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HERE ARE SOME OF
THE CYCLING COUNTRIES ON OFFER.
Chances are the weather has been pretty crap!, and one
or two trails may still be
 closed
due to some sort of restrictions, even now. So why not
go biking abroad with your mates?.
Now we are talking .. !
Pick just about any country, and someone somewhere will
be running mountain bikes trips there. All you have to
do is hand over your cash, turn up with or without your
bike a few pairs of shorts and hit the trails. |
How to pack your
bicycle
safely for airline travel
click-on the box
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 Alicante:
If you have a week to spare, try here,
flights are cheap, package deals are affordable and plentiful, you
can eat and get drunk for about £10, and it rarely rains. Out of
season is the best time to go for mountain biking, as the
temperatures are bearable around the low 20s and you'll enjoy long
sunny days. It's also the best time for cheap deals, and there's
usually plenty of them. Anywhere in land and north of Alicante is
ideal for riding. There are miles and miles of good dirt tracks
straight out of Benidorm itself, and inland towards Tarbina and
Finestrat. Just get yourself across the motorway and your on your
way.
Bicyclemania.co.uk trails for
On/Off Road Cycling Around Benidorm
How to get there:
Try Thomson, Airtours or your local T.A. flights to Alicante are
about £100. Or better still, take a cheap late package deal to
Benidorm about £150 self - catering. It's not that bad out of
season.
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Almeria:
Another Spanish trail heaven. This semi - desert region of southern
Spain has possibly Europe's sunniest climate. It was the setting for
many westerns. Head north - east from the airport and you'll reach
the coastal region around the resort town of Mojacar, which makes a
great base for out of season trail riding. You can ride straight out
of the small coastal town and into the surrounding Sierras. The
weather is glorious, the trails plentiful, and everything is close
at hand. During the winter months, this area is fairly quiet and
many of the tourist facilities close down. Flights to Almeria also
become harder to find, but Alicante is less than four hour's drive
away.
How to get there.
To Almeria or Alicante about £120. Car hire for one week is
about £90. Head to Majacar, many small sea front hostels for about
£15 p. p. night.
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Australia:
For exotic riding through rainforest on red earth trails, head
for Cairns. The riding can be tricky-tight and twisty single-track.
Take off in either direction up the coast from Cairns and you'll
find marked trails, peppered with warnings about dangerous plants
and animals to be avoided that adds extra frisson to the biking.
Explore the base of Uluru [Ayers-rock] in the heart of
Australia's red centre.
Or head on north to King's Canyon where the 100-million year old
Finke river has cut gorges that beg to be ridden fast and hard. It's
one hell of a wicked place to live with your mountain bike.
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Austria:
If you like your creature comforts, Chalet Levett is just outside
St, Anton in the Austrian Alps. There are about 60 km of good marked
trails on your doorstep. Austria has tons of great trail riding to
keep you happy all day along, with fantastic mountain scenery around
every twist and turn.
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Barcelona:
For a short break Barcelona takes some beating. It's amazingly cheap
and easy to get to for a start. The weather is nice for most of the
year the winters are generally mild and sunny, while summers are
very hot and dry. The city is also a major centre for culture, if
that's your bag. There are plenty of great rides to do within
minutes of the city. To the north are the wooded hills around Mataro,
where there's some great riding. To the west there's Montjuic, which
has a whole load of superb trails. Keep heading inland towards
Montserrat and things just get better.
How to get there:
Try Easyjet, Debonair, B.A, or Span-air flights for about £50 - £120
return. Take the train from the airport into town and check-in to a
small hostel or Formula 1 chain hotel at about £10 - £15 per/room
per/night.
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Crete:
Go to Crete in the summer and you'll be heading very cheaply to
trail paradise. The weather is almost always warm and sunny,
although it does snow inland in the winter. The bike riding is
superb, stay on or off road, there really isn't that much
difference. Fly to Iraklion, from there head east wards to the Dikti
plains or south towards the famous white gorge. Trail finding is not
that easy, most of the trails end up in some old blokes olive grove.
That said it's still a great place for long distance riding.
