I'm after a package holiday with accommodation, food, guiding and at least some uplift. I'm planning to go in mid-October, so somewhere southern and dry would be ideal. If my non-MTB girlfriend could join and not get super bored, that would be a bonus. Thanks in advance!
Ciclo Montana
Ride southern Spain.
Ciclo Montana
Thanks danti. Where does Ciclo Montana sit on the spectrum? Is it more pedally trail riding or full-on uplifted (excuse the term) enduro?
I’d say trail riding, some pedally some uplift but not super steep and hugely tech, plenty of coffee stops and great lunches.
Marco and Jacky are a lovely couple and are great hosts and their base in Mecina Fondales is great.
You won’t find many if any negative comments about their hols. Search on here and you’ll find plenty people recommend them.
Oh and there’s some great walks, a hot tub.
Ciclo Montana
Went about 10 years ago. More technical than normal XC stuff eg Pure Mountains or Saddle Skedaddle style holidays; but only in short sections you could walk if you wanted to.
Some photos
I've been to Ciclo and Ride Southern Spain, and had a great time with both of them. The riding is pretty similar - trail riding with lots of rocks and switchbacks, and occasional steep/techy bits (but I think could be more techy if that's what you want). Both outfits managed to tailor the riding to our ability and they use some of the same trails.
We did more uplift with RSS, but I think that was just because of the way the group worked out and time constraints. Andy (who runs RSS) certainly doesn't mind pedaling.
As far as non-riders are concerned:
Ciclo is in a tiny village and more natural/picturesque location - so would be good for walking, but not much else in the area. Perfect if someone is looking for somewhere quiet to relax. There are a couple of restaurants/bars within walking distance but could be a bit limiting if you don't have access to a car.
RSS is just up the hill from Lanjaron, a small town with a reasonable number of shops/bars/etc but I'm not sure there is much else there. Plenty of walking trails around Lanjaron including one to a ruined castle.
Both have pools, but the RSS one is quite a bit bigger.
Basically, very difficult to chose between them - I'd happily go back to both.
My default answer
Ride Slovenia.
Possibly the prettiest country I've been to....
As great as Ciclo is i really cant imagine being stuck there for a week and not riding would be fun.
Been out with Ciclo 4 or 5 times and going to RSS in a month or so's time as they're in a similar area for riding but the accommodation looks a fair bit better.
They also look a bit closer to a few different bars.
Madeira, I hope - going there in November.
Thanks for all the recommendations all!
