Friedhelm Fischer — Bike Fritz

I’m Friedhelm Fischer, though many people know me as Bike Fritz. Mallorca has been part of my life since 2013: on a bike, on foot, by car, in hotels and rural fincas, and sometimes simply sitting in a village square with a café americano in front of me.

In many years I’ve visited two or three times. Even so, every trip brings places, routes and stories I didn’t know before. That’s how Mallorca Fritz began.

Why Bike Fritz?

A bicycle has never been just sports equipment to me. I’ve raced, trained for big goals and worked my way through more than 300 km in a single day on Mallorca. Over the years, though, seeing what’s along the way has become more important than getting there quickly.

On a bike, you’re slow enough to notice the landscape and fast enough to cover a good distance in a day. You smell what’s growing beside the road, hear a village before you see it and stop somewhere you might simply have driven past.

That’s how I got to know Mallorca: along the back roads of the island’s centre, through the villages of the Pla, over the Tramuntana passes and beside the coast. Sometimes a route ended at a little church, a viewpoint or an unexpectedly good café americano.

You’ll also find me on YouTube as Bike Fritz. My films follow my rides and experiences in Mallorca and elsewhere.

Professionally, I’ve spent more than forty years working in marketing, graphics and film, and more recently with artificial intelligence. There’s more about that at friedhelm-fischer.de.

Mallorca means more than cycling to me

This isn’t a guide just for cyclists. I know the island from other sorts of holidays too.

There have been weeks based in one place: beach in the morning, exploring nearby in the afternoon and dinner out in the evening. I’ve stayed in a hostel, in hotels across most categories and in inland fincas. I know the early start for a long mountain ride, but also the holiday day with nothing planned beyond swimming, eating and doing very little.

That’s why you’ll find both quiet mountain villages and large seaside resorts here. An old village isn’t automatically a better choice than a busy resort. What matters is what you want from your holiday.

Sometimes a secluded cove is right. Sometimes it’s a lively place with restaurants, a promenade and everything within walking distance. And sometimes a big glass of beer in Peguera is part of a very good day.

The places that stay with you

It isn’t always the famous sights I think about afterwards. Often it’s an unplanned stop.

A café in a village, with a café americano and a Coca-Cola on the table. Around me, local people chatting, reading the paper or going about their day. On a bike ride, I might stay half an hour, sometimes longer.

That’s how I’ve come across places I barely knew about: small churches and monasteries, old paths, viewpoints, little squares and villages that get only a brief mention in many guidebooks.

They belong in Mallorca Fritz because they might be just the sort of place you’d enjoy discovering.

The experience behind Mallorca Fritz

I’ve worked with photography, film, graphics, websites and digital media for many years. I’ve written travel guides, developed online communications and produced numerous films. My work is about making information understandable and telling stories through pictures as well as words.

That experience goes into Mallorca Fritz. I took around 98 per cent of the photographs myself. They’re here to show you the place you’re reading about.

Of course, a photographer looks for good light and a useful angle. The pictures should still give you a fair idea of what to expect. Where an illustration has been artificially generated instead of using my own photograph, it is marked.

Food is part of travelling for me too. I’m interested in what belongs to Mallorca’s cooking, how dishes developed and what they tell you about the island and its people.

Why I built this guide

When I first came to Mallorca in 2013, I could have used a website like this.

I wanted to know more than which places were famous. I wanted to know which place suited me. Would anything be open in November? When did it get busy? Would I need a hire car? Where could I park? What could I do in three hours, and which visits could I sensibly combine in a day?

Those answers take time to research, need context and can change. For planning a holiday, they’re often more useful than another top-ten list.

Mallorca Fritz is here to help you find places that fit your holiday, your dates and your interests.

If these pages help you enjoy the right place at the right time, the work has been worthwhile.

What you can expect from me

• I write only about places I have visited myself.
• Each place includes the year of my most recent visit.
• My opinions and recommendations cannot be bought.
• Almost all the photographs in Mallorca Fritz are my own.
• Artificially generated images are clearly marked.
• Practical information is regularly checked and updated.

The English guide has no advertising offers or affiliate links.

If something has changed

Restaurants close, access roads change and parking rules are updated. Sometimes a personal judgement can miss the mark too.

If you spot something that’s no longer right, please let me know. I’ll check it and update the guide.