Lots of good tips – one thing I’d add is either stay clipped for the tricky bits in OR get a proper set of flat pedals. Those one sided spd/touring pedal things are horrible, especially if you’re lacking in confidence.

Hi here are the answers:

How high is your saddle?

almost right down so I can easily get my bum back. Yesterday I installed a joplin4r telescopic seat post which is great so now I never have to stop to lower and raise seat

Maybe some elbow/knee pads ? gives you a lot more confidence

I have now and yes they do help.

how wide is the gap from the first step to the second?

assuming you mean the last photo, 2/3 of the distance between the wheels, so you go off the second step with the front wheel before the back wheel is off the first one

it looks like a pretty technical trail

The one with the double steps we graded “easy” technically for a “Free Ride” route: the rocks are firm, the individual obstacles are easy, it’s just the succession of them that makes it hard, eg you get “out of phase” going down steps.

For one of the best routes we’ve documented for the guide, a “medium” technical and physical difficulty All-Mountain route, see
Video Perda ‘e Liana Punta Margiani

cheers Peter

OP why not open a mountain bike holiday company called MTBSardinia?

OP why not open a mountain bike holiday company called MTBSardinia?

There are quite a lot of companies who do XC biking holidays, eg Skedaddle, but we’re not into either guiding or being a travel operator. We already have a guesthouse and work with climbers, walkers and (now) MTBers, opening trails/climbs/walks and writing/translating the guides so people can go and go the routes of their target standard of difficulty by themselves. I came to MTB’ing with a road cycling background (HAVE A LAUGH AT THIS VIDEO) only 3 years and really got into it last year, now prefering the AM rides so many of which we have here around where we live. It’s great at the ripe old age of 47 to have discovered a new sport where you get better each time you go out!

Peter

Well now I seem to have learnt to do this and can (even) do some little nose press hops to get round the corners

Thanks for the help! Peter

You look awful tense in that pic…

You look awful tense in that pic…

I was just about to put a foot down when the shutter snapped….
BTW two UK riders have just helped me rate on the green/blue/red/black UK trail center scale of difficulty the rides they’ve done here in Sardinia in the last week. They said this one would be red/black in the UK. With their input on 7-odd rides I can therefore (re)grade all the 30-odd best rides round here on the UK trail centre scale: 13% green 21% blue 54% red 13% black, with 4 easy family rides, 15 XC rides, 6 FR, 4-5 AM. Local hospital good at stitching too

This meant only 1 day missed riding
cheers Peter

Look forward to the video of you nailing it all!

Am almost there. Yesterday did the slab at the bottom

and the drop-off-followed-by-rocky-step

but still have to do the first steep section

and steep switchback after slab at bottom. Back again tomorrow
cheers Peter