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HERE ARE SOME OF THE CYCLING AREAS ON OFFER:
Chances are the weather has or is turning pretty crap!, and one or two trails may still be closed to you 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. |
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ALICANTE: |
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 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: |
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 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: |
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 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: |
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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: |
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 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: |
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 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 DE AZUR: |
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 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: |
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 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: |
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 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 & THE PYRENEES: |
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 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: |
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 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: |
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 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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MALLORCA: |
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 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 Mallorca |
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MOROCCO: |
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 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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NEPAL - HIMALAYAS: |
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 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. |
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SWISS ALPS: |
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 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: |
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 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: |
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 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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TENERIFE: |
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 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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SPAIN: |
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 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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NEW ZEALAND: |
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 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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Charities we support & promote:
Scope, British Heart Foundation, L.I.V.E.S., Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, St. Andrews Hospice. |
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&
Bicyclemania Challenge
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