The Alps - Day 6

Alex had agreed earlier this week to show some local (to Cannock) whippets (on of the guys is currently doing very well in expert category) down some of the steep off piste stuff off Pleney so we met at theirs and headed up for a warm up run.

We took them down 'yeah boi' but we didn't get further than a few yards before we all piled up after Alex took a poor line round the first corner!

We spent the rest of the day exploring off the Pleney, including one run which started off with the craziest rock garden chute we've ever ridden. We think this was either 'step up' or 'step down' and it spits you out onto the road that leads from Les Gets to Morzine.

Posse: Alex (Socom), Dave (Iron Horse Sunday)
Mechanicals: Alex suffered from some brake issues.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Morzine

The Alps - Day 5

We had hoped to take the xc bikes out and take a trip up to the top of Nyon to ride a trail we first rode back in 2006. However, as somebody had locked their bike to Alex's xc bike, this plan was abandoned and we headed over to Les Gets for a chilled one after my crash yesterday and to give out aching bodies a breather.

We spent the morning riding the new bike park up there which features jumps and flowy, bermed trails. Alex hit a jump

I felt sick after lunch so we took the road back down to Morzine. We'll be heading over to Sherpa for the BBQ later to top off a nice chilled out day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Les Gets

The Alps - Day 4

Day 4 of our holiday saw us head over to Switzerland for a bit of action on the Swiss National course.

We headed up the Super Morzine lift and headed along the fireroad towards a rocky trail that drops you into Lindarets. On our way we spotted what I guess was a bunch of school kids heading down a trail we opted out of on Day 2 in case it got a bit wild. After a gentle start it turned into a fairly rocky trail, leaving me feeling sorry for the kids on their hire bikes with fear in their eyes.

It smoothed out however, and turned into a nice flowy trail. This smoothness was short lived when we took a wrong turn that definitely couldn't have been part of the trail; it was one of the most knarly rock gardens I'd ever ridden, with the added hazard of low lying tree branches (think neck level). I felt sure I'd end up on the floor in some painfully horrific crash,but it was too late, I was committed. I made it to the bottom with only a little dab after a blow from a branch.

We made it down to Lindarets without further incident and headed up to the top of Avoriaz. From here, we found and awesome flowy (but rutted) trail I railed all the way to the bottom of the Mossettes lift. After taking this lift up to the top, we were greater by chilling winds and clouds meaning visibility was low.

Standing at the top of the Swiss National, we couldn't even see the first corner, only 50 yards away:

Undeterred, we set off with the cloud soon clearing.
The Swiss National throws you in at the deep end with steep switchbacks with certain death if you manage to go over the top - thank goodness there is catch netting!

It maintains its steepness all the way to the bottom, with a point, shoot and hope rock garden, some big jumps that egg you on into trouble and heavily breaking bump infested berms to keep you on your toes. We headed up the other side to hit a track called. 'shorty' (due to its length) which started out smooth, fast and flowy, but soon turned to a mess of breaking bumps.






From here we headed back up the mossettes lift and down towards 'rutsville'. On our way, we stumbled across a large unmelted glacia. We figured it'd be fun to attempt to ride across it but promptly failed. I don't think I've had wheel spin at such a low speed; if my back wheel wasn't spinning uselessly in soft ice, the front wheel washed out in the same, soft ice. Still, it was laugh.





After a short lunch stop, we headed down rutsville, back up to Avoriaz and down the road towards Morzine. On the way we headed down 'Run of The Mill', a track our host at Rider's Retreat in 2008 had a hand in building and kindly showed us. A steep track running down the side of a shear drop.

After making it to the bottom, we headed back to the Rider's Retreat for a quick breather and I headed back up alone for a few runs of Pleney, hoping to catch the other lodgers, but after 30 mins of sunbathing at the bottom, I headed up and set off. I quickly caught up with some riders that wouldn't pull over so I tool one of the sneaky offshoots to overtake them and headed up to the old rooty section of pleney (it was the line in 2006 but the high berms were added in 2007). Another steep section, with a series of root drops a couple of feet deep. I got a bit excited through here and let go of the brakes, feeling totally on it. My bravery was soon rewarded by being bucked off the bike and onto my back facing down my trail. Fortunately, no bones broken, and no skin broken, I only suffered from bashed knees which are already seizing up! A fun run and a good reminder I am only mortal!

