{"id":7646,"date":"2013-12-27T07:31:03","date_gmt":"2013-12-27T07:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/basquemtb\/?p=7646"},"modified":"2020-12-22T10:04:45","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T10:04:45","slug":"holiday-rides-mountain-biking-in-the-snow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.basquemtb.com\/es\/holiday-rides-mountain-biking-in-the-snow\/","title":{"rendered":"Paseos en vacaciones | Bicicleta de monta\u00f1a en la nieve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paseos en vacaciones | Bicicleta de monta\u00f1a en la nieve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was a comfortable 13 degrees in the Basque Country, with pretty blue skies and dry trails. Why then did we drive an hour south, deep into the frozen tundra of Navarra, where there were cloudy skies and cold winds forecast? Why were we pulling on thermals and filling flasks of coffee when we could be donning t-shirts and finishing our ride with beer on the beach? The answer can only be because we are a special kind of stupid. Sometimes though, the good adventures follow stupidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

There is singletrack under there but today we have to make our own!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Antonio is a guide, a silver-haired singletrack guru to basqueMTB if you will. He has lived in the Pyrenees his whole life, has been searching singletrack since the early eighties and his knowledge is impressive. Today we were riding in an area which Antonio had often told me about so it was a special day for me to finally be able to ride these trails. The day was even more special for me because it was my first ride with this group of friends since our new baby was born at the end of the mountain bike holiday season. It would also be my first ride in a few months to last much longer than two hours and I don’t mind admitting I was a bit nervous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trail we rode was old school, from a time when we used or bikes or make a journey through beautiful places, rather than seeking out adrenaline in the form of perfect singletrack. We often followed the geography rather than well-worn trails, climbing up grassy valleys and skirting cliff edges. One particular descent blasted through grassy tussocks which wound between limestone sink holes, it is something I would actively avoid nowadays but I had forgotten how much fun it can be to ride freely through the terrain rather than having your moves dictated to you by the tightly defined trail ahead. We made our own singletrack in the snow on several climbs, leaving our marks on the pristine white blanket as we winched to the summit, taking turns to lead. Finally we reached the summit, where there was a hut which Antonio had promised would be open, warm and probably have a fire burning in the corner. It was closed, whipped with a viciously bitter wind and bordered with virgin snow. It was beyond cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n