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I'm looking for holiday trip ideas. I've done a couple decades of uplift/ski lift downhill or enduro trips, some guided or self guided. I've got an opportunity to do something different and I'm looking for inspiration. I've seen a few companies that offer guided packages where you go point to point and you're somewhere different every day. I've looked at Morocco but seems like the riding isn't actually that great. A few companies offer similar in Europe, eg tour de mount blanc. I'm up for anything upto 9hr flight from the UK but needs to be a week maximum.
Had anyone been on a trip like this?
I did a guided tour in Morocco, atlas mountains. Riding was pretty amazing, some huge passes and incredible scenery. Certainly a big step up from Cambridgeshire.
I did a guided 'mountainbike' trip in Peru with Red Spokes nearly ten years ago now and I'm still bitter about all the incredible riding I must have missed due to the trip being almost entirely on roads. Gravel biking at best.
I'll probably never stop putting in a bad word about Red Spokes as that was a significant amount of money and although the country was of course incredible, the riding they showed you was awful. Road biking is what is was.
Sorry to be negative but trips NOT to book might be useful too.
Peru has some absolutely epic mountain biking I believe.
Red Spokes are not the company to show you that. 😊👍
I also biked around the tour de mont blanc a few years ago. A friend made up a route and we stayed in the many excellent hostels and hotels.
I did a guided tour in Morocco, atlas mountains. Riding was pretty amazing, some huge passes and incredible scenery. Certainly a big step up from Cambridgeshire.
Isolated communities untouched by the modern age....and then there's Morocco 🤣
I did a trip with Freeride Morocco. As an experience,it was great but the riding was more XC than Enduro.
Depends what you're after. I'm not criticising their setup but I would have taken my hardtail over my full suss with hindsight. I really enjoyed the week regardless but it wasn't what I thought it would be.
Might have just been the guides on my particular week though as it was out of season and only two of us as paid guests. On the weeks where Simon is riding, he might use different trails.
Giving this a wee nudge as I'm curious about folk's experiences too....
Between Ride the Alps, BikeVillage, Ben Jones / Endlesstrails, Basque MTB, TransProvence / Stone King Rallye and more, there's no shortage of itinerant 6 day guided trips out there which take in some grand trails so there *must* be more STW'ers who've ridden them than this.
Or mibbies everyone had a thoroughly miserable time!?!
Why does it have to be abroad? Have you done everything in the UK? Does it have to be guided? Why not save money, time and the planet and look at routes closer to home. Could be more fun having to follow a route and guide yourself.
I did the Tarentaise Tour with White Room MTB last summer. 6 days riding, starting in Tignes, down to Bourg, then Les Arc, over to the 3 Valleys, then north through Areches, before finishing in Alberville. Stayed in a different location each night, including 2 nights in refuges high up in the mountains. The ski-lift network did most of the work getting us up the mountains, but there was also some climbing to be done every day. All our kit was taken to each hotel for us everyday. It's a good trip if you enjoy backcountry enduro trails and want point-to-point riding.
It’s not abroad but Wildbike offer a Lakes End to End and back again which I did a couple of years ago which was excellent.
Check out San Juan Hut system https://sanjuanhuts.com/mtb/mountain-bike-trips
We did the Telluride to Moab trip a couple of years back and it was excellent. Basic idea is you pay to use the huts (different one each night) which includes food, water, gas, beer etc (you have to cook, it's tins and fresh in a fridge box) and there's a detailed route guide which has fire road and singletrack/longer alternatives most days.
We were really lucky and had the huts to ourselves every night, but equally you may have to share (most likely the same people each night as you'll be doing the same itinerary).
We took a couple of days at the end in Moab and then shuttled back to Telluride. Shuttle was a local (Moab) guy in a van and took a short day as I remember.
Top tip - Telluride is quite high, so take a few days there to acclimatise before the ride; I've been to the Alps and Himalayas and Telluride gave me more of an altitude hit!
Telluride has great singletrack and lifts, so is ideal to acclimatise, and Moab is, well, Moab so a few wind down days there was hardly a problem (and hardly a rest either!). If you are making this a longer trip I can heartily recommend Salida as a riding destination too - amazing place, and Crested Butte not far up the road.
Basically, go to Colorado - it's ace!
đŸ™‚ Dave
Thanks for the ideas. The Tarentaise Tour sounds close to what I'm looking for but I have done alot of riding in the Les Arcs area (some back country) so it would be nice to go somewhere different.
@gazza - I've done a lot of self guided trips but this year I feel like trying something different It's also nice to go somewhere with big mountains that we just don't get in the UK, even in Scotland it's not the same.
@solamanda Maybe one of the Pyrenees tours by Basque MTB would fit the bill. I've done the High Pyrenees trip and highly recommend it. You can expect at least 1 day with some serious hike-a-bike though.
Ciclo Montana do a guided Morocco Enduro and it wouldn't work at all on a hardtail. Toyota Landcruisers, Donkeys.... Best group all week, apparently.
https://ciclomontana.com/ciclomaroc.php
Done the Mont Blanc tour with Ben Jones/Endless Trails. Great riding and hotels.
Had a trip to Peru and sacked off Machu Picchu to go riding instead, it was excellent.