Thanks a lot for the recommendations guys!
OP. The Pyrenees is a pretty big place and Andorra is very different to the French side which is very different to the Spanish side which is very different from east to west! Time of year is critical.
If you look at our 3 trips they are all timed to get the best out of the climates. Ainsa in July, August and early September isn´t going to be fun but the Basque Coast should be great. The locals don´t ride the marked Zona Zero stuff in summer but stay high and go early. Of course you could get a cool day or cool week so might be OK.
In Ainsa, Zona Zero there are loads of marked trails. They offer a map and the marking is meant to be up there with the best in the world. We don´t ride the trails the way that they´re marked because we have constant support from the uplift van which gives us loads more options and lets us ride point-points as well. Often the local riders will join us if there´s spaces in the van because we can do trails in a way that they can´t. If you go for a week then you can definitely find trails to ride and have a great time. Just remember that you will do plenty of climbing, the climbing is tough, and that the marked trails are a fairly small area which is the bullseye of a dartboard of amazing riding!
Our Backcountry tour is 6 days of riding with 1 or 1.5 in the zona zero area. Our new Winter Enduro trip is 6 days of riding with 3 in the zona zero area.
The Basque Coast is different. There aren´t way marked trails. Or at least ones that aren´t just a waste of time. There you need a guide. They know where the trails are because they´ve spent all winter looking after them and digging! (Typing with blistered fingers from a day digging!)
I hope that helps a bit. Basically Ainsa is great. We won´t guide there in summer but it is worth a trip without us, especially since we don´t have many spaces left this year. Just watch the weather and maybe get some practice pedalling before you go!
