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Uncategorized > Contour Singletrack in the Basque Mountains

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More sillouttes at sunset.
Another week and more new trails! On Tuesday I had a short holiday near Pamplona and was shown around by Javito, a local rider. We rode on old smugglers trails crossing the mountains between Spain and France. The day was all about tough climbs and stunning contour singletrack with big views over the Basque mountains and the snow covered Pyrenees. We were treated to clear blue skies but there was a strong wind and, at over 1000m, the temperatures were on the cold side. The other “new trail” was one I have actually done once before but not used enough to guide on. It is a stunning trail, around 35km in length but with about 32km of singletrack. That singletrack winds round the mountains on ancient, and now lost, canals and paths through 17th century iron works and charcoal trails. For hours we didn’t see anything that was less than a couple of hundred years old. The soundtrack of the day was dry leaves crackling as we flew through them. Perfect. So, more pictures and less words today, I hope you enjoy…
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Cruising the leafy switchbacks.
Riding in the Basque Country at this time of year is accompanied by a soundtrack of crackling leaves. They are bone dry and the bike floats and slides down the trail almost like skiing in powder. The only downside is that your shoes and socks get filled with leaves, a small price to pay!
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Contour singletrack with big views over the Pyrenees.
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More contour singletrack with more views!
Javito leading the way round the mountains. I was on my GSpot and he was flying on his Pivot 5.
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Riding in the ancient forests, what a stunning place to ride your bike!
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Another old forest, this one a bit greener and with slippier rocks!
The old forests are stunning at this time of year. The trees standing bare with their leaves turned to gold and scattered on the ground.
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Some tough climbs.
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The horses didn’t seem bothered by the cold wind.
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Miles of techy contour singletrack in the middle of nowhere.
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More of the contour singletrack.

This entry was posted Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 12:53 pm and is classified as Uncategorized.

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