Hi,
Can anyone recommend any biking holiday operators on the french side (if you know what I mean) of the Pyrenees?
AQR are based in Luchon. Highly recommended, we are going back for the 3rd time later this year. www.aquickrelease.com
2nd vote for AQR, top people and fantastic riding.
Thanks guys, I will check them out!
Altitude adventure here, had an amazing time there back in july.
where are you thinkning as it is a longe range, been to
Basque country/Biarittz, good mixture of stuff perhaps we did not find the best trails but now has a company think they will be featured in the singletrack next edition. Good moutains with ability to ride to beach and swim, when we did this trip family was young
Luchon area, can highly recommend AQR and there are some great road climbs as well. Going 2010 for a week, yeah. High mountains lush singletrack good maps and lift if required
Pryenees orientales rode this prior to the company altitude adventures opened up, stunning area and great singletrack.
Prades area fab fab fab, last big moutain with great trails and friendly local club see vtt prades or prades 66 for trails.
We tend to take a map and ride where we think is best so a bit hit and miss, used AQR for guiding tremendous peopel, quality and guiding.
Other areas Ax le therme and Foix.
Personally the pryenees are better than the alps, i just like the vibe more.
Enjoy
interesting timing - it's an adventure I fancy trying next year.
This month's mag has an article on a Pyrennean mountain biking break, in the Basque country. I was inspired.
Look at Pyractif as well - based in Bertren just up the road from Luchon.
Another vote for Altitude Adventure. Fantastic riding with two great people Ian and Ange). It's all inclusive - food and drink and the food is amazing! Can't reccomend highly enough. If you're intersted they can offer everything from endless miles of singletrack to uplift days at Les Angles or La Molina bike parks.
Another vote for AQR
Guiding is great - got loads of skills tips
Accomodation is fab - felt like being at home only better food.
Food - excellent (cakes after ride and 3 course dinner later with wine).
Would definately go again. Great value for money.
The Basque country is great, I live there. As well as this, you have mountains, beaches, excellent food, great wine, mad fesivals, cool cities and towns, what more could you want?
another vote for AQR.
And next time I wan to try the basque guys.
Basquemtb have a guiding article in this months mag BTW.
only downside of altitude adventure is that i found it to isolated you cant just walk to a bar in an evening or into town you are stuck at the chalet ridings good tho g
Are you looking purely for downhill?
If not and you don't mind your own company, there are loads of very well marked VTT trails in the area. I stayed at a place called Aspet ((SW of Toulouse) - the Tour goes through regularly for good reason) and the cycling was excellent.
Cheers
Aspet is pretty close to some of the trails used by AQR on their 'down the valley' days. Very good riding around there. Good market on a Wednesday as well.
Ax-Les-Thermes, normally stay with a mate who runs a guiding & B&B (Chez Toeey), place is so stunning and the trails are sweet (lots of twisty singletrack and a few DH runs), beats the hell out of Morzine/Les Gets.
AQR vote again. I know my mate owns the company, but it is ace and the food and tech support from Russ and Ian at the hotel is out of this world.
Aspet is very good saw the tour there a few years back, pryactif again brilliant company bit further down the road from luchon. I would recommend having a go by yourself book a gite and follow some of the VTT and trails it is both fascinating and frustrating but brill. AQR are really really good as I said before.
I'm very biased towards AQR too, so I'll recommend them :wink:. Food is very, very good indeed. Bugger the riding - I'd go out there for the Goats Cheese Salad, Duck a l'Orange and Chocolate Mousse!
(riding is pretty damn good too!)