Friday, April 20, 2007

World Cup XC & Los Parapetes



This was our last day so we were willing to make the most of it. The weather was with us for the first time in a while and it was almost warm in the sun. We only had one more thing on our list that needed to be ticked off and this was the ‘World Cup XC Course’. It’s quite a grand title for what it was. The trail was no more than a smooth family walk type path, undulating through the trees. Being near the ski resort meant that there were big patches of snow on the trail, and although fun was not the easiest of stuff to ride through. We didn’t get very far if I’m honest. I was shocked at the fact that there is all this world class riding around us and they consider that a World Cup worthy XC course. After a while playing in the snow we decided to pack it in. To make the most of the day we decided to check out a piece of trail we had been eyeing up above G.Sierra from our venta on the opposite mountain the day before, as well as get some nice photos and video footage while the weather was good. Sue had ridden the first section a few days previously, and enjoyed it. The trail started at the top of a col above G.Sierra so I volunteered to fetch the van later on in the day.

The first section of trail was absolutely superb, starting off steep and loose and then turning into the fastest, flowing piece of trail ever. After this was a short push up to get onto the ridge above G.Sierra. Once on top it was a pleasant pedal across the top. Whilst looking about the edge of the ridge for the trail a herd of goat swarmed our bikes, nibbling at handle bars. We decided that the trail must begin at the top of the next rise. Between us and the next hill was a fantastic straight line descent, littered with rock and ruts. At the next rise was a set of concrete bunkers obviously used in the civil war. Below these we found out trail, clearly disappearing over the crest of the hill. Things started of super fast, swinging around a few flowing corners before dropping over the crest into a series of loose switchbacks. The trail was much of the same all the way down but it went on for ever. Toward the bottom we were both showing signs of tiredness and were making too many mistakes. The gradient and surface of the trail was very unforgiving and it would have been easy to come off badly. We decided it’d be best to get down alive and took it extra easy.

At the bottom we stopped at a venta for our caffeine hit, and the realisation of this climb began to hit me. Little did I know at the time but the climb was 8km in length and over 800m of ascent. I’ve never gritted my teeth quite as much as I did on this climb, but the thought of stopping and having to start again kept me going right to the top.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

El Torro


Setting off from G.Sierra we headed up the hill on the opposite side of the reservoir, aiming to reach the road I climbed yesterday evening, this time taking a dirt track that zig-zagged straight up from Geujar itself. This was a much better route up, seeming to be over in half the time of the previous road climb. The aim was to try out another section of single track dropping down towards the reservoir, one I contemplated yesterday but decided the other looked more tempting.

After a venta stop we headed along the road to find the trail head. The trail itself started near a huge cut-out of a black bull. As well as the bull there was a series of masts and satellites all perched on a pinnacle. If the trail was where the map suggested then we would be needing a rope. Luckily after half an hours digging about we spotted the trail whilst on top of the pinnacle itself.

The trail was awesome and completely different to the trail I rode last night. It dropped steeply through trees and over some awkward rock features, with the only time it levelled out for a second was when we hit a series of switchbacks. Before long this dropped us out at the top of the col I had to push up to yesterday. The final blast down to Geujar was much better than I gave it credit for the previous day. I must have been completely worn out because it rode so much better this time round.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

G.Sierra Gorge



Today we went our separate ways just exploring the local area. On the map I planned to ride along a path up the gorge and away from G.Sierra. Once in the gorge I found a couple of rope style bridges, which were very strange to ride. I was obviously paying too much attention to contours on the map rather than the scale grid because the trail along the gorge went on an on forever. None of it was particularly strenuous or anywhere near technical, but it kept of dragging gradually uphill. The trail was extremely popular with walkers which didn’t help, at one point I had to take a break and wait for a group of well over a hundred walkers to pass, I even got told it was too dangerous for me on my bike.

I was aiming for a little trail marked on the map about 10km along the gorge, which never seemed to come. I reached a big gully and a bridge which told me I had gone slightly too far. Back tracking I began to think the trail didn’t exists at all, but eventually I spotted it. It wasn’t much more than a sheep track to begin with and then it widened slightly. From the contours on the map I was expecting a push straight up the hillside, but had I known it was going to be near enough vertical I would have thought twice. About halfway up the path reached an open area where it just disappeared. Five minutes later finding what looked like a small cairn of rocks I followed a vague trail again until it disappeared for a second time. Not wanting to give up I decided to push on straight up hoping to find the trail again at the top. After 30 minutes of not really seeing any signs of a trail or any cairns I began to get a bit worried that I may have to cut my loses and head back down, just as this was going through my mind I quite literally stumbled across a well cut trail running across the hill… BINGO! I was back on the right track. After another scramble to the top I reached the refuge at the top that was marked on the map.

