Where we rode last summer...

Summer, remember that? When it was hot and dry, when a cold beer after a long ride was the norm, not ahot bath. Well this is what Claire and I got up to over the summer...
After getting back from our trip to the Southern Hemisphere we headed out to Europe to take in the European summer, culture, food and certainly not least mountainous trails. Think of me as a Mountain Biking Alan Wicker...

Spanish Pyrennees - Puigcreda
The first place we did any proper riding was in Quixans near Puigcerda just over the border from France.
We did one ride called the La Ruta de la Contrabandistas,which took us over the border into france and back again. The route to be honest was pretty disappointing with a lot of time on small dirt roads and only 200 metres of singletrack. Also there was the issue of signing.
A bit rubbish but a half descent warm up. The area does look like it boasts some excellent riding though.



Pyrennees - France
After spending time cruising about looking for an open campsite anywhere near open trails, we settled for a few days in Axat.
As Axat is a small place with little tourist info we secured an IGN blue map from the local Presse and planned our routes.
We did a couple of rides here, the riding is very very steep, but we managed to find a more gradual ride for the first day with Claire.





Then the second ride I tackled was way steeper with a long hike-a-bike push for the first couple of hours. The descent down though was amazingly good rocky singletrack. Right on the limit of my (albeit rusty) skill level.



Provence - France
We spent a couple of days in the Luberon Valley. We were thankful we did! We found a really cheap, empty campsite in a wood with the best bakery down the road. We decided to have a couple of nights here and we spent our full day there riding our bikes on a waymarked trail that took in some great views and even better singletrack. We are both actually riding half decently by this point.


Lake Garda - ITALY
Lake Garda, one of the places I have always wanted to ride, and boy did it meet my expectations. Due to Claire coming down with Stomach lurgy and spending a week in an Italian hospital, I had an extra week with my mornings free to ride before meeting her in the hospital.
In the end I had nearly three weeks in Torbole (just along the coast from Riva) and got to ride a lot of the trails. Now normally you'd think, 3 weeks, you should ride all of it. But there is SO much riding you could ride here all summer and not get bored. Highlights included The 601 trail (one of the most famous trails and rightly so), La Adrenalina DH course, and trails north of the lake up the valley above Arco.
Torbole is probably one of the coolest places on earth for bikers, with 4 bike shops, loads of bars and restaurants and a really chilled attitude.
Pic-o-rama














Slovenia - Bovec
We really got lucky in Bovec, we were there when a outdoors sports festival was taking place. Free guiding! I was guided around the local trails by a Texan named Joe, which was slightly odd. Did a couple of other ides, one a epic XC affair in a Thunderstorm and a trip up Kanin MTB park, which was basically a freeride park with lifts that only work half the time. It wasn't working the day we rode so we had a huge climb followed by a great descent. Loads of North Shore style stunts some very scary some less so.
The regular riding in Slovenia is highly recommended with loads of super techy singletrack.


The Jura - France
We had a week in relative luxury staying in a cabin in the Jura with my Parents, the weather was absolutely scorching with melting tarmac on the roads, managed to find some pretty good riding here but nothing to write home about, don’t get me wrong it was pretty good, but I had been spoilt by this point. However the Jura does have some fantastic riding further South East.

Pfalzerwald - Germany
Two days of fairly hardcore driving through France, Belgium, Luxembourg and then Germany got us to the Pfalzerwald, apparently one of Europe’s best kept secrets for mountain biking according to Christian Kraemer (organiser of the 05 singlespeed mtb worlds.)
It didn't disappoint, we got a map and headed out on each of the three days we were there. We only explored a tiny percentage of what's on offer but the trail system is incredibly well organised, not surprisingly, and we found plently of excellent singletrack to keep us entertained, there isn’t anything too gnarly but the riding is good XC stuff.
All around the area we explored there we wonderful red stone formations. Apparently is a bit of a mecca for climbers, we did see a few come to think of it.







Gorge du Verdon - France
Another couple of driving days got us down to the Gorge du Verdon, where we met a friend of ours.
We had a very pleasant week with her. We canoed and pedaloed in the gorge, I rode my bike and the girls disappeared off for a couple of days to sunny St Tropez, well near it anyway. I was left to my own devices and to endure the worst thunderstorm in living memory. 6 inches of rain in 2 hours!
The area is very steep and very very rocky, these factors make riding really hard both endurance-wise and technically. To be honest you’re better off on foot than on a bike.


