perfect season-starting road bike holidays in Italy.
• Istria / Slovenia - Road cycling in Slovenian Istria: Coast, karst, lonely hills - the Alpine-Mediterranean tours with little traffic are a real alternative to Mallorca.
• Adriatic Coast / Emilia Romagna / Italy - Between sea views, a mild climate and panoramic hills, you will find ideal training conditions here from March onwards.
   

Road cycling almost all year round? You don't have to get on a plane for that! Because there are also great destinations in Central Europe within driving or train distance for the first road bike training camp of the year. Lake Garda and the Adriatic coast can easily keep up with Playa de Muro, Alcudia or the Tramuntana mountains - and Slovenia doesn't need to shy away from comparison with the run-of-the-mill training destination of Mallorca either. The advantages of these road bike destinations are obvious:

9 reasons why Lake Garda, Istria & Co. are the better alternative to Mallorca:

1. Short journey by car or train instead of travelling by plane - ideal for a stress-free start
2. More sustainable and cheaper travelling - without flight costs and with a lower CO2 footprint
3. Easy bike transport - your own racing bike is included, no dependence on hire bikes
4. Maximum flexibility on site - thanks to your own car and familiar bike, equipment & accessories setup
5. Pleasantly mild temperatures from January, February & March - perfect for an early start to the season
6. Less traffic and significantly less hustle and bustle on the roads, passes & coastal routes than on Mallorca
7. Tested quality in certified Roadbike Holidays hotels - 100% road bike expertise
8. Excellent cycling infrastructure with good roads and varied routes
9. Guided tours, coaching & organised cycling camps - for an effective training start

Lake Garda is one of the most popular training spots in Europe - with mild Mediterranean temperatures and easy accessibility. Simply pack your bike in the car - or hop on the train - and off you go! Whether you're looking for guided group tours, a professional training camp or local expert tips - you'll find everything you need for your structured spring training at Lago di Garda. 

In direct comparison to the Balearic island of Mallorca, the region around Torbole on the northern shores of Lake Garda (Trentino) offers a diverse mountain network with many mountain passes and high mountain climbs with a classic Alpine/pre-Alpine character - such as Monte Velo, San Giovanni al Monte or the legendary Monte Baldo. And the lake provides the southern flair that we long for in winter.

If you need a real sea view for your spring training happiness, you should put Liguria on your bucket list - a true paradise for an early road bike holiday in Italy. On the Ligurian Riviera, you can start the racing bike season between sea and mountains on legendary roads such as those of Milan-Sanremo, the Riviera di Ponente or the imposing Cinque Terre. Over spectacular coastal roads and old railway lines, through olive groves and vineyards and small villages with Riviera flair: the Ligurian tours easily stand comparison with the coastal classics on Mallorca!

• Experience legendary classics such as Poggio & Cipressa and the cycling myth of Milan-Sanremo
• Thanks to its mild climate, Liguria is ideal for road bike tours almost all year round and offers perfect training conditions in spring
• Pleasure routes along the Ligurian coast
• challenging climbs & passes in the hinterland
• Road bike holidays with the region's experts: Hotel Raffy in Diano Marina or at the Villa Giada spEace & Bike Resort in the hills of Imperia

If you are looking for an insider tip with enormous potential, you should take a closer look at Slovenia. Because road biking in Slovenian Istria offers lonely roads, genuine road biking passion and authentic hospitality instead of overtourism and hustle and bustle. A real alternative to Mallorca!

• from gentle coastal roads to traditional salt pans and wooded mountain ranges
• mild Mediterranean climate
• challenging Alpine-Mediterranean tours between the coast, karst and lonely hilly landscapes
• Road bike tours in the Slovenian-Croatian-Italian border region
• a real insider's tip off the beaten track
• from the harbour towns of Koper, Trieste & Pula to medieval villages
• istrian specialities and great hospitality
• Hotel tips for road bike holidays in Istria: the bike boutique hotel Vila Robida *** in Crni Kal and the Hotel Capris**** in Koper, your home base right on the Slovenian coast

From March, you will also find ideal training conditions between sea views, a mild climate and panoramic hills on a road bike holiday on the Adriatic coast. Emilia Romagna in central Italy offers rolling hills, rugged Apennine climbs and beautiful panoramic routes - and the Adriatic Sea on your doorstep. The climate is mild, the season long and the cuisine a delight.

The Adriatic coast is known for ..

• flat coastal paths, picturesque routes through the hilly hinterland and challenging Apennine passes
• roads with little traffic and a well-developed network of paths
• pleasant temperatures from March onwards
• Il Cippo - follow in the footsteps of the pirate
• Longiano - Montiano Tour & Sogliano Tour
• Monte Carpegna - the favourite mountain of national hero Marco Pantani
• Introductory tours at the start of the season along the vineyards and through charming coastal towns
• Marco Pantani Museum in Cesenatico & UNESCO World Heritage Site San Marino
• Lungomare Bike Hotel in Ces - racing bike holidays with a sea view in Marco Pantani's homeland, exclusive rental partner hotel for Emilia Romagna for Pinarello (racing bike rental), alarm-secured bike garage, workshop corner, heated swimming pool ideal for triathletes from March, bike packages and season start training cams from March-May