Mavi García arrives in Maó not just as the headliner for the 25th anniversary of the Volta Cicloturista Internacional a Menorca, but as the symbol of a changing of the guard in Balearic cycling. Following a dream 2025 season where she stormed the World Championship podium in Kigali and took a stage win at the Tour de France Femmes, the Mallorcan will lead a peloton that is shattering its own glass ceiling this year with over 60 women registered—a record for an event celebrating its silver jubilee under the aura of cycling myths.
This year's route, adjusted due to roadworks on the traditional S’Enclusa climb, will force participants to tackle the ascent of Sa Roca during Saturday's queen stage. Spanning 94.3 kilometers of pure leg-breaking terrain, the peloton will snake through Camí d’en Kane and Es Migjorn Gran before hitting the aid station at Cala Galdana. It is a technical course where the Tramontana wind often dictates the race and where holding the wheel on the false flats is vital to avoid bonking before the return to the capital.
The organizers have designed a weekend that feels like cycling archaeology. Alongside Mavi, the peloton will feature living history: from three-time Tour podium finisher Joseba Beloki to world champion Maurizio Fondriest and Ibán Mayo. The mystique is heightened by special tributes to Miguel Indurain, Perico Delgado, and Dori Ruano—names that have forged the character of this race over a quarter-century. Sunday’s finale offers no mercy: the wall of Monte Toro awaits with its brutal gradients to handpick those who still have watts in their legs after three days of competition.
As a strategic novelty for this 25th anniversary, the final entry into Maó will be via Costa de Ses Voltes, a short but punchy climb that will lead the cyclists straight into the heart of Plaza Constitución. With a 25% increase in total participation nearing 400 riders, the Volta a Menorca proves that long-distance cycle touring, far from fading, is enjoying its finest hour amidst dry-stone walls and the infinite blue of the Mediterranean.