Chamonix - France
Claire and I spent 10 days or so in Chamonix. We did a couple of bike rides together on the waymarked routes (the only legal stuff in Cham in July and August), despite there being not huge amounts of legal riding at this time of the year, the riding is fantastic. We also hiked up to a glacier, lazy-hiked (with the aid of a telecabin) and I took the bike up to 2425m on the telecabin and rode down to the valley floor which was pretty cool. The ambiance in Chamonix is aided by the great micro brewery here.
I want to go back in June when you can ride all the trails, the riding isn’t any better, there is just more of it.









Morzine/Portes du Soleil – France
You’ve read about it, seen it on the telly and on the web. The riding here is amazing. The infrastructure of lifts and maps and just generally being geared for bikers is amazing. The Prince Albert got an absolute pasting but apart from busted rear wheel from pinch flatting at warp speed 8, and taking a while to slowdown whilst going down a very very rocky trail.
I met a couple of top people whilst we were there, Craig and Ilana. Overtaking people on Downhill Bikes on downhill courses on a hardtail was a highlight... as was running into a load of Chocolate Foot regulars in Morzine.
Ilana


Watch your rotors when removing your rear wheel!


Craig


Zermatt – Switzerland
We wanted to visit Verbier, but bizarrely there is no camping there. So it was straight off to Zerrmatt, well I say Zermatt, I mean Tasch. Zermatt is carfree so if you have a camper, you stay a few kilometers down the valley in Tasch.
The riding in Zermatt is restricted due to conflicts with hikers (a bit like Chamonix) but the riding that you can do takes you up high into the mountains and the trails really are great. The fact you can see the Matterhorn too is great. You can ride out of Tasch up to Zermatt up a great techy singletrack trail too. A bit cheeky but ace.
You can ride wherever you like out of Tasch too and the trails are as good as the ones around Zermatt, if a little less spectacular visually.





We had a great time out in Europe and would recommend it to anyone.

We both took hardtails with Disc brakes and Marzocchi forks, which proved to be very reliable. I was particularly impressed with the way my Dialled Bike Prince Albert inspired confindence of some truly terrifying terrain.

EMSSC 06

This weekend a group of finely tuned slackers from around the East Midlands and worse, gathered at a top secret location to battle for the dubious title that is the East Mids Singlespeed Champs.

In the early afternoon on Saturday, the contenders arrived and tea was swiftly brewed and slowly consumed, but at half two, we reached critical mass and group inertia pushed out into the weak December Sun.
A few tweaks and checks were made but we were soon off.


A chilled lap of Swithland Reservoir, took us to our first port of call The Griffin Inn, where quick liquid refuelling pit stop was supped.

Then we headed into a quagmire of a bridleway up to Swithland woods, took in some its finest Singletrack and had to switch our lights on to peer through the quickly on setting gloom.
Under the cover of darkness we headed onto the cheeky trails of Leicestershire’s biggest deer related tourist attraction and took in some fine cheeky action. This is where the Champs were to be decided, a “who can get the furthest up this slippery steep slope challenge”. After huge amounts of cheating by yours truly it was declared a draw. We would need another way to decide, one in true slack disorganised style.

We finished off our ride back through the mudfest that is Swithland woods.

Back at EMSSC HQ (also know as “my house”), tea was taken then beer tucked into whilst everyone defilthed themselves. Huge quantities of fried goodness was consumed and more beer and wine drunk.

After our fish suppers/pies/kebabs had gone down and settled a bit, the massive Christmas cake that Claire and I had baked was cut and sampled. It got thumbs up all around and I have no reports of food poisoning, that can be confirmed.

The crowd for cake grows restless.


We still didn’t have a winner however so we decided to have a chat about it. I got nominated and despite my shyness and modesty I was crowned EMSSC 06 champ.. However new EMSSC rules state the defending champ has to organise the next Champs! Stitched Up! However I do have the Glove of Love to call my own now (along with some very nice Sockguy socks to keep my feet warm (donated by Madison, not that they know it)).

More alcohol was consumed and tales of daring do swapped late into the night.

With bleary eyes, we set about subduing our hangovers with tea, coffee and toast.
Before:

After:

Another ride was on the cards today, a café run. After a bit of chilling, we set out and all eventually found their way to Beth’s Kitchen, the finest Organic eatery in all of the Midlands.


Big pasties, chunky chips and pink soup was consumed with keenness only usually found in starving animals on BBC Wildlife documentaries.


After the ride home our last guests/competitors left EMSSC HQ and Claire and I looked in wonder at our overflowing recycling bin.

If you came, thanks for wicked weekend, If you missed it, you were missed but hey, there is always next time.

Danbert
East Mids Singlespeed Champ ‘06

Photo's by The Placid Casual.