At home I put the bike in the stand, grip the wheel with my legs, straighten the stem by eye as well as possible first. I then use the level to check if a line on the stem cap is in line with the head tube. There are markings on the bar to align the stem cap with the bar so that is simple to get in line.

I went through a period of thinking my bars were crooked for some strange reason. Sprit level soon confirmed they weren’t.

“The cumulative fatigue over 7 days riding meant I bonked somewhere on day 5 or 6 just before lunchtime on a hike-a-bike somewhere with no real food apart from some Bloks.”

I remember! A 1000 yard stare. Pouring water on your head. We were all a bit baked that day. Chris refers to it as his “bad day”. It was the day I broke my mech too. The large late lunches were an issue. I normally eat a little every hour or so during cycling to avoid flagging. I also took too few trail snacks. I could have eaten double portions in the evening. No wonder Marco is so wiry!

Fanta Limon is for lunchtime for a sugary hit before the ominous first climb ( er traverse) after lunch.Camelbacks are great spine savers from experience and get decent knee and elbow guards. Take a few spokes as well, as light, but your stuffed if you break one or two. I haven’t ‘really’ broken anything out there, but the days before tubeless meant 10 punctures a day, through thorns and tyres slipping on the rims and ripping valves. Organic pads are best, anything harsher just overheat and all you gain is speed and burning smells !!

No wonder Marco is so wiry!

Ha! The Marco phrase book:
“Just another 6k lads…” = It (the descent) is at the top of the next valley which we haven’t dropped into yet. You may need crampons and/or a defibrilator.
“along this short traverse traverse…” = Up, a lot, probably hike-a-bike.
“If you think about it, we’re already on the way back.” = This is the warm-up from the car park. You have at least another 30k before lunch. Stop complaining or no Maxi-bons for you 😯

Awesome times. Really very sad not to be going this year.

I feel a last minute stans-ing coming on!

Little hd camera is now also packed along with a wealth of spares and my thin buff to keep the sun off my neck.

Do they have a pool in bubion?

For elbows, try the hard shell 661 going cheap on CRC. 661 Comp elbows £18.99

Top tip I was given was that hard shells much more effective on dry trails, as the soft pads tend to grab and slip down, leading to trail rash. Seemed to work too.

Prepare yourself for ‘Spanish time’ by showing up late to everything before you leave, particularly in the morning 🙂

Big tyres, but not super tacky, set up tubeless. Elbow and knee pads. Chill pills … enjoy it.

If it’s Ciclo, some more Marco phrases might be helpful:

“Its all down … apart from the ups”
“I don’t know how they do it for the money”
“Flashing Amber”
“Four by two”

Sure others can add to the list. He is a bit of a legend.

I out here at the moment, without bike unfortunately.

Here is a tip. If a guy comes up to you in a restaurant in granada trying to sell lottery tickets, check he isn’t fanning them out to conceal the fact that he is stealing you phone and wallet off the table from right under your bloody nose. And, if that does happen, do not expect the Spanish police to be even remotely interested. 👿

You will have a ball. We have, each time we have been over there, it will be out 3rd trip in September (a bit cooler then, but still hot hot). I have never broken anything, I have had 1 puncture, but that was using an old Minion on the back. I have got a couple of ST High Rollers for my next trip, but after reading some of the stuff on here, I might change my rear tyre for something more rolling. Dual Ply all the way though.
Hope you have a great time. Miles over there are different to over here, so forget about mileage, just enjoy the terrain.

Larson TT or Small bloc 8s or what ever they are called, stans mess, sunblock,and water lots of it oh and a feather duster if you want to clean the bike after….
Ciclo is must if you want a guide

Have you booked this with a company/guide, if so which one?