Posse: Alex (Socom), Dave (Iron Horse Sunday)
Mechanicals: none - some rattles from the previous day cured by fettling last night and Alex spent a bit of time fettling his forks. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Switzerland

The Alps - Day 3

After a good ride yesterday on the 'little bikes', we headed up Pleney on the 'big bikes'.

Given the changes we've seen year to year, we figured we'd take it easy first run down as it's been 2 years since we last rode here. I soon found myself forgetting this idea and just letting go of the brakes.

Last time I was out here, I was on my C'dale Judge, and despite it being typically well made Cannodale a utilising a great suspension system, I could never get on with it. It just felt too big, cumbersome and didn't fit me at all. This time however, I'm out with my new Iron Horse Sunday and I couldn't love it more. Whereas before I was lagging behind Alex I found myself pulling ahead and going faster and faster.

My bubble burst a bit when Alex lead us down some off piste trail off Le Pleney aptly named 'up your arse'. Mainly because this is where your back tyre ends up! I had a complete crisis of confidence down here, and after a few falls/fails, I struggled to get back on in the steep conditions and came back to the chalet to collect my thoughts.

After some lunch and cup of tea, one of the other guys in the chalet came out with us and we did another run of le pleney to sort our heads out and head down crepery, a steep trail down a gully with plenty of roots, rocks and tight turns to keep you amused! Next we headed up and road another off piste trail, named 'yeah boy!' after I discovered that the cause of the creaking was a result of the bolts having fallen out of my direct mount stem!!! After tightening the remaining bolts we headed off down yeah boy, which features tr steepest chute I've ever ridden. I managed to clean it this time, increasing my success to fail ratio and made it most of the way down without any dabs. We somehow missed the turn for the second section and instead rejoined crepery, after which our new riding companion left to check on his girlfriend who'd stacked it earlier.

Feeling confident again, we decided to have another bash at up your arse. We made it most of the way down, only crashing twice each, making it to the bottom without serious injury.

Another ace day with the added bonus of if being dry.

Posse: Alex (Intense Socom), David (Iron Horse Sunday) and joined later by Matt (Lapierre DH 920).
Mechanicals: Alex started the day without much of a front brake and found loose pinch bolts on his shimano cranks. I found a missing and a loose bolt on my direct mount stem (the stem bolts directly to the top crown on my triple clamp forks), leaving them held on by the stem top cap and a prayer!

Plans for this evening are to eat a good steak and chill in the hot tub.

The Alps Day 2

Having heard the Mountain Style event was on in Chatel today, we pulled the xc bikes out and headed on over.

Sitting on the lift I suddenly felt a bit exposed without a full face helmet, full body armour and a downhill bike. I thought to myself "what am I doing? This is France! I need my big bike!". From the top of Super Morzine we headed down a rocky trail down into Les Lindarets, and I soon stopped worrying about the lack of protection and just got on with riding and loved it. The tracks were a lot rougher, but nothing my fettled Marzocchi 55s couldn't handle and the Meta simply felt awesome. Eventually we made it over to the Mountain Style event were the competitors were still practicing. I don have any photos on the phone as I didn't want to risk breaking it but suffice to say they were going big. We watched by the the top were there was an insane 2 tier wooden drop. Only a few riders took this line and boy did they go big. The riders kept the crowds entertained with tricks, including backflips and 360s off drops.

The clouds rolled in and we jumped on the lift out if chatel before the lift closed. We headed down a new track from the top and found ourself deep in steep, breaking bump infested berms all the way down. Down here I forgot about the 100mm travel (which I later found was mostly locked out) and played catch up with some downhillers. We arrived at the bottom to find the lift up to Avoriaz closed because of the storm, so we had no other option but to head through the crazy goat village of Lindarets and down the road into Montriond, past the lake and overtaking several cars in the process!

Overall it was an awesome day. Some awesome trails, some awesome freeriding from the pros and it was great to be out on the xc bikes. No heavy bikes to lift on and off lifts and total freedom of being able to pedal instead of pushing or blowing out of your arse trying to pedal a dh bike.

No mechanicals and only 1 crash when Alex took a dh bike only line.

Day 1: awesome, time for a beer I think.

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The Alps - Day 1

Day 1

After leaving 3 hours later than planned, we eventually reached the QE II bridge at 6pm and powered or way onto Dover 10 minutes later. Panic set in as we hit more traffic on the M20, but using the influence of the BMW, we arrived with just minutes to spare.

