[Closed] Ciclo Montana. Tell me about them please.

Amazing riding, amazing company and food. You will die on the climbs but always come away begging for more.

I don't know how they do it for the money. 😆

That ^^^^^ 🙂

Ace.

Location is very quiet. Tiny village with a bar/restaurant about 10 mins up the hill.
Great views down the valley from the terrace.
Accomodation is just what you need with plenty of space, bike prep area, pool etc. and cereal/bread/eggs/bacon and beer provided. Dinner included too.

Riding is pretty technical; way harder than anything I have ridden in the UK. There's a mix of tech, rocky stuff and fast flowing bits but mainly rocky and techy.
You can do uplift days, overnight trip to Granada where you get the chance to do a nice bit of urban riding etc.

Marco and Jackie are the best hosts too.

Nothing like a ride up to Pitres for a coffee in the morning!

Green light, traverses (more hills), jiggy sections (drop your saddle and pray) and much more...!

Bedmaker put the best Ciclo video I've ever seen up a month ago. Really captured the riding well:

From [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fatbike-being-used-inappropriately ]Thread[/url]

I was there with Bedmaker, although at the back 🙄 But we , as usual had a fantastic time. Would go back more often, but the wife says I will have an ex wife. I just don't know how they do it for the money. Been going for 15 years now.......... sheesh.... and it just gets better and I ride a little bit more every time.

Stu, Marco is a cracking guide, he doesn't really warn you on whats coming up, he lets you find out for yourself, worth the money, foods good on an evening, I'm going back next year hopefully, that will be 3 years on the spin then.

Awesome riding, great hosts/guides.

I'm desperate to get back. After going out with candodavid and some other chums in 2012. Utterly brilliant technical trail riding, without being full on DH craziness.

The setup is pretty chilled out. The one downside is if you want night life is that there isn't really any. But I've got no personality so that didn't matter to me, and I like just chilling quietly with beer and friends.

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Sounding good then.
I like bacon.
I hate guides that try and describe every last detail of the trail and stop every 100 yards.
I'm too old to want any nightlife.

Thanks all. 🙂

Multi trip veteran here and all the above is spot on.

Superb hosts and guides, great trails and Carlos's bar isn't that far away for pizza and beers. Chilled out tech riding. They are also doing Enduro style Moroccan trips as well...

Squid tapas and café con leche, what could possibly go wrong?

Night ride in Granada is a good option too.

Group of went a few years back.

Marco and Jackie are great, feel like part of the family for the week having evening meals with them etc,

Trails are good fun, nothing tech but pretty rocky.

coffee and food stops lovely.

swimming pool at the end of the day is great

all in all a lovely week

Went last year with some repeat visitors and met some more repeat visitors there, basically I was the only one there who had never been before, I don't think they bother advertising much due to the fact they don't need to.

A plus one to all the good things others have said, you get looked after very well. Some proper cracking grub laid on too

Some BIG climbs. But some awesome descents. And lots of thorny bushes...

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I can’t really add much to the above. We’ve been riding with them pretty much since they first set up and we’ll keep going back.

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I wish people wouldnt put pictures up............ its not helping to resist going back. 😀
On another note, Science Officer and Candoo, after 12 years my mate Bryan has 'just' bought a new crash helmet, as we told him we couldnt tell which year he was on holiday in Spain as he wore the same kit and Kona shirt 😆

With limited days off and a very big world to explore, I like to go to different places. However, Ciclo are so good, the people so friendly and accommodating that I always end up going back each year.

I would recommend tubeless if you are not already using it. And some pads as well.

Was out there in early June with some riding buddies for 5 days.

WOW!! just WOW!! Marco and Jackie are great hosts and make you very welcome from the minute you get there, foods great in the evening, bars are 10 mins walk away of an evening, the scenery is fantastic and the riding is Awesome!!!

Very relaxing few days and everything is organised extremely well, smooth, swift loading onto the trailer, no stopping every 100m, nice coffee/lunch stops.

To sum it up its like riding with one of your mates (but he knows the routes)and staying at his house but having your evening meal cooked for you.

We're already planning a return next year and getting excited about just arranging it

Bit of a vid of the trip please excuse the dodgy Fleetwood Mac tunes

Nobody mentioned Dave Froy yet ... quite a character

Mr Froy, the perveyor of fine cycling components is now living in Wooton Bassett and enjoys ................ ' Ballroom Dancing' 😯

He is still around and Marky Mark met him for coffee locally last week, to purchse items ..........

Carlos, the Arthur Scargill........... was fantastic !!

Yes it was, a full 12 minuets from the dirt road to the tarmac. Arms and thighs were well pumped by the time we hit the bottom. Its a fantastic descent with everything on it including the odd switchback 😉

I wanted to go back up and do the Elephants back again, I loved the toothy stuff to start into tight switchbacks with no room for error, but settled for a skinny dip in the rock pool at the end instead.

