The fifth annual Volta Menorca is a three day off-road mountain bike challenge that was held this year on the 10th, 11th and 12th of October.

The organisers planned three different courses using tracks and trails across the northern half of Menorca, which has some noteworthy coastal scenery. For the competitors each day featured a route of around 60 kilometers or 40 miles, which took them between three and four hours to complete. The event has proved very popular in previous years and hundreds of bike riders were expected to compete in this year's event. The tour is suitable for both serious riders and leisure riders who tackle the course at a slower pace allowing more opportunity to take in the landscape of this picturesque island.

The authorities on Menorca have put their support behind various outdoor recreational activities and have recently completed a large scale project to provide a footpath all around the coastline of the island for hikers.

The tourism benefits of providing for sportsmen and women have brought increased visitors to islands like Lanzarote and Mallorca, and Menorca is keen to try and replicate similar provisions. The island already has a number of top quality golf courses, with additions already planned. The weather on the island makes it ideal for early season training venues for sports like athletics, triathlon and cycling, although, being smaller than Mallorca, it doesn't offer as wide a choice of routes.

The Penya Ciclista Ciutadella has organised the 'Volta Cicloturista a Menorca BTT' for the past five years, with the event growing in popularity each year. The objective of the organisers is to promote cycling as an environmentally friendly leisure activity, for which Menorca is a perfect location.