Over the most expensive breaded chicken and chips, we poured over a map, deciding our toll free route, with the aim of saving money. Sometime after 10pm (uk time), the Norfolkline ferry docked and we were off, driving on the wrong side of the road and going round roundabouts the wrong way.

20 minutes later, I realised we were heading up the A16 instead of down the A25. I quickly found an alternative "shortcut" which worked, but also revealed the crashy ride of Alex's BMW 3 series coupe... Leaving us begging for more motorway. Some time and guesswork owing to a poor map later, we found ourselves on the right road! One thing I will say about the signs in Belgium is that they are shit. Appear 50yards before you whizzed past it cursing and uttering profanities...

After a short stop, we set off again at 2:30 refreshed and ready to face the road ahead. We peeled off the toll road after Nancy and took N roads from there onwards. The first stretch was a completely straight road, providing Alex with plenty of opportunity to exercise his right foot, overtaking everything in the way. The road took us through some lovely little picturesque old French villages, and then spat us into a rival to the best driving road...

















Some switchbacks, a Maccy D's and some more vague navigation from the crap later, we arrived in Morzine at 4:40. We were greeted with thunderstorms and feared a repeat of 2007 when it rained the whole two weeks but our host assured us it would pass. An epic journey with some epic roads. It was a fun trip but a bit of a mission without being to swap divers.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Everywhere

MALVERN HILLS - another sneaky day off:)

Living in Northamptonshire it is always a joy to find somewhere decent to ride off road that is not a major trek. We have Woburn, Cannock and the Chilterns, but it was not until recently I had thought about the Malvern Hills.

Once again it was Singletrack Forum that provided the route - a kind local posted a tracklog file. After our day off to ride the new Cannock loop some weeks ago we had been pondering another break from routine. It was not until the last minute that we opted for Malvern and despite a late start we were parked and ready to roll by the middle of the day.

The Malvern Hills are just south of Worcester and are a high, thin ridge standing in what is otherwise a flat landscape. Our start point was Great Malvern and one the attractions of this area is that you are never far from a pub or Café :-) The area is riddled with paths and bridleways and even on this weekday there were plenty of people out walking.

Initially my GPS let us down and "dangerous" was very patient while I tried to find the initial upwards climb - in the end I gave up and turned to the map for guidance. It was not too long before we were enjoying the first of many stunning views before heading off down some very sweet natural singletrack. Navigation was tricky at times, particularly with such a narrow area and so many choices, but I think we stuck fairly close to the downloaded route. Conditions were very dry and hot, so the surface was lose in places. Some of the climbs were severe and the odd bit of walking was needed.

Despite the temptation we had resisted stopping to refuel until Wynds Point - where there is a choice of pub or café. It is possible to pick up the return route here, but we carried on exploring South along Millennium Hill. The character changed at the Southern extreme with more woodland and the first 'wetness' we had found - there was also a stunning pool in the hillside used by locals for swimming. Must admit I thought we had done the route the wrong way round at this stage because the return leg was a very steep slog on foot that would have been 'fun' the other way round - but when I checked later we were on track.

Our legs were getting quite tired by now, so it was a relief to see that much of the return leg appeared to be at a lower level - this included a brilliant switchback descent where I found the use of rear brake was needed.

With the end not far away the GPS pointed us to a narrow hillside climb, the temptation was to give this a miss as the map showed an easy bridleway route back to the car park. We foolishly went for the climb and soon regretted the choice as it became a steep 'mountain goat' switchback track then an even narrower adverse camber singletrack climb where I decided to examine the hillside undergrowth more closely :-( . Needless to say it was great to get back to the car and reflect on what had been an epic ride on some fabulous trails. Certainly need to go back and explore some more...

As a last minute decision my choice of bike was the Duster - it was the best choice for the climbs without doubt, but worked well overall with no loss of comfort.

Posse: Uphilla: Charge Duster ti. Daahnhilla: Solid hardtail

Mechanicals: None (Well DD found a lose cassette at the end of the day)

Weather: Hot and Sunny

More Pictures

Original Tracklog Recorded Tracklog

Brechfa - Gorlech - Dragons Breath

As sw.Wales is such a long way from home I decided that I'd make the effort, get my sorry butt outta bed bright and early on our last day at Nonni Barn, hit the Brechfa's red graded Gorlech trail and be back before breaky.  A great plan being back by 9.30am would mean getting up at 5am - gulp.  Ah well never mind, off to sleep I dropped.

