As promised, here is a neighbouring trail system to last week’s Nice.
For me personally, Peille is most likely an impossible destination; too much climbing!
Peille is located 25 kilometres northeast of Nice, just by the Italian border. Trail number 13 might even pop over into tiny country of Monaco.
Please note that the gps files provided over www.tracegps.com indicate a lot more height meters than the official brochure does.
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In bright contrast to last weekend, I have been EVERYWHERE this past week. Where to ride, where to ride? So many places, so little holiday …
I ended up updating the information on the mountain bike centre Nice Côte d’Azur. I was saddened to see that the www.nicecotedazur.com site seems to have DISCONTINUED their incredible, large-scale pdf maps of these trails! Or, did they only change the link? *searching*
For next time I will be jumping to another trail system in the neighbourhood!
Tags:Aspremont·Castagniers·Colomars·Eze·Falicon·La Gaude·La Roquette-sur-Var·La Trinité·Levens·Saint-Blaise·Saint-Martin-du-Var·Tourrette-Levens
Gruissan grew on me.
At a first glance Gruissan seems to provide a trail system with too much overlapping and too little climbing. Then, as I saw pictures over the Internet, I think this could be a beautiful, relaxing stopover on the way to or coming back from more demanding trail riding.
Overview maps and gps files are generously provided over the Internet. Thank you!
The day I rode in Aragon was not a good day. It started badly already before riding. Despite a hefty breakfast, I was starving for food already when I got out of the car at the starting point. My legs felt heavy and without power. Clearly, my body was asking for a rest day. That did not concur with MY planning. There was no way I was going to lose out on a day of riding.
Nevertheless, instead of the intended trail number 7, I reluctantly decided to go for a shorter version in the form of trail number 6.
There was a first steep uphill on tarmac, fully rideable. And, then, I stopped in shock; there was singletrack! So soon into the trail! A beautiful section! I came off it with my eyes tindering!
The rest was unfortunately less impressive. Loooooong climbing and descending on a variety of gravel roads and dirt tracks and everything in between. Some solid rock climbing, in spots loose rocks. And, in a couple of places WAY TOO MUCH TARMAC, especially when descending!
I found myself bored. Both up and down was quite uneventful and without much variation.
The gps file provided by www.ffc.fr was INCORRECT in several places. In combination with signage being very scarce, and in crucial spots completely missing, I felt very uncomfortable. I backtracked several times to the last sign I had come across, to double-check.
Despite my being careful, I missed out on the signs somewhere. My rear tyre was attacked by an aggressive loose German Shephard. After having cleared the best downhill ever (for today at least), I found myself having ridden in a circle.
As I already had more distance (and amount of height meters) than promised both on the overview map and on the gps file, I decided to abort and head back to the car. (Besides, there was no way I was going back up that fierce downhill and past that dog again; it might this time choose something else to chew on than my back tyre.)
It makes me sad that even for a trail rated easy they have not been able to give it a little bit more of a fun factor.
Despite the sun, despite the fact that I got to be outdoors instead of in my office, I came back from this ride thinking I do not like mountain biking any longer.
How is that possible?
Tags:Cubservies·Fontiers Cabardes·Fournes Cabardes·Lastours·Les Martys·Mas Cabardes·Montolieu·Pic de Nore·Pradelles Cabardes·Villaret·Villegly·Vinelougue
While it was raining back in Brussels, I assembled my bike in a parking lot in the south of France.
My favourite to try out this sunny day was trail number 35 of Couiza. The brochure boasting with 45% monotraces, which I freely interpret as singletrack, who could resist it?
I bit off more than I could chew.
Singletrack-wise, my definition must be very different from the definition of the brochure makers. It was hardly 45%, and most of it before and after the village of Serres. The rest was wider trails.
The biggest surprise was the amount of climbing. The official map indicates 705 height meters for 35 kilometres (20.1 hill factor). There must be something wrong with my gps, or I rode the trail twice without noticing (as the mountain bike center suggested ha ha), because I ended up with almost the double – 1,313 height meters. This gave me the whooping hill factor of 34.4!
Congratulations, I just did the roughest ride of my life!
This is a trail with some easier riding in the north (overlapping with trail number 31), but everywhere else it seems to offer only two choices: up or down. There are a couple of steep bits where you have to shift your point of gravitation on the bike, but in general the descents and climbs are fairly mellow although at times persistently long. The terrain was rough enough to crave your fullest attention also on the descents. By the end of this trail my legs were pretty done with.
The descent into village of Rennes-les-Bains is extremely technical, with solid rocks on top of each other, and roots, and switchbacks. Good luck for riding that one!
In general, around the villages, there is tarmac riding. The trail goes through the square of village of Espéraza; I failed completely spotting any signs there as I arrived in the middle of its Sunday market. Aghast, I was afterwards directed up onto a 90-kilometres-an-hour tarmac road for a lengthy section of riding. I did my best to keep up with the cars!
The landscape is incredibly beautiful, especially from around village of Rennes-le-Château and its breathtaking Tour Magdala.
Tags:Antugnac·Esperaza·Montazets·Peyrolles·Rennes-le-Chateau·Rennes-les-Bains·Serres
Back on-line! Almost two weeks of travelling in south of France, and I squeezed in some mountain biking, too! I am warmed up from masses of sun! More later!
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Travel report time! I have been out on the road again with my car, and out on trails with my bike, in the southwest of France and north of Spain. I could have taken zillions of photographs, but then I would still be out there, and I needed to be back at work already after ten days.
Surf to day 1 and 2 of my travel report.
Day 1
Saturday 7th of May 2011
Travelling
Day 2
Sunday 8th of May 2011
Trail number 6 of Montagrier and trail number 11 of Ribérac
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Preparing for trail-exploring in French region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, here are my personal research notes. Most trails are rated easy and very easy, but from the little riding I’ve done here in 2005 and 2006, the impression I had was that it was pleasant and enjoyable riding. And I am a relatively technical a rider. Maybe it was the sunshine? Dry, dusty trails are my favourite .. Curious to go back!
Tags:Nord·Pas-de-Calais
Ah, finally .. finishing off the page for Bas-Rhin!
Typing out my research notes on trails in Châtenois and Scherwiller, just on the other side of the E25 highway from the trail in Sélestat, I came across the first couple of stunning pictures of the area.
Pays du Mont Sainte Odile further up north also seems fantastic with its Pagan Wall. Perhaps, dare I say it, for a combination of biking and hiking?
The trails of Haute Bruche with starting point in Schirmeck, on the other hand, tick me off: They give information on only two trails, but on the overview it is indicated that a lot more is available! For THAT info, even the basic one to raise your interest … you seem to have to pay up for the map. I think that is pretty counterproductive! BAH!
I hope to visit Bas-Rhin later this upcoming summer. Needless to say Haute-Bruche might not be my first priority?
Tags:Châtenois·Grendelbruch·Haute Bruche·Pays du Mont Sainte Odile·Rosheim·Scherwiller·Schirmeck