From here the going got a little better. The trail began to swoop down and into the open. It was the most perfect piece of Alpine-esque floaty single track, made even the more satisfying with the thought of perhaps being the first ever bike to have ridden it. I passed a handful of walkers heading up, as they looked on with open mouths in amazement I started to wonder just really what was ahead of me. After a bit of an awkward traverse and having to jump on and off the bike every couple of minutes the trail hit the ridge before dropping steeply back towards the gorge. The riding was great and felt all the more epic with the feeling of altitude and the knowledge that if anything went wrong it may be a few day before I’d be discovered. Pushing this to the back of my mind I made the most of the long descent. The trail was a mix of smooth wallowing single track into jagged rock gardens and natural steps. Towards the bottom the trail had be churned to pieces by cattle and there were lines everywhere, but rather than being awful this section was great fun. It was great bouncing from on line to another and being able to hit corner flat out because of the grippy, dry loose soil.

At the bottom it was definitely time for a venta stop. Even though it was getting on and I was pretty knackered I didn’t want to end there, so after a quick map consultation I decided on what I thought should be a shortish loop. I think I must have missed a few contours when looking at the map because the next road climb was an absolute beast. It seemed to go on an on, not letting up for a minute. A quick check of the map showed me that I was nearly there, just as I turn around a lycra clad Spanish XCer came flying past, barley out of breath. Exchanging a friendly ‘hola’ I set off behind him, watching him sprint off into the distance. At the top it was a 3 km blast down the main road. Big ring engaged I caught the cars up in front, using the whole lane to swing round the corners; this was possibly the biggest rush of the day. Almost flying past my turn off, I stopped to get armoured up. The trail I was aiming for headed straight down to the G.Sierra reservoir. This trail was a bit of a disappointment, it was very overgrown with spiky bushes that whipped and stung if you rode through them too quickly. Yet again I think I must have not been paying enough attention to the contours because at the bottom the trail started heading back up, steeply. After a 20 minute push I reached the top of a col where I finished the descent into G.Sierra.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Padul


We have been given the loan of a basement flat in Padul, a town just outside of Granada. At first glance the town seemed modern and as far from the mountain villages of Bubion and Capileira than you could imagine. For this reason I wasn’t expecting there to be much riding in the immediate area. We set out riding from the door and towards the hills behind the house. Immediately I was amazed by the number of visible trails, and I climbed the perfect single track ascent that looked steep as hell but was in fact all ridable. Once at the top it was a maze of forest tracks and trails. The view was spectacular out over the flat-lands on hampered by the mist that descended for an hour. I must have criss-crossed myself a dozen times, discovering new bits to ride and climbing back up again for more. By the end of the day I had clocked up well over 1600m and almost 30km and all within 5km of base. It ceases to amaze me the amount of quality riding all over the place here.

The best bits found have to be the strenuous steep single track climb and the GR descent. The climb up, even though strenuous, came with a massive sense of satisfaction and achievement at the top, as well as burning legs and lungs. Partly due to the fact you could look down and see exactly where you’d started from and partly due to the switchback that I took pride in riding clean.

All in all a good ride and a successful days exploration uncovering yet more fine single track. Highlight of the day has to be the awkward yet comical attempt at having a conversation with a Spanish biker which ended with a thumbs up and a smile.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

GR7 - Trevelez to Bubion

Sue and Jim decided to go off and ride the previous day’s route in the opposite direction to see if it was any better. I was given the task of following the GR7 from Trevelez to Bubion and taking notes for the route description. Sue had ridden this route a few days previously while I had a day off. Although she got snowed on Sue spoke highly of the riding but also of getting lost a couple of times and doing 10km too many. The day’s weather looked promising with only a handful of dodgy clouds breaking up the blue sky. I was dropped off at the top of the dirt track, to save me the initial climb, and got ready. The trail start was vague and is apparently where Sue got lost previous. As I rounded the side of this cow shed the trail became obvious as it started dropping in a straight line down a wide ridge. It bounced its way through a couple of fields before ducking of rightward into the trees. Here it got even better as it dropped steeply and began switch backing. Once at the bottom I was in the heart of a gully, from which I had to push back out to the top. It was a beast of a push and I couldn’t help thinking it would have been awesome to be riding down it.

