I've not taken holiday during lockdown and my holiday year is January to December.
So I've got some time backed up and was thinking about taking a bike to the Sierra Nevada in Spain. I've got friends there and a place to stay.
Then I figured that the Alps might be better because I can drive, taking the Eurotunnel (not Eurostar) en-route. Then I won't have to worry about plane flight precautions and so on.
The trouble is that I know *nothing* about where to go with my bike. I'm after a bit of uplift and a bit of trail in equal measure. Given a preference, the downhills are what I'd rather have. It's the Alps ffs.
Can anyone point me in the right direction for a good week of riding? Resort, accommodation recommendations and so on?
Standard answer= Morzine
You'll be spoiled for choice. There's lift accessed trails in every direction.
I always stay with Riders Refuge so I dont have to think about food shopping and cooking my own meals. You'll also be surrounded by local knowledge and other riders who know where to go.
Morzine is the easy answer. Nice town, shortest drive from Calais, great range of trails from full on DH to scenic XC. Easy to navigate too. You can just turn up, buy a lift pass and start riding. Plenty to keep you busy for a week or longer
I guess the next obvious question of the OP is bike park trails or enduro style natural singletrack? I’ve done Morzine lots and Bourg a fair few times and definitely preferred the variety of riding in the Isere valley. Reasonably quick trip to Aosta valley too for even more great riding. Personally I’ve no real interest in going back to Portes du Soleil but can understand why lots of people like it there.
Is it actually possible to go to France and return to the UK right now?
Thanks all. Definitely more enduro-style trails but it'd be nice to mix some some other riding in too. Sounds like Morzine is the go-to and nicely accessible.
I need to check travel regs at the moment but quarantine on the way back to the UK isn't an issue as I work from home anyway.
So I guess that the next question is: what's the best way of going about it as a solo rider? If I want to keep costs down then a package trip isn't really an option.
I enjoy riding on my own but don't fancy crashing out in a foreign country with no-one about! Is it busy enough in Morzine to meet up and bribe people to like you and then ride with you? Maybe with some oven-fresh croissants in the morning?
Or can I send it on my own, safe in the knowledge that someone will be along soon to scrape me up off a rock?
France have a quarantine in place for visitors coming from the uk. Additionally I dont think l driving thru the uk to get to france for a bike holiday would be considered am essential journey so that's not allowed either. Additionally, due to the fco advice your travel insurance wouldnt cover the trip. I think I you'll have to wait some..
Morzine is plenty busy enough, if you fall off someone will pass by soon. Alternately lots of places there do holiday accommodation with other riders
I've been thinking the same. Might go over in my campervan.
How late in the year can you ride the alps - i.e. before the snow?
The lifts shut pretty early. It varies but around September. The towns tend to shut down a bit until ski season. If you don't mind it quiet and are happy to pedal then you can carry on until the snow which will be around December but massively variable
So I guess that the next question is: what’s the best way of going about it as a solo rider? If I want to keep costs down then a package trip isn’t really an option.
I enjoy riding on my own but don’t fancy crashing out in a foreign country with no-one about! Is it busy enough in Morzine to meet up and bribe people to like you and then ride with you? Maybe with some oven-fresh croissants in the morning?
Or can I send it on my own, safe in the knowledge that someone will be along soon to scrape me up off a rock?
Its a pretty safe place to ride solo. Even on the back country stuff someone will eventually be along. In the parks it'll be moderately busy.
You don't need a package. Its easy to diy. There are a few shared apartment type places or just get a hotel and you'll meet people on the trails or in the bars if you do want to ride with others. There will probably be a few STW members there too any given week.
When are you thinking of going? We're heading to Bourg in mid July and will be riding around there for a week with Bike Village but will then be spending several weeks guiding ourselves around there but also throughout the alps. If you want to keep in touch and our paths align then drop me a pm.
Not sure why 5lab feels the need to preach at you as you've not mentioned a travel date and sorry to break it to you 5lab but non essential journeys in England have been allowed for weeks now! Trips to the beach to sunbath, drive through Mcdonalds anyone?
You are not permitted to stay overnight away from the place where you or your support bubble are living - for a holiday or similar purpose - in the UK or overseas.
from the government rules
Typical Alpine summer weather is warm sunny days with cloud gathering and storms in the afternoons so early starts are sometimes needed.
Is it actually possible to go to France and return to the UK right now?
Why would you want to come back? 😉
@myti Appreciate that thanks. Not set dates yet as I'm waiting to see what's realistically possible ..
Sounds and looks like the place to be for sure. Just need to work logistics out and hopefully I'll make it there soon 😁
How late in the year can you ride the alps – i.e. before the snow?
Austria opens earlier & shuts later
Lifts usually run until some time in October
May be worth checking travel insurance - current FCO advice is only essential travel to France which may invalidate any insurance.
A bad fall could get very expensive in that case (accepting it's relatively unlikely but even so...)
Is it actually possible to go to France and return to the UK right now?
Yes, you just need to quarantine, so your week in the Alps will cost you 5 weeks.
But slightly more seriously the UK and France seem to be having a bit of fight over reciprocal quarantine rules. Call me a cynic, but I think it's more of an economic fight than a healthcare fight. Tourism is a massive industry in France, they're the most visited country on Earth. We are their biggest customer. If everyone in the UK who usually goes on Holiday to France, chickens out and books somewhere in the UK instead, it would be a great help to the UK Tourisum industry which is in trouble.
So many people are assuming it will be dropped (28th of June rings a bell) that they're palling to go regardless.
So I guess that the next question is: what’s the best way of going about it as a solo rider? If I want to keep costs down then a package trip isn’t really an option.
I enjoy riding on my own but don’t fancy crashing out in a foreign country with no-one about! Is it busy enough in Morzine to meet up and bribe people to like you and then ride with you? Maybe with some oven-fresh croissants in the morning?
Or can I send it on my own, safe in the knowledge that someone will be along soon to scrape me up off a rock?
We (family) go most years, and I'll go on a day-long Solo ride, it doesn't bother me.
It's easier for me, I've being going for more than 10 years an know the lay of the land fairly well. I tend to ride from Morzine to Les Gets (it's a nice easy lift assisted XC route) have a play in the bike park there for a bit, then the new sort of trail, sort of DH route from Les Gets back to Morzine, it's a great trail, catch up with the family for lunch, up Super Morzine have a play on the park up there, sometimes come down via Avoriaz, sometimes just take the lift down. I really don't like the DH down the super morzine side, it's shady AF and I use the whole 'Solo Rider' thing as an excuse.
I'm happy to cruise in the Alps, there's loads of more committed riders about, this might sound daft, but if you're hitting every double, drop and carving every turn you might just miss the views, it's stunning.