The Carretera de les Coves

Mallorca route guide · Llevant & East Coast

Riding The Carretera de les Coves

The caves road: out of Artà past the Franciscan convent and the wayside cross at the Son Servera turn, then ten fast kilometres of open country — signed at ninety, ridden hard — across the Pont de na Marxanda and into the Canyamel valley, where the thirteenth-century Torre de Canyamel stands a field away from the road. Past the beach the road does its one real work of the day, climbing onto the Cap Vermell shelf to end at the forecourt of the Coves d’Artà, the cave mouth open in the sea cliff above and the Talaia Vella watchtower ruined on the headland. A famous dead end, and the reason the road was admitted: you ride out, you stand at the cliff, you ride back.

This point-to-point line covers 10 km, from Artà toward Canyamel toward the Coves d’Artà.

This is coastal Mallorca rather than a generic blue horizon: the road’s relationship with coves, cliffs, ports, stone retaining walls, and open water is what defines it.

Captured in muntro

Relief, gradient, and how to pace it

The profile is restrained by Mallorca standards: 89 m separates its lowest and highest points. The interest comes from rhythm, surface changes, exposed straights, and the way the road moves through the landscape rather than one headline climb.

Use the opening kilometres to find cadence and keep the power smooth. The route is ideal for endurance work, recovery riding, or simply exploring the island without a large climbing bill.

Points to watch for

The best Mallorca routes are remembered as a sequence of places, not as a GPX line. These are the changes of scene that organise this ride.

1. 01

   Artà

   The route rolls away from Artà, giving you a few minutes to find cadence and read the road ahead.

2. 02

   Canyamel

   Canyamel is one of the route’s defining changes of scene and a useful marker for pacing the ride.

3. 03

   the Coves d’Artà

   the Coves d’Artà is one of the route’s defining changes of scene and a useful marker for pacing the ride.

4. 04

   106 m high point

   At 106 m high point, the elevation trace reaches its ceiling before the road releases the height it has earned.

Why this road works indoors

muntro does not flatten the Carretera de les Coves into a workout backdrop. The route’s bends, height, and junction order come from the road itself, while a compatible trainer reproduces the changing gradient under your pedals.

The point-to-point format gives the session a destination. There is no need to invent a finish when the real road already has one.