Malaga in January

I’m going.

Sorry, this isn’t a question thread. I’ve already decided to do something and I’m just letting you know!

I went and stayed with Switchbacks in December 2011 and I’ve been meaning to go back ever since. It was amazing flying out of Newcastle Airport in the pitch black darkness with sleet coming down sideways and then land in blazing sunshine and mid 20’s. Yes, I’ve been pining for it every winter since so now I’m doing it. I had a miserable week at work last week so I just told the Mrs I’m going and booked it.

I’ve got a slightly wider belly and a lot more white hairs, but last time I was on a 26″ Stumpjumper so I still think it will be much easier this time around.

I’m going solo. I could end up riding with any old group of misfits but I’m sure it will be fine. I paid extra to have my own room because I’m not willing to accept any risk in that department.

This is the bike I had last time. First gen Stumpjumper Evo….

I loved that bike but I remember it being a pretty brutal week. There’s not a lot of dirt in Malaga. It’s bedrock that doesn’t move, smaller rocks that sometimes move, and millions of tiny rocks that roll around underneath you. I also found a rock that positioned itself under my arse during a crash and gave me a large purple cheek.

This time I’ll be taking a Norco Sight with DH tyres and inserts.

Flights are 2 months away and I’ve already mentally checked out at work.

Has anyone been recently? I gather the trail network has opened up a little now that people don’t have DH bikes and are willing to pedal more. The YouTube videos are packed with stuff that I don’t recognise. I’d like to bomb down that giant concrete spillway but I don’t know if we’ll be anywhere near it.

Well jell. 👌

I’m going too but it’s for something called “road riding”.

It’s nice to ride on clean dry smooth roads in (relative) warmth vs the filthy wet craters that masquerades as a road network in this country.

We went *just* before the Pandemic. Feb 2020. Also Switchbacks. We did half a day of the local uplift trails, then three days van supported ‘enduro’ trails with Ruben the awesome guide and Lucky (now retired) the awesome bike packer and driver.

First day was a bit meh, guide wasn’t great and shuttling ip and down that one hill isn’t for me. But the next three days were fantastic. Loads of brilliant trails, stunning scenery, great places to stop and eat and some full on ‘I think I might die here’ features! 

Your memory of it being very rocky is very true. Proper work out for bikes and bodies. Accommodation wasn’t great, it’s pretty tired and all of us ended up bitten by local bed bugs we think. 

I’ve ridden loads up the valley (Bubion way) but that was the first time in Malaga. Super convenient from Bristol as well. Get up, fly, riding by 2pm!

Accommodation wasn’t great, it’s pretty tired and all of us ended up bitten by local bed bugs we think.

Damn. Were you in the 4 star hotel in Mijas Pueblo that’s listed on the website? It doesn’t say exactly which hotel it is.

This time I’ll need to arrange a very early morning transfer from Sheffield to Manchester airport. I imagine it’s quite easy for that route to become impassable if we get heavy snow at the time.

We did have to do quite a bit of pedalling tho. And some carrying:


That’s my RipMo, my riding buddies carried for me. I needed both hands to hang on to the wire!
Trails
https://flic.kr/p/2iAD2WE

Ruben the guide

Got pretty high (brutal climb/carry from memory)

Built trails – first day

Natural trails

Good memories!

Were you in the 4 star hotel in Mijas Pueblo

Nope we were in Michael’s big old barn/house thing just outside Malaga. Hotel sounds quite a lot better!

This time I’ll need to arrange a very early morning transfer from Sheffield to Manchester airport. I imagine it’s quite easy for that route to become impassable if we get heavy snow at the time.

Last year I flew from Leeds-Bradford (no suitable flights from Manchester at that time) which necessitated a 3am drive over the M62. However it was actually a very easy journey.

This time I’m flying from Manchester. Easier journey but usually a worse airport.

I’m well up for some pedalling and hike-a-bike. It was strictly shuttle runs last time as half the people had DH bikes. Remember those?

We saw a few! And a lovely original 26in Superlight which must have got lost from 2003 🙂

Not sure if Ruben is still working for them. He’s in the area as I follow him on IG. If he is, defo the guide you want for the more, er, adventurous trails 🙂

I yearn for the Sierra Nevada every year the weather turns in Autumn.

Never been to Switchbacks exactly because it looks like its aimed at radical DH dudes, which I am patently not.

I’m perfectly content with the back country riding up the valley that Alex mentions.

Maybe my favourite bike holiday ever, esp. given the winter sunshine! I too went out billy-no-mates and found myself out with riders from RockSh0x. Gulp at first, but they were out for a cruisy week, so all very chill. Took me a while to adjust to the dry ground, but once dialled all good. Super rocky though so high pressures a must (I think I was riding with “Huck Norris” inserts too). The riding was definitely challenging and there were spots which were just “absolutely no F** way” – not least the river gap jumps. Brilliant holiday.

