By Robbie Broughton
I had to drive to the language school in Palma where I work part-time. The proprietor has been good enough to make sure that we get paid at least some of our usual salaries during the lockdown and we had to go in to sign some documents.
The roads were surprisingly busy and quite a few businesses seem to still be operating, including some public works like road maintenance. I kept expecting to come across police checkpoints but I only briefly saw one police car.
I met the owner of the language school on the steps where we had a chat about the situation and how long he thought it would last. Heads of schools are invariably optimistic about things and he was no different, reckoning that we’d all be back to normal within a couple of months. Apparently some of the schools in China are re-opening and he expected Mallorca to follow the same pattern. I wish I shared his view but I didn’t have the heart to challenge it and just nodded in agreement.
Being out in the car, driving on the same roads I do practically everyday made everything seem normal again and it was easy to briefly forget about the restrictions on movement. I took the opportunity to go to the supermarket, a massive Carrefour on the outskirts of Palma.
There have been a few pictures and videos of shoppers going bananas as they stockpile toilet roll and hand sanitizer, much like in the UK, but the supermarket today was pretty quiet and well stocked, although hardly any loo roll (which I didn’t need) and no anti bacterial detergent (which we do need to clean the house after our last guests). This Carrefour is enormous and you can buy practically anything: bikes, washing machines, garden furniture, clothes etc as well as food. But I was headed for the decorating aisle - our plan is to get through this lockdown by keeping as busy as possible and we still have decorating to do in our basement flat, entrance hall and a couple of bedrooms.
Thank God they had what we needed as all the hardware shops are firmly shut.
So decorating will be keeping us busy for the next few weeks. Our only other distractions are dog-walking and trips to the shop. Bike riding is outlawed.
It’s pretty extraordinary, living as we do in one of the top cycling destinations in the world, and not seeing anyone riding. This is the start of the cycling season and by now you would normally see streams of cyclists, mostly German and British, passing our front door with huge grins on their faces as they finish the descent from Sa Batalla. There’s a great cycling cafe in our village called Sa Ruta Verda and it’s become a go-to rest stop for hundreds of riders everyday in peak season. Owned and run by a Norewegian called Lennart, it’s got a really buzzy atmosphere and great food and coffee. As from Sunday it was shut down like every other cafe, bar and restaurant in Mallorca.
Sa Ruta Verda last week
I’m in two minds about the no-cycling ruling. I understand the argument that, if someone has an accident and needs hospital treatment that they’ll be using resources and staff that are already stretched at the moment. But, realistically, I wonder how many serious accidents there would actually be, given that the roads are so quiet at the moment. I also wonder how many daily road traffic accidents there are and how this compares to cycling accidents. After all, we’re still allowed to drive to the supermarket (or to work if it’s not closed).
When we have to confine ourselves to our homes, I do think that exceptions should be made for taking physical exercise. Luckily we have plenty of outdoor space but I can't imagine what it must be like living under lockdown in a flat with only a small balcony which many people I know in Palma do. The opportunity to get out on a bike, even on your own, is an opportunity to let off steam, keep your fitness up and have at least a semblance of freedom. It’s very claustrophobic being under lockdown and I fear for people’s mental health with no opportunities to let off steam.
It’s bad enough for amateurs like myself, but there are hundreds of professional cyclists based in Spain, particularly around Girona in Catalunya, and at the moment they’re unable to train. Professionals in Italy meanwhile have been given special dispensation and are allowed to ride solo as long as they carry their licence and paperwork with them.
But here in Spain riders are being forced to keep up their fitness indoors on a turbo trainer. Gorka Izagirre who rides for Astana said that he should be allowed to ride outside because it’s his profession “but we don;t have any official document that guarantees us anything.” He told Cycling Weekly that, “Some of our team has left yesterday to train in Benidorm and the Civil Guard has sent them home.”
The turbo trainer set up in the outside kitchen
I don’t have a great deal in common with professional cyclists other than a passion and love for the sport, but today I came a step closer to having a similar experience to the likes of Gorka Izagirre when I dug out my turbo trainer from the shed. There was a bit of fiddling around trying to find a spindle that would fit the mechanism, but it’s now set up in our outside kitchen. I had a half hour spin imagining that I was back on our beloved Mallorquin roads. It felt good to be back on the bike. Of course it’s never the same as the real thing, but it was great to feel that rush of endorphins again that you get from physical exercise.