How to get there:
Get a cheap charter flight or go self - catering from about £100 -
£200. Accommodation is basic adequate and cheap. about £10 per/night
see your local T.A. or Teletex.
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 Cote-d-Azur:
Very chic, arguably the world's most richest coastline, play ground
for the rich and famous it may be, but you can do it on the cheap.
Catch a flight to Nice, then just head inland - or stay in Nice if
you fancy it. Try to eat outside the main resorts, it's better
value. Just head anywhere inland and you'll find good trails, the
biking is typically Mediterranean, with loads of pine forest dusty
tracks that tend to be dry all year. Try east from Nice towards St,
Tropez and you'll find the rolling trails used for the famous Roc
d`Azur race. Turn inland to Apt and there are masses of trails. or
head north to Capd`Ail and test your metal on the finest downhill in
Europe.
How to get there:
Try Easyjet to Nice about £60 - £100 return, or check with your
local T.A., stay in a small budget hotel chain from about £15 per
room.
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Ethiopia:
Dramatic biking with more than 6,500 meters of descending is in
store for you if you head here. The remote Bale Mountains of
Ethiopia have everything, dirt roads and gravel pistes to test your
mtb skills. Explore remote villages, you could be the first
foreigner the children have ever seen.
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France:
Morzine is the best place for summer mountain biking. Most trips
here focus on down-hilling, but if you want to explore more, try
asking the owners of the local chalet, they know the area very well.
In the summer they run guided trips, including some big epic rides
into Switzerland. There are more than 500 km of paths and
single-tracks, more than 20 lifts to take you and your bike to the
top, and 6 world class downhill course to play on.
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France
& Pyrenees:
Normandy's Calvados country makes a good long weekend for newer
bikers. On forest tracks, with challenging descents and river
crossings you'll soon work up an big appetite, which is just the
thing to enjoy the French food. The Cathar trail is a ride for any
level it's in the foothills or the Pyrenees {it's not that
technical} The Luchon Valley is renowned as one of the worlds
best areas for mountain biking, with hundreds of miles of first
class trails.
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Greece:
How about cycling through the land of
ancient legend, from the shores of the Med to the mountains of
Arcadia in the Peloponnesian peninsula. This area has non -
technical routes following forest roads and rocky tracks that take
in some of the best ancient sites. Lefkas in the Lonian islands has
a reputation as one of Europe's top mtb destinations, trails lead
inland through citrus groves towards the mountains. How about a
surf, sail and cycle combo ?, you can do them in several places.
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 Iceland:
Why not go and ride among the geysers and icecaps in Iceland's
volcanic landscape. A good place to start from is Reykjavik, you
will soon be among the stunning scenery, well off the tourist trail.
80 per cent is off-road and it can be challenging due to the weather
changing all the time. Not for the faint hearted.
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Majorca:
Only two hours form the U.K. the Island has tons to offer you, road
riding or mountain biking it's all here. Winter is the best time to
go, the weather is a hell of a lot better than home. Some times it
can be chilly so be prepared. You can ride down quiet country stone
walled roads, hit the many dirt tracks that head of into the
mountains or just stick to tarmac. The North of the Island is very
good for riding, as well as the West, in fact anywhere in Majorca is
good for biking. Out of season is the best time, and cheaper.
How to get there:
Fly from your local airport, lots of airlines fly to Majorca, check
with you local T.A. or Teletex. There are lots of package deals to
be had and cheap too. Self - catering is the best bet, food and beer
is cheap too.
Cycling trails:
Bicyclemania ~ Majorca cycling ~ mountain biking ~ road
trails
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 Morocco:
The Tuareg trail in Morocco's Anti Atlas Mountains makes for great
winter mountain biking, with plenty of descending. you could ride
through remote villages surrounded by green terraces, explore
canyons and visit palm-filled oases. There are top down-hills with
wild scenery in the Atlas Mountains, rocky, steep and good dirt
tracks. It's only four hours away, but the lifestyle is a million
miles for Europe.