Views and trails weren’t bad for a bit of extra effort:

Last day finished on the beach 🙂

I really want to go back now!

Ahhh lovely stuff, enjoy! Some fantastic riding both on and off road in the area 👍

Me, at work right now waiting for January 12th

lol

Are you intending to stay there for the next two months? 🙂 

Psa for anyone diy ing it, but flights manchester alicante with Ryanair were 17 quid one way the other day in january.  The sites down for maintenance atm, checked in bike is 30 quid from memory.  Cheap accom somewhere like benidorm or altea, then use the train to get up and down the coast.

Psa for anyone diy ing it, but flights manchester alicante with Ryanair were 17 quid one way the other day in january. The sites down for maintenance atm, checked in bike is 30 quid from memory.

Ryanair is £60 one way for a bike.
Easyjet, £45 one way
Jet2, £30 one way

Ryanair site is down cos they’ve got a pre-Black Friday sale on but it finishes at midnight tonight so everyone will be on it!

Well that came and went pretty quickly! Already thinking about next year now. I definitely won’t be leaving it that long again.

I thought it would be amazing to have just a little slice of sunshine and warmth in the middle of winter and guess what? It bloody was! Temperatures in Sheffield plummeted last week and I missed it. I also missed ‘blue monday’ as we were shuttling local trails around Mijas.

I don’t have any proper riding pictures as I was flying solo with a group of Germans so just a few snapshots.

It’s still bloody rough isn’t it? Those rocks haven’t gotten any softer. Probably not the best place to go if (like me) you’ve been lazy for years and have the grip strength of a baby. The arm pump really got me on a couple of days. I got to ride some spots that we didn’t last time like La Zubia and El Chorro and ‘Malaga Bikepark’ which is absolutely not a bikepark.

Food and drink in Mijas is amazing and very reasonably priced.

The little Privateer 141 did me proud. I’m now married to my Ohlins suspension. I just can’t stop thinking about a longer travel bike with the same suspension. I think my tyre inserts are going to look like they’ve been attacked with a knife.

So, yes, would recommend. I’m definitely going back at some point but maybe I’ll plan ahead and try somewhere different next winter.

Did you sort the car hire issues?

There are a couple of places further inland around Lanjaron / Orgiva way, foothills of the Sierra Nevadas.
Ride Southern Spain and Global Bike Adventures (which I *think* might be what used to be called FreerideSpain).

It’s just up the valley from there that I go road riding – actually rode through Orgiva a few days ago! Not been MTBing there for a long time though. Gravel is taking off in quite a big way in that area too, there are a couple of “official” bikepacking routes now, one of them run as an annual race called Badlands.

https://badlands.cc/

Did you sort the car hire issues?

No but now that I’m back I’ve emailed everyone involved demanding some info. Still haven’t heard anything but it is Sunday. I’ll be visiting the Queen’s Road brand during the week.

I went 2 years ago and did some guided ebiking, friend of my brother lent me a Orbea Wild and showed me some fab trails. Going next week, but no riding, as its a family trip. Bro lives out there so will seriously consider a biking trip at some point. Free accommodation!

We’re off March 21 for a long weekend. Very much looking forward to it. And yep, I remember being battered back when we last went in 2020.

Anyway glad you had a great time. Getting away from a grim UK winter is brilliant.

Has anyone ridden the Almendrales area trails straight from Malaga?
I’m going for a long wknd in Feb and taking the bike.
Planning to ride most mornings 3/4 hours and stick to this area near the city
Any tips/favourite trails would be appreciated

Cheers

James

You’ve done that privateer out really nicely.

It’s standard spec apart from the Hope brakes and Rimpact inserts. For a short travel bike it rides very well in some unbelievably chunky mess. I had numerous compliments on how quiet it was and how supple the shock looked.

Everyone else was fighting a daily battle to keep their bikes running and apart from tweeking my brakes and changing pads I did nothing all week. The frame is a heavy lump to be fair which didn’t hold me back on the downhills.

I actually owe Hope a debt of gratitude. On the first day of riding my bike fell off the uplift trailer and went missing for half an hour! Someone eventually found it being guarded by a friendly local rider. On inspection, it looks like it hit the ground perfectly upside down like a tripod and managed to put scrapes all along the bar, levers and clamps etc. Both grips are chewed up and my saddle cracked down the middle. One of the Hope reservoir caps has a big dent in it where a pointy rock managed to hit it bang in the middle.

If I’d been using any other brake (especially the stock Magura’s) they probably would have disintegrated on impact and left me shopping for brakes instead of riding.

So thanks to Hope for making everything from metal. My Code RSC’s feel like they’re made from Lego in comparison to the Tech 4.