A gaggle of NYCC members attended the Stephen Roche Camp from February 27–March 6. February, 2004.

Arrival day was wretched with rain and hail, quite unusual for Mallorca. It stayed that way for ride day 1 and 2, very very cold with a dusting of snow at elevation—nothing for us New Yorkers who rode through it all and into good weather by week’s end, with sun and temperatures near 60°F.

The island is gorgeous, spotless and old and the daily rides took us through the best part: the island’s northwest quadrant. There was plenty of hard climbing and one spectacular day of switchbacks along the Corniche coast with ancient terraced slopes and sepia villages dropping to an azure Mediterannean below.

Average daily rides were 40–60 miles. We were divided into 4 groups, faster riders doing more mileage, with all groups finishing by 2PM. The camp accommodates a range of abilitiy, i.e., during our week a Washington DC racing team was there. Breakfast and dinner were group affairs daily and by week’s end even the 1s and the 4s were sitting together.

—Ellen Jaffe