Through this cold snap I'm thinking of booking up some early season riding in warmer places!
Anyone on here have any reviews / experience of Sierra Cycling near Malaga?
Good group? What's the riding like? Local aream for food etc?
I've been to alpujaras before and whilst I enjoy the rocky tech stuff I am hoping for maybe some more 'flowy' actual singletrack rather than mega DH if available...
I thank you in advance! 
We were out in Fuengirola with Sierra Cycling a couple of weeks ago. Accommodation was spot on and the two days riding we did was more flowy singletrack than the rockfest we had in the Sierra Nevadas a few years before.
Good group of people and I would definitely recommend them.
The accommodation is about 60 metres from the seafront in Fuengirola. Restaurants in town were okay, but the seafront restaurants are all a bit 'Blackpool".
cheers wheelz. good to know, I'm a reasonable spanish speaker so would prefer to have options away from the full english brekky mob!
sounds like it could be a winner 
Interested to know how you get on Den, thinking of something similar for next year.
I've been intrigued by Sierra cycling for a while now. The fact that the beach is nearby is a very big plus for my non-biking wife. We went to Les Arcs this year, the weather was crap and our accomodation was poor. I couldn't put her through that again. The only thing that puts me off Sierra cycling is that the digs seem to be communal, and she would be pretty uncomfortable with that too. She's quite sociable, but really likes her own space. Has anyone else took their non-biking, non-communal living type OH there, and how did it go?
Went in spring this year. Riding is very varied, plenty of scope for full on gnar if you like that kind of thing, but lots and lots of mellower but no less enjoyable trails in the campo. The guides are really flexible and will vary the amount of climbing/uplift and technicality to suit.
Fuengirola itself is a decent sized town, there must be hundreds of restaurants. If you stick to the seafront then a) you'll pay a premium and b) you'll see all the fish and chips/English pubs and might assume that's all there is. Get some recommendations from Alan and the guides and you'll eat like a king. La Farola was a highlight for me, also some local bar that Jonny took us to with tapas to die for.
The accommodation is in two houses, shared lounge/kitchen/dining downstairs, with bedrooms on two levels upstairs and bathrooms on each floor. It's not exactly a bunkhouse, but does encourage you to mix with the group - good for a bit of banter.
Talk to Alan, he can probably ofer you guiding seperate to accom. so you could sort that out for yourself.
Its been years since I was over there but I enjoyed it and might think about it again soon.
Alan and Jonny will sort you out. Recommended.
The only thing that puts me off Sierra cycling is that the digs seem to be communal
Me and my other half had a holiday with them a good while ago - probably about 10 years ago now. At the time both of us were London commuters but had never mountain biked before apart from the odd bimble in the Surrey hills. I guess ten years is a long time but I would thoroughly recommend them based on that experience.
The riding and guiding was gentle enough for us two as relative novices, typically involving a drive up into the hills on a minibus and rolling back down to the coast from Mijas(?) or thereabouts. The terrain ranged from valleys with dried out riverbeds (it was in August) to disused former golf courses. Great fun.
By way of comparison I have also holidayed with freeridespain.com higher up in the Sierras and it was also good, although far more techy and challenging. I suppose it depends on the average skill level of the group of people you end up there with how challenging the riding is.
The accommodation was typical Spanish seaside villa. Nice pool area and right next to the beach for non-cycling partners who might prefer a lazing-about beach holiday experience. The communal bit never bothered us - if you wanted privacy you had your own room.
Good restaurants on the beach as you walk along the seafront, majoring in seafood as you might expect. There was one in particular right practically next door to Sierra Cycling's HQ that was very handy and particularly good. Their villa seemed to be at the more Spanish-flavoured end of the resort. The further along from SC you walked, the more like Blackpool Del Sol the resort became, so the solution is simple - don't walk that far along if you don't want to end up in Blackpool.
Fuengirola is probably not a destination for culture vultures but places like Seville, Granada, Ronda, would all be do-able as a day-trip.
Me and my other half had a holiday with them a good while ago - probably about 10 years ago now. I guess ten years is a long time but I would thoroughly recommend them based on that experience.StefMcDef - Thanks for your kind words. In 10 years our riding has moved on with more emphasise on that elusive flowing singletrack everyone is looking for, but we still have plenty of easier riding.
The riding and guiding was gentle enough for us two as relative novices
Is that balance!
Is that balance!
I'd give em a go, wonderfull part of the world and I would not be put off by the odd little hiccough. I would like the odd glass of vino tinto though
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