Sa Calobra is a small village in the Escorca municipality on the northwest coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca.

The port village is a popular destination for coach trips and road cyclists. It is accessed by a single winding road, designed by Italian-Spanish engineer Antonio Parietti and opened in 1933, which features many hairpin bends and a 270° spiral bridge called the tie knot.[1][2][3][4] The climb is officially called the Coll del Reis or the Coll de Cal Reis, the pass on 682 metres (2,238 ft) altitude, though it is often referred to by the name of the village at its base and was built[5] and is considered to be "as close as one could get to a perfect road for motorsport".[3] Unconventionally the road was engineered with tourists in mind.[2][3]

Sa Calobra
Spiral bridge on the road to Sa Calobra

References

  1. ^ Friebe, Daniel; Goding, Pete (2013). Mountain Higher: Europe's Extreme, Undiscovered and Unforgettable Cycle Climbs. London: Quercus. p. 33. ISBN 9781780879123.
  2. ^ a b Davies, Bryn (2017-09-18). "CARRETERA DE SA CALOBRA: THE BEST ROAD IN SPAIN?". Adventure Bike Rider. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  3. ^ a b c Stuart, P. (2018, September). Chasing Perfection: The island of Mallorca is a playground for cyclists, and the main attraction has to be the twisting ribbon of road that is Sa Calobra. Cyclist (The Thrill of the Ride), 2018(78), 66-82.
  4. ^ Antonio Parietti, the creator of art road masterpieces
  5. ^ Scott, George (3 March 2014). "Blog: riding Sa Calobra". RoadCyclingUK. Retrieved 15 August 2014.

39°50′37″N 2°47′33″E / 39.8436°N 2.7925°E / 39.8436; 2.7925

The road down to Sa Calobra
The road to Sa Calobra and the Serra de Tramuntana mountains
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