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There are so many mountain bike holiday destinations in Europe and across the world. It can be a real minefield trying to find the correct place to ride that suits your mountain biking style, ability, ride requirements and budget.
Over the years Andalucia, in southern Spain, has developed a solid reputation as being one of the best places for mountain biking in Europe but what can you expect to find in terms of the riding.
Based in Montecorto on the edge of the Grazalema Natural Park, Serrania de Ronda and the Sierra de Nieves we are perfectly located for riders who enjoy XC (cross country) style riding with plenty of vehicle width dirt tracks and quality single track trails. Most of the ‘Pueblos Blancos’ (White Villages) are joined together by vehicle width tracks, we can spend all day riding these tracks through olive groves, crossing streams and stopping for refreshments in the stunning Pueblos Blancos.
However, there is also plenty of quality single track trails ranging from fast-flowing trails that hug the side of the mountains and are no wider than your handlebars, to Moab style slick rock riding and forest trails that will leave you, a tad tired but grinning from ear to ear! The tracks and trails are generally dry and dusty with plenty of gravel and rocks. The limestone rocks give an abundance of grip in the dry conditions but are as slippery as a bar of soap when wet. The soil is clay-based so again excellent in the dry but a real horror show in the wet as it just sticks to every moving component of your bike making it impossible to ride and a nightmare to clean. This is where a local guide comes in handy as they will know where you can ride in all weather conditions.
I would best describe the trails as being suitable for beginner/intermediate riders, on some rides elbow and knee pads would be recommended, just in case. We don’t do the full body armour/full-face helmet DH (Downhill) type of rides, my self-preservation gene kicks in way too early for me to even contemplate riding these trails so I stick to what I know and what I am good at! That said the single track trails are sufficiently challenging both physically and technically to most beginner/intermediately skilled riders. As a comparison, our routes are mainly blue/red trails (on trail centre ratings) with a few small sections of black thrown in.
Like most riders, I just jumped on my first mountain bike and hit the trails, sometimes literally, and started riding. I would ride the local trails and if I stayed on my bike that was how I would ride the trail each time, if I came off I would try something different. I got better by trial and error! Shortly after moving to Spain, I took a mountain bike instructors course and now can build skills games and techniques into the daily riding here in Andalucia to improve your mountain bike riding. Sometimes it’s as simple as moving your body position on the bike or pulling the correct brake and you’ll be over the obstacle, still biking (not walking), growing in confidence and enjoying your riding even more.
Ashley Higgins
