Was working down that way at a sales meeting last thursday and they organised a trip to this outfit that runs an uplift.

Being French there was a lot of ‘interesting weirdness with wheels’ hanging around, but I managed to blag a half decent commencal, although these things are always marred with the brakes on wrong, in fact one of us broke the rear rotor, can’t say I’ve ever seen that happen before, so it was well awe inspiring seeing that go at the top of the mountain before we set off.

Blinding country down there, just near the Spanish Border, Basque country, they had a shoot out the day before we arrived when some ETA dude blasted at a couple of cops mistakenly thinking they’d come to this cafe to pick him up.

I took loads of pics on this trailguru app, which duly uploaded them, but I can’t for the life of me find out how to locate them since trailguru changed their website to this new lame cut down version.

This is the track and the area we rode in

Anyway, it makes for a bit of a biking interlude between the bitching eh?

I fancy riding in that area, might give Doug @ BasqueMTB a shout when the weather gets crap here.

A mate of mine’s F.in L. has a place out there. Their family go out there couple of times a year, and basically just sit about in the house all the time apparently. Might got for a short walk but never actually venture into the surrounding countryside. Such a shame. 🙁 Me mate takes off by himself and goes for a good wander about. A stunning place he reckons.

One day I will blag meself a trip out there, and show them all the fun they’re missing out on…

I’m off to the Pyrenees this summer – will be heading further south/east though I think. I would love to visit the basque country some time though.

We’re staying near Foix in September. Anybody ridden that area?

We have stayed in the Pyrenees before. Aix les thermes & Luchon. Its stunning but you need big legs..

‘interesting weirdness with wheels’

that scootery thing in the last pic you mean?, looks fun for downhills!

Obligatory ad – My cousin rents out a gite down in Ax les Thermes. Very cheap, about 3 mins ride to the gondola.

Obligatory ad – My cousin rents out a gite down in Ax les Thermes. Very cheap, about 3 mins ride to the gondola.

What’s the biking like there – google doesn’t seem to bring up much decent info?

“What’s the biking like there – google doesn’t seem to bring up much decent info?”

http://www.26in.fr/bike-parks/ax-3-domaines-bonascre/
http://www.ffc.fr/com/popUp/sites_VTT/pop_sites_VTT.asp?svt_num=79&cU=009966&mypath=/a_VTT

Thanks again ian you are proving very helpful for all my pyrenees info 🙂

Have you been to Ax Les Thermes yet? I found an old thread of yours asking about it but it seemed no-one had been.

grum – Member
Obligatory ad – My cousin rents out a gite down in Ax les Thermes. Very cheap, about 3 mins ride to the gondola.
What’s the biking like there – google doesn’t seem to bring up much decent info?

The TdF goes through there regularly, so there must be a decent amount of good biking.

Andorra is only 45 mins away from Ax Les Thermes. Lifts open from 2nd of July through to 11th Sept.

Not been riding at ax les therme but the comments on the 26in site say that “it is a good park thats making a real effort for mountain bikes” and has ” plenty of vertical” We met a lad in Andorra last summer who reckoned it was pretty good. I have been to Ax though and the park is on a pretty steep hill. The XC is on a plateau above the town.

Will be in the pyranees late summer so might check it out.

You should have come a bit further West (into the real Basque country), hopefully we could have managed a bit more than half decent 😉

Mind you we don’t have many bilingual Russian babes falling off scooters on our trails.

Me and the wife rode a couple of VTT loops on a plateau above Ax. Very tame but lovely views. Met cows with bells on 🙂

Using a tourist map I spotted a footpath that heads out the back of the little village on the way back down to town. There is a really nice descent from here. It’s an old switchbacky trail with lots of roots and little steps. Got back to town with a huge grin!