going for 3 weeks of work – Riding opportunities in the area ????

i’ll have weekends and a hire car available…….

Spent 3 months living there some years ago, great place…

A small amount of decent riding on your doorstep – there’s some nice stuff just up the Tarn towards Ambialet and there’s a MX track just up the hill at Castelnau-de-Levis with some XC tracks leading out from it.

If you can get in the car then there’s endless awesomeness not far away.

Within a short drive, there’s loads down towards the Montagne Noire, and the Orb valley has some belting trails – I still maintain the 2km run down through the Gorges d’Heric is the best bit of trail I’ve ever ridden – all round there and Mons/St Chinian way, the GR and RdP trails are great for riding. Heading up Lodeve way, still well within reach for a weekend, there are again loads of XC trails with some great loose descents and steep technical stuff around St Guilhem-le-Desert.

To the northeast you have the Gorges du Tarn with its steep sides and big plateau. To the northwest out past Cordes-sur-Ciel there is some great stuff to but I’d need to check the map to remember it.

And the Pyrenees around Foix are doable for the weekend. Knock yourself out.

Drop me a line if you want some pointers for specific trails – if I can remember them 🙂

bez – superstar 😀

ygm

i nfact you haven’t got mail as you email is missing from profile 🙁

bez – hire facilities available ? or shouild i take my bike ?

Ah – stick my username in front of ‘at’ konaretro dot com

Hire facilities – no idea, sorry. I’d take your own though because the chances of being able to hire a good quality MTB outside of the mountain resorts are slim to none. Any French who are interested enough to want a decent bike will buy one.

for 3 weeks take your bike.

Toulouse has its very own freeride park (just beside the periferique)and some nice looking dirt jumps (near the freeride park).

Half an hour south you have loads of riding around carcasonne. Stuff in the Ariage as well.

There’s an ok bike shop in Albi – not much English spoken there, but should be able to give a steer on trails. We staying in Rouffiac, & there were trails from the door. And of course, there are those little VTT signs peppered around the place.