The hermitages of the Pla

Mallorca route guide · Llevant & East Coast

Riding The hermitages of the Pla

Every sanctuary road the plain has, chained into one long day. The Camí de Bonany climbs out of Petra to the ermita on its own hill; Sant Salvador answers with twenty-one hairpins above Felanitx and the Castell de Santueri stands on the next ridge along a farm lane that climbs a wall. Then west across the Pla to Randa, Cura and the Castellitx turn-off, and home by the old Porreres roads. MallorcaVelo publishes its own Ermites del Pla at 138.7 km; this one is longer because it takes every climb rather than passing under them.

This is a true 204.2 km circuit: the road closes naturally rather than using an artificial turnaround.

The mountain character comes from more than gradient. Limestone, tunnel mouths, dry-stone edges, pine shade, reservoirs, and compressed hairpins change the view as much as the elevation.

Captured in muntro

Relief, gradient, and how to pace it

This is serious vertical terrain. The road spans 426 m from bottom to top and accumulates 2,134 m of ascent, with sampled ramps reaching 12.2%. The profile makes the pacing decision visible before the first pedal stroke.

Treat this as a long mountain day. Fuel before you need it, cap the early effort, and let the descents reset your breathing; the profile is too large to rescue with one heroic final interval.

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

   Petra

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

2. 02

   Bonany

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

3. 03

   Sant Salvador

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

4. 04

   Santueri

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

5. 05

   Randa

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

Why this road works indoors

muntro does not flatten the hermitages of the Pla 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.

Because the course closes naturally, it works especially well for repeated laps, steady endurance rides, and comparing the same decisions under fatigue.