I can't think of a descent we did that I didn't like or thought, Meh! that was Ok I guess. They were all fantastic.

Went last year had a great time. I would highly recommend full length leg armour or as the picture above your shins will end up like pin cushions.

Thrusty... Ballroom Dancing .... !!

I'm still using some of his kit that I bought off him in Spain.... really enjoyed riding with the Arfur Daily of the Sierra Nevada...

Don't go!! It's getting harder for the regulars to book up 🙂

Hi Stu / Amanda

Ciclo are the original and best of the Sierra Nevada bunch. Me and Alison have been 3 times and wouldn't go anywhere else for techy XC stuff. Nice rustic little hamlet nestled right in the centre of the riding.

I think the number of returning regulars / lack of advertising tells you everything.

Kids are now almost up to the riding over there so can't wait to go back.

Looking good.
They even have places available for the week we want to go. 😀

I need something to snap me out of my just back from Verbier depression.
Best get it booked. 😀

Honestly ,just go , you will not regret it.
What stumpy said.
Beg/hassle Marco for the Granada trip.it is special.

What you've not booked yet! Just go. We went in Jan - special trip for the TFTuned crew - & have already booked to go back in November. Can't wait. 🙂

I've been pondering who to book with for a long weekend some time in September or October. Seems a lot of thumbs up for Ciclo. From the videos, they look like the ratio of fun to gnarly is fairly biased to fun. Would that be fair?

They pitch their holidays at trail riders not full-on gravity warriors and there's enough uphill pedalling most days on top of the uplifts to deter the full-face brigade.

That said the level of tech and commitment on the steeper trails is high by UK standards & comparable with the gnarlier end of Lakes or Welsh mountain riding. But Marco ramps it up steadily so by the end of the trip you'll be surprised what you're prepared to have a go at.

(I took most of those pictures that ScienceOfficer posted upthread btw!)

A hell of a lot of the full-face brigade probably wouldn't ride some of it 😆

It's fast flowing technical singletrack, steep with some chunk thrown in every now and then. Lots of loose rock and scree also - which is awesome drifty fun.

It's a blast basically. Long lung busting climbs though as there isn't much uplift.

Hmmm. While I don't mind a good climb (hell, I even enjoy them sometimes!), I was hoping for plenty of diesel powered gravity credits...

I've started lobbying my riding buddies for a visit next year.

You definitely have to earn the downhills 🙂

If you want more down than up have a look at Switchbacks same area and they share some trails but you get to ride downhill more, still some climbing though. The area is great but be aware it is very rocky so pads make good sense

Cant really add much more to what's been said already. Been with Ciclo 4 times in the last 5 years, brilliant rides on superb trails, Tourettes, Elephants Tail, Janet Street Porter, Lanjaron 70, Lost Bridge, Extreme Canal Towpath, & many more. Oh, & another recommendation for the overnighter in Granada. I need to go back there.

Thanks again for all the helpful replies.
Just got back form a week with Ciclo and had a great time.
Great company with a laid back style.
Great trails that aren't a massive techfest but still great fun and plenty of rocks. 😀
Definitely think about going back again.

Shame i didn't want to stop to take some more pictures, but i was having too much fun.

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Lanjaron 70 looks flat in the photos, sure as isn't !! Glad you enjoyed it. 😀

...aren't a massive tech fest!?

Admittedly, my riding style is decidedly 'mince', but I find the riding very technical! Get to the end of each day questioning my sanity and counting the scrapes and bruises!

Looks good though. Did you do the overnight Granada trip?

Nice one!

I'll bet that you were the 'Best group we've had this week'... 😀

Everyones idea of a techfest is different. 🙂
Like I said great fun trails.

Unfortunatley no we didn't do an over nighter.
Maybe next time.

Gary.
You've got it in one. 😆

Techie is an ability thing and I am yet to ride to top part of Janet, while others just fly down there. Scares the crap outta me 😯

If you want more down than up have a look at Switchbacks same area and they share some trails but you get to ride downhill more, still some climbing though. The area is great but be aware it is very rocky so pads make good sense

I think its deceptive how far Lucky drives due to the constant fear of the impending doom on each corner. We re rode one day on our day off with only a short lift upto the next village and a whole day was surprisingly rideable, including an extra lap of petrolhead, punctured lung and fire starter which is a heck of a climb in itself!

Awesome trails, flowy and fast. Not that tech at all IMO but as SSS said everyone is different 😮

You have to earn your downhill fun out there though!

Just booked up, six of us going next Easter. Canny wait!.

Can't wait - just hope it's nice and warm as the start village is around 1000m if I remember correctly

It's not nailed on that the sun will shine at Easter. This is early April a few years ago. In fourteen trips to Ciclo this was my only week in the snow. Happy days.

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have a look at Switchbacks same area and they share some trails but you get to ride downhill more,

Great trails that aren't a massive techfest but still great fun and plenty of rocks.

I dunno how they do it for the money!