MTB in Europe

mtbikerboy
mtbikerboy Posts: 325
edited November 2008 in MTB general
Hi Guys, i'm relatively new to mountain biking in the uk but have have been really enjoying it so far.

Next year summer, i would like to take a mtb trip to somewhere in europe. Where do you think is a good place for a short trip?

I like riding fast and technical singletrack with a few small drops thrown into the mix.

Thanks....I need to know where i will be going early so i can begin saving for it.

Comments

  • dirtbiker100
    dirtbiker100 Posts: 1,997
    any reason for going to europe rather than staying in the UK? I felt the same as you in my first year but opted for a week in scotland riding the 7stanes. did Ae, Mabie, Kirroughtree, dalbeattie, glentress and innerleithen.
    absolutely the best. save the europe idea for a couple of years.
  • Muddy.Bail
    Muddy.Bail Posts: 343
    my mate goes to les2alpes in france he says its very good
  • mtbikerboy
    mtbikerboy Posts: 325
    Dirtbiker- you have a point. why go out if there is still so much more i can do here. It may also be cheaper. then visit other countries later. i now have two options to look at. The other reason i would have liked to go to another country is to visit various tourist attractions...but i guess it would be difficult to do this and have a good mtb outing at the same time
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,708
    Switch-backs in Spain

    Just got back from a week and had a great time - the riding is very technical in places but they will coach you over it and you ll improve markedly (FYI - i've only been riding for a year and I didnt appreciate the tuition as much as the others because of a lack of practice/basic bike skills etc)

    www.switch-backs.com

    There are other Sierra Nevada compaines but they seem to the the shiznit (accoreding to them :roll: )
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • PapaDeSpud
    PapaDeSpud Posts: 7
    Granada in Andalucia has Sierra Nevada and heaps of smaller mountain ranges surrounding the city, perfect for a singletrack attack. Tapas roolz after a day in the saddle.
    www.ridesierranevada.com seem to be the best situated for Granada blasts.
  • kneesliding
    kneesliding Posts: 29
    Hi, come to Southern Germany in the "Pfalz"
    Great weather, awesome trails.
    Are even a few bike parks not too far from here.

    Lots of castles and its fairly cheap.
    Great food and the beer is awesome :P

    Could even act as a guide and you could join in on few rides with us.

    To get an idea, take a look here. http://www.mountainbikepark-pfaelzerwald.de/en_index.php

    Peter


    .
    The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train
  • mtbikerboy
    mtbikerboy Posts: 325
    Thanks for your contributions so far. The more ideas the better!
  • dirtbiker100
    dirtbiker100 Posts: 1,997
    mtbikerboy wrote:
    Dirtbiker- you have a point. why go out if there is still so much more i can do here. It may also be cheaper. then visit other countries later. i now have two options to look at. The other reason i would have liked to go to another country is to visit various tourist attractions...but i guess it would be difficult to do this and have a good mtb outing at the same time
    there is more than enough! the scottish trails can rate among some of the best in the world. I'm currently booking my holiday for my 3rd year of riding and we're going to morzine. glad i sampled the 7stanes last year. this year we went back up to glentress and innerleithen and i also did a long weekend trip round wales visiting brechfa, coed-y-brenin, climach-x and coed llandegla.
  • kneesliding
    kneesliding Posts: 29
    do you calculate the RAIN into your planning when going to Scotland :lol::lol::lol:


    .
    The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train
  • dirtbiker100
    dirtbiker100 Posts: 1,997
    i've been to scotland 3 times,
    first time we had a bit of drizzle on one ride, all other rides were dry despite not being sunny skys.
    second time, bright sun shine all weekend.
    third time, england had nation-wide floods, scotland had bright blue skies all week. some days barely had a cloud in the sky.

    it was beautiful, truly.
  • tonyeynon
    tonyeynon Posts: 114
    Hey ddraver,

    How much did the swtchbacks trip cost you it looks ace, and I quite fance the tuition!
    There is nothing more unequal, than the equal treatment of unequals!
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    kneesliding wrote:
    do you calculate the RAIN into your planning when going to Scotland :lol::lol::lol:

    The trail builders certainly did... You can ride most of the glentress routes quite happily in the bucketing rain, the trails are very well drained and armoured. And it keeps you cool on the climbs :wink:

    The thing with a big biking holiday abroad, is that to make it worthwhile you have to ride a lot. And so you do need to be fit, not just short-term fit but with that longer term endurance. People who can ride hard all day with the best of them can fold up after a couple of days' sustained riding. Also, if you're unlucky enough to have an injury or big mechanical, your trip can be down the tubes very quickly (or the alternative, you might spend the whole trip afraid of screwing up and ruining it, which of course ruins it...)

    Not against biking holidays at all but they're not for everyone. I'd sooner spread my riding around a bit more, but then I don't have ANY long term stamina :oops: This post is a bit negative maybe because I can't be bothered to state the obvious plus points of a foreign riding trip, of which there are many :wink:
    Uncompromising extremist

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