By Ray Fleming
The Cyclists Problem
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It was a very busy week for the Bulletin’s page two Letters to the Editor and, for a change, Winter tourism was not the main subject, except perhaps indirectly. The growing number of cyclists on Majorca’s rural roads and their inconsiderate ways was the Topic of the Week. Interestingly, the complaints came from other visiting users of the roads rather than residents. For instance, this: "Yesterday we travelled from Pollensa to Soller and the experience was horrendous. Countless racing cyclists, many coming from the opposite direction, frequently travelling fast, often in groups and most frighteningly in the middle of the road, made for a scary experience...Could it be that there are a number of visitors, like us, who are having their trips to Majorca spoilt by the worsening road conditions and have made a decision not to come again? We are seriously considering staying away."
And this: "My wife and I are are frequent visitors to Majorca and on our visits in the Winter months we like to hire a car and explore this beautiful island. In the last few years however we have felt that it was a waste of money hiring a car, as the roads are plagued with cycle teams...On a particularly twisty piece of road we were confronted with a team of cyclists all over the road, stopping for a refreshment break alongside their service vehicle.
"I accept that the roads in Majorca are excellent for training purposes but there should be more control over how they use the roads ...I know that many other people feel the same way about the behaviour and arrogance of these cycle teams. This must also have an effect on the car hire companies as many people are now considering whether it is worth hiring a car as the pleasure of driving on Majorcan roads has now been taken away."
Generally, the letters recognised the importance of cycling for Majorca’s economy but their writers had difficulty in understanding why the cyclists showed so little respect for basic road rules. As one letter put it: "I wish they would have more regard for other road users and pedestrians."
(As someone who lives in a busy rural cycling area of Majorca I can only agree with the concern expressed in these and other letters. Our local roads are now quite dangerous, even in the village where many of the cycling teams behave most inconsiderately. On most days I encounter a group of between ten and twenty cyclists who have just ended their exhilarating descent from a Tramuntana peak and are comparing notes over refreshments. Fine. But why do they invariably spread themselves and their cycles all over a T-junction and make little effort to allow cars past? It would be interesting to know whether these highly organised teams have any Rules of the Road and what they say. Or is it that they are encouraged to think of Majorca as just one big Cycling Park in which they can do as they like? R.F.)
Nautical News
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Nautical events took the Bulletin headlines during most of he week. "End of the Line" on Friday reported that the former Royal Yacht Fortuna, now renamed Foners, had been moved from the Porto Pi naval base to Port Adriano where it will be put on sale for an undisclosed figure, by the Balearic business foundation which financed the building of the yacht for King Juan Carlos in 2000. During the week the 45th Trofeo Princess Sofia was officially launched in Palma and will be seen taking place in the Bay of Palma. This prestigious event is one of the five ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas. The race manager Farran Muniesa said: "With almost 900 sailors already registered few competitions in the world can match what Palma and the
Trofeo Princesa Sofia can offer. The world’s best will be here."
The generally upbeat mood in and around the Bay of Palma was reflected in the announcement by the President of the Balearic port Authority, Alberto Pons, of a 550 million euros investment in the Port of Palma to enable it to handle the new generation of super cruise ships that is coming into service.
Tourism Music
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As the City of Palma works to establish itself as a weekend or short-trip tourist destination it may be a good idea for it to look at the classical music attractions which are already on offer.
This week the Bulletin’s daily What’s On feature has listed: on Thursday the Balearic Symphony Orchestra’s concert of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Capriccio Espagnole at the Palma Auditorium; on Sunday the first of four presentations of Puccini’s great opera Tosca at the Teatre Principal; and on Monday, also in Palma, the Studium Aureum’s performance with soloists, chorus and orchestra of Handel’s Messiah.
A perfect weekend for lovers of good music.
Last Words
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Another Letter to the Editor to end with. "For the first time in 15 years of visits to Majorca my wife had her purse stolen in Palma...The upside of this situation was the kindness, helpfulness and sympathy of the people at the Oficina de Denuncias in Palma who were wonderful, and the staff at the underground car park at the Borne who gave us a free parking ticket (the original being in the purse). Thank you to all, It just goes to show the faith in human nature always conquers adversity."
In Brief
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With an Obituary and tribute by its editor the Bulletinreported the death of Adolfo Suarez who was for four years Spain’s influential prime minister in the early years after the end of the Franco regime.
He was credited with skilfully managing the difficult transition from dictatorship to democracy and later in 1981 he was greatly admired for his bravery in facing down the armed Guardia Civil group which attempted a coup by entering parliament and holding its members hostage. Whether or not it could be considered a Winter tourism attraction, snow fell in some of the higher regions of Majorca during the week and the Bulletin printed the obligatory pictures of people preparing for a snowball fight or braving the elements in T-shirt and shorts.
Earlier in the week the Bulletin’s centre pages had featured the Puerto Pollensa Dip in which some forty brave souls tested the temperature of the Mediterranean in mid-March -- all in the aid of cancer charity.