Tick, tock, 5.15am and I'm wide awake - WTH!  I lay there and pondered a while before slipping from under the cover and to peep outside, the weather looked favourable so I figured WTH and saddled up.

The drive over the moor was a mix of clear skies and low sun into really thick "dragons breath" that made spotting the sheep and ponies tricky.  Popping out the top it was reminiscent of The Smoky Mountains, awesome.  20 minutes in the V-dub had me at the Abergorlech trail head with a couple of sleeping MTB campers for company.

The initial fireroad crank soon turns to a lovely steady singletrack rise that creeped up through the mist into the cool morning sunlight.  A warm up has NEVER been soooo INSPIRING.  It's not long before the climb ducks into the woodland and eventually you find the swoopy trail edging you into a middle ring crank, that's still climbing (just).  Oh my, now I'm smokin' and pop into a fab section of swoopiness that definitely make the climbing worth the effort.

Towards the end the red grading starts to glow purple as a trail steepens and switches back down the hillside.  There are a few techy bits to keep you on your toes and some of the descents egg you on into some serious speed.  Interestingly I found that the more speed you carry (if you dare) then the more sense the curves and "yumps" make.  They flooooooow brilliantly - well done to the trail pixies.

The views up top are far reaching and with the lifting mist I had to stop several times to gawp.  A couple of hours of fun later and I'm rolling past the still closed tent and start packing up.  A quick drive back over the moor to find that I'm back at base camp, a quick shower and I still have 10 minutes before another slap up breaky from Rosemary / Jim - you're the best.

Yeah the ride has a fair amount of fireroad climbs (most do) but some of the sweetest buff singletrack that you'll find upon this isle.  Sure Brechfa's trails are long way west but they're well worth the effort, I lurve it.

Alas no pic's, the camera got left back at the Magic Kingdom.

Posse: Farqui (5Spot) aka "Billy No Mates" that get up quite that early
Mechanicals: none
Weather: cool, clear and sunny
Injuries: none (note to self: must try harder)

Brechfa - Derwen - rash

Last Sunday I showed Roger and his lad (noobie alert, aged 11) around Brechfa's gentle green/blue graded route, the Derwen.  After a hearty Nonni Barn breakfast we drove over the moor and took in some breath taking views before plunging into the valley and to the busy trail head.  While the gals ambled off for a gentle woodland walk our small posse cranked up the fireroad and Ryan soon began to wonder if all this effort would be worth it - after all, his guides had already been labelled "bike freaks" - charming little chap ;)

Eventually the trail swings into the woods with some more gentle climbing that cleverly undulates and doesn't feel as bad as a continually upward fireroad stomp.  The tracks are wide and well scrubbed in with loose slate at the edges, so our little charmer was eased in gently soon started to smile.  Kids are such fast learners and without any fuss we soon completed the short green loop.

Taking a breather at the green/blue intersection the noobie was keen to push on with the slightly harder blue rather than head back on the easy green - what a trooper.  Unfortunately the blue winds it's way upwards on a steeper gradient than the little chap could handle but he did a sterling job, digging in and winching his way upwards wherever he could.

At the top some well deserved snacks were gulped down and the energy lift soon had our legs cranking into the woods for some big time downhill action.  The gradient was again a little steeper and more challenging but it didn't phase our v-braked buddy and even the switchbacks didn't slow him down too much.

Riding from the front I didn't get an opportunity to directly see his progress but I figured that he wasn't too far back so seemed to be doing well.  His pah meanwhile kept an eye on the youngerster who only needed a gentle reminder now and again.

The final few sections are a swoop fest of corner after corner and 'yump' after 'yump' - brilliant they are and we were soon back at the trailhead to meet the rest of our adventurers.  We then hit the new Drop Off cafe bus (operators formerly ran Afan's excellent Drop Off cafe) and I can see why the trail head was so busy.  Their munchies and coffee are as good as ever :)

Food is a great motivator and before packing up the bikes we decided to pop back up the fireroad and re-ride the very last section again.  With pah up front our lickle 'borrower' didn't need any encouragement to dart off downhill while I kept a close watch behind.  I don't thnk it'll be long before this little chap is going to be giving us 'old timers' a run for their money 'cos he's non too shoddy behind the bars.  Ripping between the trees (aka Star Wars 'speeders') it didn't take long before we rolled past the bus roof top and into the last few turns.

