What bike do I need?
The riding here is generally quite technical with tricky descents on a huge variety of trail surfaces. I ride two bikes, a Cove Hustler and a Cove STD but I need to be feeling very strong before I take the STD! A downhill bike isn’t going to be suitable because we will be climbing, similarly the descents aren’t really suited to a light weight race hardtail although if you have the skills to pay the bills then you’ll be fine!
I think that any bike with a decent fork and disc brakes is going to be OK. A full suspension mountain bike is going to mean that you can go that bit faster but a hardtail isn’t going to kill you! Tubeless tyres are a good idea but they’re not essential because we don’t have the big thorns you find elsewhere in Spain! Check out our News and Views page for a list of the tyres that I’ve tried and got on with.

Will I Need Armour?
This is a matter of personal choice. What I can tell you is that I wear armour most days. The trails here can be very technical and rocky so I think it is a good idea. I offer some coaching too, so if you want to there’s lots of opportunities for trying stuff that you might not have tried before; sometimes armour helps with that.

Do I need insurance?
Let me answer this three ways. Yes! Yes! Yes! Getting injured abroad is hideously expensive, helicopter evacuation, medical treatment and potentially even getting a horizontal berth on a flight home. You don’t want to be paying for that yourself. Get some good insurance before you come here, there’s no ride without it, and make sure it covers you for mountain biking and any other sports you intend doing.
You can have a look at Travel-Quest’s insurance section which provides links to UK holiday insurance – here you’ll find a good selection of holiday insurance for cyclists, skiers and adventure activities.

I am taking my own bike, how should I package it?
I have seen various ways of packing bikes. The best way I have seen was in a specially designed cardboard box with foam inserts but not many people have access to those! I basically assume that my bike will get knocked about a lot so I completely over package mine. Here’s a link to a blog on bike packing.

What if my bike breaks?
I have a well stocked garage so should be able to get you back on the trail. There are also a variety of bike shops where we can get most spares at a reasonable cost and the mechanics know me and will try to do any work needed overnight so you can ride the next day. Having said that you need to take a spare mech hanger and a set of brake pads. I’d also recommend taking some spokes if they aren’t a standard size.

How fit do I need to be?
Unless you are on our Freeride Week we will be ‘earning our turns’. We try to make the climbs as enjoyable as possible and the guide will usually ride at the pace of the slowest rider. We also give you an uplift for the first climb of the day so the rest of the day can involve as little as 300m’s climing if that is what you want.
If that doesn’t sound like your thing then we are going to offer some uplifted ‘Freeride Weeks‘ in 2010. Please enquire for details.

I’m a beginner, will I be OK?
In short YES but we will need to make sure you are in a suitable group! Our trails are definitely challenging but we can tailor all our rides to suit most people. The best idea is to give me a shout and we can discuss it over e-mail or on the phone.

Is there any threat from ETA?
The short answer here is NO! ETA target political people and are consistent in giving ample notice of any targets to allow evacuation. It is not something that I even consider in my day to day life. What you can expect from the Basque people is genuine hospitality, great food, spectacular drink and beautiful women (I have to say that though!)