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 Himalayas
Nepal:
You need a few days acclimatising before tackling the famous
Annapurna circuit by bike. Travelling along high ridges and over
rugged mountain passes among the highest mountains in the world is
not for the faint-hearted, but the awesome views make it worth the
effort. In fact 75 per cent of the ride is downhill and it is
virtually all off-road through a fascinating landscape.
www.Keadventure.com do Nepal- single-track village paths are the main
roads in parts of Nepal and this two-week adventure from Pokhara to
Kathmandu travels along them on a spectacular route, with views of
the Annapurnas, a testing mile high climb to the rim of the
Kathmanda valley and a downhill blast into the city to finish. This
trip is fast becoming an mtb classic.
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 Swiss
Alps:
The Swiss Alps offer some fantastic riding and scenery, from May to
September, head for the French / Italian border area [Valais]
where there's easy access to areas such as Verbier, which has
fantastic riding. The cheapest way to do things in Switzerland is to
camp in the valleys, there are lots of decent sites around. The
train are the best way of getting around.
How to get there:
Fly to Geneva with Easyjet, British Airways or KLM. Check with your
local T.A. return trip about £135. Then take the train to Martigny,
ride or take the bus to Chablis, Sion or Brig, and camp. Or drive
down and check into some of the small hotels from about £25 - £30
per/room/per/night.
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 Sri
Lanka:
The tea estate tracks and scenic jungle paths of Sri Lanka are the
perfect setting for an mtb adventure. Travelling by bike, 90 per
cent off-road, is the best way to see the country and maybe even
some wildlife, elephants and leopards in the parks. This holiday
takes in the main cultural sites, including the rock fortress at
Sigiriya and Kandy's Temple of the tooth, and the last two
days are spent chilling-out on a gorgeous beach.
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 Tanzania:
This epic ride goes from Mount Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar. You won't
ride to the top of the mountain, but you'll get a good view of it,
plus the chance to go on safari in the famous Ngorongoro crater,
with the largest concentration of game anywhere. Dirt roads and
rocky tracks make up 90 per cent of the riding, through amazing
scenery. Cost from £1,695 Exodus biking adventures.
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Spain:
The Picos de Europa, northern Spain, has
never ending descents, sweeping forest trails and tricky gorge
riding. No wonder Picos is one of the world's top 10 mtb
destinations. You can't beat Andalucia in southern Spain for a sunny
biking break. there are trails for all levels. For off - season
breaks in the sun, fly to Majorca. In the North of the island there
are trails through olive groves and along some beautiful coast
lines, plus mountains to bust a gut on. Don't forget Tenerife, head
for the North of the island where the riding is wicked. The
down-hills on the Macizo de Anaga peninsula are among the best
anywhere.
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Tenerife:
Four and a bit hour's flight from the U.K.
The British head here in there millions. The weather has something
to do with it, warm all year round, the summers can be very dry and
hot. The best time to go for biking is the winter, when it's very
pleasant, long sunny days with great biking trails. The Island is
dominated by mount Teidi, the biggest mountain in Spain. The climbs
are massive, but the roads are good. Be warned though,, mountain
biking is not permitted in certain areas of the Teidi national park.
Stick to the pine forested foothills and you'll have a wicked time.
Be-warned, on the downhill hairpins, lots of loose gravel waiting to
bring you off.
Bicyclemania.co.uk
trailfinders
'Do not recommend skin contact with Volcanic laver rocks!! .... our
body testify to that.'
How to get there:
Try your local T.A. or Teletex, loads of cheap deals to be found.
All in package deals from about £190 - £250 self - catering. Flight
only from about £90 - £120. Car hire for one week from about £70 -
£90. Stop in small hostels from about £15 per/room/per/night.
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New
Zealand:
Billed as the world's best one day ride, the 42 Traverse is worth
crossing the world for and that's just one of many top rides in
arguably the world's best mtb country. To explore the Tongariro area
of the North Island's volcanic plateau, fly to Auckland, hire a car
and drive South until you reach the live volcanoes.
Queenstown in the South Island is known as the extreme sports
capital of the southern hemisphere and the mountain biking here is
nothing short of crazy. Straight out of town are cool technical
descents and swift single-track loops in gorgeous scenery.
The southern Alps have waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and the
most accessible glaciers in the world, a must see. There's stunning
technical trails near to Queenstown at the South end and Nelson
further North, plenty to keep the serious riders happy.
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