Then someone hit the slow-mo button...as we turned into the last few gentle switchbacks our noobie opted to shoulder a tree on the exit which sloooowly lofted him off his rig and into a superman dive down the trail.  At one point I was sure he'd beat dad to the fnish but alas gravity was stronger - the gravel bit into his left side and to top it off the bike landed on top of him!  Ouch.  Now pinned to the ground he needed assistance to unravel limbs from bike and considering how painful gravel rash can be he did well to stop yellin' as soon as he did.  With no serious injuries he was soon showing off his busted knee.  Oh and Ryan, next time you decide to drop-it can you pick a spot out of sight of your mum!

Well done Ryan, you're now officially one of the 'bike freaks', complete with scars :p

Appologies for no pic's, I forgot my camera.


Posse: Roger (Spesh FSR), Ryan (24" wheeled iron horse), Farqui (5Spot)
Mechanicals: None
Weather: sunny with a light cool breeze
Injuries: Ryan shoulder a tree - ouch, gravel rash - double ouch

Ride Sierra Nevada - Spain

RIDE SIERRA NEVADA

I’m sure that most of you will remember last year's circular email proposing a trip to Spain for MTB and sun! Well, eventually I managed to gather a total of 3 riders (Chas Willy & me) and here is the full report following a long weekend's riding in the Sierra Nevada Mountains – Andalucía

Following lots of Internet searching, blog browsing and personal recommendations I decided to organise a guided 4 day long weekend of riding with http://www.ridesierranevada.com/ from May 13th – 17th. Flights to Spain incl. bike carriage were organized independently and ridesierranevada provided onward transport to location, accommodation, breakfast & lunch supplies, and guided routes to suit the groups needs….total price per person incl was around £420.00.

http://www.ridesierranevada.com/ is run by Shaun Allen and Csilla. It’s a family run business located in Monachil which a small town located at around 2500 feet in the Sierra Nevada range. Shaun and Csilla run the business together on a daily basis and they provide a very personable and extremely friendly service. Their approach is very relaxed and helped to set the tone for a great holiday. Running a MTB guiding service in a fantastic mountain location is very much part of their life style choice and it was always very refreshing to finish a days ride at the local bar, sharing a beer and tapas and unwinding in the afternoon sun.

For the three of us it was our first time MTBing in Spain and between us we had little idea of what to expect. Our riding was split over 4 days with the routes determined by Shaun and targeted to give us a broad range of obstacles and challenges.

It was a very early start to travel day with the flight to Malaga with easyJet leaving at 6am - bikes had been packed late the night before so sleep was in short supply. Shaun met us at the airport on arrival and after a stop for coffee on the way up (that was to become a common theme for Shaun) we were up in Monachil by just after lunch. The bags were dropped off at our comfortable accommodation (we had a pool!!) and went up to the village to get our bearings. About 15mins later, we were in the bar for the first of a number of rounds of beer and tapas - another common theme of the trip. Although slightly squiffy, we managed to put the bikes together later in the afternoon with no (significant) parts left over which was comforting.

Day 1. Initial uplift was provided by Shaun. This enabled us to ascend around 1000 ft without peddling. Thereafter we were entirely reliant on our own steam and as expected we had to use pedal power to accent a further 1000ft. It’s all good quality fire road and within an hour we were ready to discover what was on offer in the downhill stakes…..

It’s at this point we discovered the true meaning of natural MTB single track…..frankly it was a shock for all of us. The shear variety and variation within each descent was mind boggling especially for MTBers used to groomed UK red routes. We were constantly faced with obstacles, line/approach choices, gradient variations, changing subsoil……..so much to take in. As a result we found our riding technique severely challenged. Some sections we coped with well, others we struggled on, some to be honest were beyond our capability. It became very evident that natural trails constantly change in severity and nature of technical challenge. The first half day incorporated rocks, tree lined single track, very steep rocky switchbacks, short sections of rock/bolder gardens, loose stone single track and so on…all of us fell at least twice in the morning and we were slightly concerned that Shaun said this was probably one of the easier descents...

Following lunch (Shaun’s hand made gourmet quality sandwich) we faced a shorter but tougher climb to the next ridge line. However, we were rewarded with a flowing trail centre style descent through wooded forest back to Monachil. We all enjoyed this section immensely. It was fast, fun and a good confidence boost for the rides to come. Needless to say, we ended the ride in the bar...

