A short, honest guide: what your travel policy probably already covers, why third-party liability matters more than bike-theft cover on Mallorca, and how the helmet law affects your insurance payout if you crash.
A cyclist who causes damage — to a car, a pedestrian, another rider — is personally liable under Spanish civil law. A Mallorca-bound trip without third-party cover (called "responsabilidad civil" on local policies) is the single biggest avoidable financial risk of the holiday. Most national cycling federations (RFEC, BC, KNWU, FCI, BDR) bundle it with annual membership for €30–60. Check your card before you fly.
Standard travel policies cover: emergency medical treatment, hospital transfer, repatriation. Most exclude: race/competition use (you must declare gran fondos like Mallorca 312), pre-existing conditions, equipment over a value cap (commonly €1,000 — flag carbon road bikes separately). The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC / GHIC for UK) gets you state-system care on the same terms as a Spanish resident — file the claim through your insurer afterwards.
Spain mandates helmets on interurban roads outside built-up areas — and Mallorca's cycling roads are almost entirely interurban. Riding without one is a €200 fine and, more importantly, opens the door for the insurer (yours or the at-fault driver's) to argue contributory negligence and reduce the payout. Inside Palma the helmet rule is age-bound (under 16), but bring it everywhere anyway. See [[cycling-law-helmet]] for the legal text.
Theft of a parked road bike on Mallorca is rare compared to the European mainland — bikes mostly travel inside hotel rooms or guarded hotel bike garages. The realistic loss vectors are: airline-damage in transit (covered by airline, capped), and equipment failure (not insurable). If your home contents policy already extends to bikes-away-from-home, you are covered. A separate Mallorca-trip bike-theft policy is rarely cost-effective; check [[bike-theft-map]] for the live picture.
Sources: BOE — Real Decreto Legislativo 6/2015 (ley sobre tráfico) · RFEC — Licencia federativa anual