After a short traverse on dirt track it was back onto single track, and a brilliant piece of single track it was too. It was reminiscent of a man-made XC trail, undulating across the hillside, with a feel of the Alps, green grass, cows and pine trees. It continued on for what must have been almost 10km traversing the hill, slowly dropping giving the momentum needed to blast up the short sharp climbs. The descent into Busquistar was brilliant, even the dirt track downhill stretch was bouncy and so much fun. This route definitely felt like you were on a journey. I guess it’s the fact that you’re heading from A to B made it feel like a mission in a way. Even at a relatively short 25km it didn’t half tire me out with well over a 1000m of climbing. This definitely had a true cross-country ride feel with endless single track sections, it’s just a shame that a lift is needed to be able to ride it.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Berchules Wanderlust


Today the weather was slightly better. We headed over to a place called Berchules, slightly lower down in the mountains so the snow held off. Today had it’s up and down sides, with over grown trails, getting lost, and us pushing up stuff that looked awesome if only ridden in the opposite direction. Bits of the ride were great, but none of it linked up or rode as smoothly as we would have liked. It was quite a long day all in all with a lot of climbing and more of its fair share of pushing/ hiking. The final descent though more than made up for it. It suddenly, at a flick of a switch felt exposed. With loose gravel switchbacks and traverses across the epic landscape definitely made up for the lacklustre riding earlier on.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Bubion Again

Last night we picked Jim up from Malaga airport. Today the weather has been absolutely grim, with heavy snow coming down on and off all day. Apparently its forecast to snow for the next 4 days too, not quite the Spain that I was expecting. This wasn’t good news for Jim; he is only out here for 4 days. So as not to miss out on a days riding we decided to show him some of the local single-track. Sue took the day off to catch up with work so she offered to give us a couple of uplifts to the top of the hill. We started off at the top of the GR route and criss-crossed our way over the road before climbing up slightly and linking it with the angel’s descent. This was completely different in the wet. Apart from the fact that we were struggling to see anything with snow in our eyes, the rocks had become slippery. With this being as technical as it was it was just a challenge to get down in one piece. Jim soon discovered that flat pedals were definitely a good idea.

Back down in Bubion it was time to grab another lift to the top. We stuck to the GR trail this time heading straight down. I’m getting to know this trail now and it just keeps getting better and better. This was a tad greasier in the wet but this didn’t detract from the fun.

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Trevelez Gorge




Today we headed over to a village called Busquistar, below it is Trevelez Gorge. We’d seen a couple of tempting looking trails on the opposite hill whilst out riding above Bubion a few times. The two trails formed perfect zig-zags down an unbelievably steep hill, almost a cliff, down to the bottom of Trevelez Gorge. Sue had ridden these in the past; she had pushed up the right hand path and ridden down the left. We decided to incorporate these into a loop. We rode from just outside Busquistar down to the right hand zig-zags. The trail down to them was awesome in itself, with a mix of big rock slabs, cobbled sections and gravely single-track. It was excellent fun, but before we knew it we had reached the bottom of the gorge, and the only way now was up.

From below we were unable to see the trail beyond the first couple of zig-zags, and it looked near impossible that anything went up the hill-side at all. Once pushing though surprisingly easy going, and because of all the zig-zags the gradient never became unbearable. After no time at all we had gained a fair bit of height, it was strange seeing the trail unfold below in layers. Before long we were at the top and had a quick slog up the road before joining a piece of single track that dropped us down into Notaez. Again the trail head gave nothing away, and if anything looked although the trail would peter out into olive groves. As they say ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, this couldn’t have been further from the truth. The trail started off smooth and then disappeared behind an overhanging bush before getting ultra-technical with washed out rocky steps, cobbled switchbacks and later opening up into fast and flowy stuff before spitting you out in the picturesque, sleepy little village of Notaez.

After a quick search for a venta (cafĂ©) to no avail we continued out of Noteaz and headed straight down on a trail sunken between meadows. I could feel my back tyre getting soft so I couldn’t appreciate this section to the full. It finished with a steep gravel slope and the trail winding its way between cacti and dropping us down into a dry river bed. After a quick munch and puncture repair stop we headed up the road back towards Notaez again but turning off for a place called Almeijar. Searching for a venta in Almejiar we had no luck again and carried on with the ride. On the map there looked to be a nice dirt track leading back to the top of the hill, saving us from having to ride on the road to the top. We must have ridden for a good 5km up this dirt track, steeply in places, only to reach a farm and the owners telling us there’s no access. So back down to the tarmac road we went with the best part of an hour lost and much of out energy gone too.

There was only one way for it, up the road we went. It was a fair old grind to the top, and I was only too happy to round a corner and discover our turn off was closer than I had pictured in my head. Turning left off the road lead us back to the top of the zig-zags we had pushed up earlier in the day. Armoured up and getting ready, I looked across the gorge only to spot the van was actually higher than we were. My heart sank as I had completely forgotten about the steep ride/ push out. Ah well, forget that for now, there was hundreds of switchback lying ahead. The trail was cobbled for most of the way, switch backing every few metres. The switchbacks were so tight in places so that riding these with a big drop in front definitely sent the pulses racing. I’d been using the technique of endoing the back end up and round on the tighter switchbacks but here it was a different story, not a place you’d want to take a trip over the bars that’s for certain. This trail was epic, not by being overly technical but just down to the exposure on what felt like a cliff side.