Day 2. Unfortunately Rob awoke on day 2 with ‘Deli belly’ and had to miss the ride……..so Willy and Chas set out with Matti (a German trainee guide) direct from Monachil for a ride around and then actually in, Grenada. This was a totally different day which started on lower single track through the woods which was less rocky that the day before but just as steep in places. A quick skirt around the outer edge of Grenada and then away from the city up a steep and techy climb which had us all walking for some of the time. We reached a plateau and then down some very steep rocky switchback sections to a roughly flat (well up and down) section around the edge of a hill which opened up to views of Grenada and the Alambra Palace. We actually went through the palace itself and ended going down narrow stepped alleys from the palace to the new part of the city below. This was really fun and gave us a feel for "urban" riding though without all the tricks...it reminded me of the "Italian Job" and the Minis with us popping out onto roads with curious glances from pedestrians and drivers alike.

At the bottom (yes, after another bar stop) we were picked up by Csilla and driven back to Monachil where Rob had staged a bit of a recovery which enabled us to go to the "Socialist Hunters Bar" (still not sure whether they hunted socialists though) for more beer and Tapas.

Day 3. Chas decided to take a well earned rest, Paul (officially a ‘mountain goat’) as usual was fit a rearing to go. I’d recovered enough to hold my breakfast down but was feeling a little sorry for myself! To add another dynamic, Shaun decided to combined us with another group of lads (7 in total) who had traveled from the midlands. A fine bunch of guys, blessed with a good sense of humor and a broad range of riding skills. Once again we were provided with uplift and initially rode great single track with lots of small rocks and boulders to provide a challenge. After working our way into the valley and across a river, we proceeded to climb for around 1 hour on double track and then push a final ascent on tough single track to an impressive summit with fantastic views. I must point out that ‘mountain goat Paul’ nearly rode to the top of the single track and Shaun powered up…RESPECT!

The descent from the top was simply fantastic. As usual combining a multitude of technical challenges some of which were exhilarating, others beyond my capability. However, almost without exception we all loved the ride. There really is something special about descending from the top of a 5000 feet summit! By now the weather had improved so it was back to our place for a swim and a few beers before going to the other group's place for dinner prepared by a local paraglider!

Day 4. The final day. By consensus we chose an easier ride in terms of tech down hill. Uplift to a higher altitude, lots of climbing but for the first half of the day the decents were on high level double track, dusty, loose, but generally straightforward. The upside was plenty of time to enjoy the stunning views for the last time! The afternoon provided a few more challenges. More dry riverbeds (by now my nemesis!), some rocky sections and drop offs (which I was now riding with so much more confidence) and finally the sweet single track descent back to the village that we had all enjoyed so much on the first day. Great way to finish!!


Posse:

Chas, rob (R2) and Paul (Willy) + guest appearances from the Midlands crew:
Midge, Gareth (Taf), Martin, Chris, Gav, Al , James

Rigs: R2 & Chas Canyon XC, Willy – Cotic Hemlock (just right for the terrain!)

Mechanicals: Surprisingly few! R2 x2 pinch flats & displaced Oro lever piston after fall (fixed). Willy got chainsuck in the first 50m on the first day.

Injuries: Lots of loose stone bruises to shins, bramble scratches to shins for all. R2 removed skin from forearm after repeated tumbles in dry river bed!! Willey, bruised hand after fall.

Falls: Too numerous to mention but Rob's fall over handle bars into a Rosemary bush on day three and Chas's low speed Les style "lie down" into a grassy dell on day 2 were memorable.

Midlands crew: Al face planting a large rock on day 1 resulting in serious bruising and 3 stitches to face!, Midge missing a narrow bridge at speed on day 4, falling 4 metres with bike. Amazingly, just minor scratches!!

Memorable events: R2 eating river bed dust after numerous falls (I’m going back to crack it!). Willy breezing up all climbs and riding extremely well through varying terrain and tech challenges (envy!). Chas, making it through after some tough climbs and scary downhill moments.
Shaun…..making it all look Sooooo easy on a hardtail!!!!

Weather: Day 1, snow in the air at 4000 feet. Day 2 – 4 fabulous sunshine and blue skies


Final Comment:

Highly recommend Shaun, Csilla and http://www.ridesierranevada.com/
Fitness and good basic tech skills will ensure maximum enjoyment and safety
Your riding WILL improve
You WON’T forget the experience!

Thanks to Rob for setting it all up!