basqueMTB mountain bike holiday logo

Ultimate Pyrenees Mountain Bike Holiday: Itinerary

Ultimate Pyrenees Mountain Bike Holiday: Itinerary

Ultimate Pyrenees Mountain Bike Holiday | Sample Itinerary

We don´t really do itineraries for our mountain bike holidays, we try to keep them as flexible as possible so we can tailor them to the groups we have. The Ultimate Pyrenees tour does have an itinerary, however it is very high level for the Pyrenees so there is always the possibility we need to change some of the trails to ensure the group safety. You should know the level of this trip before coming, and it is for people who have already completed one of our mountain bike holidays, so we won’t offer easier options on any of the days.

Saturday

Day 0 | Transfer Day

We will pick everyone up for this mountain bike holiday in San Sebastian, please get in touch to arrange flight times that suit. It is important that you arrive early as we have to ride into our first nights accommodation today.

Distance Cycled: 5km
Riding Time:1 hours
Climbing:200m
Descending:100m
Technical Difficulty:Easy
Physical Difficulty:Easy
Time In Van (excluding uplifts):3:00

Sunday

Day 1 | Across Ordessa

Today we take several uplifts, moving across the magnificent Ordesa Valley by way of some big uplifts. With some tough climbs and some amazing descending we will have a very long day. Usually we arrive to the bottom of the last descent just as the light is failing and have a drink looking out over the amazing mountains on the terrace of a small hotel.

Distance Cycled:50km
Riding Time:9 hours
Climbing:2000m
Descending:3000m
Technical Difficulty:Very High
Physical Difficulty:Extreme (but don’t worry, your legs will be fresh!)
Time In Van (excluding uplifts):0 minutes.

Monday

Day 2 | Exposure and Flow

Today we start with a short but sharp descent. From there we have a short van uplift and we pick up an old aqueduct which takes us high into the mountains, with amazing views and exposure too. We enjoy a short, but extremely intense, descent down to a local village where we get a special uplift that is only possible because a friend of ours drinks with the local mayor! The descent from here is long, technical and unrelenting with lots of committed high speed sections. We arrive back to the earlier village and get another long (long) uplift. From here we have around 45 minutes of hike-a-bike to reach a high mountain top. The descent from here is currently one of the best in the Pyrenees, according to us and to local bikers. We ride a long, long singletrack which spits us out right at a bar, where we will stay for the night in some little chalets with fantastic views of the biggest mountains in the Pyrenees.

Distance Cycled:35km
Riding Time:8 hours
Climbing:600m
Descending:3000m
Technical Difficulty:High
Physical Difficulty:Very high, mainly due to the length of the descents.
Time In Van (excluding uplifts):30 minutes.

Tuesday

Day 3 | The First Big Carry and Camp

The next morning we will enjoy an early breakfast before we set off, pedalling from our accommodation. The start is relaxed, winding along with huge mountains all around on a gentle double track. Quickly that changes and we enjoy an intense descent to the valley floor. From here we have a very long and difficult uplift. We really had to persuade the drivers to take us here because the track is very hard on the vehicles! We arrive to a pass high up in the mountains but that’s just the start of our journey. We have around 2.5 hours from here, with plenty of sections you can pedal but also plenty of hiking and carrying. We arrive to 2700m, way above the tree line, where we pedal along on a moonscape with the air feeling very thin in our lungs.

Arriving at the top we will have a picnic (everyone carries their own food when the trails get this high!), and look at the descent below us. What a descent! It seems endless as we work down to a mountain valley below. Unlike a lot of very high mountain trails, this has a lot of flow to it and the average speed is high almost all the way down. Arriving below we will grab a drink and hit the next uplift. Ideally we will have another descent, another 1000m monster, however we need to watch our time and make it to the camp before dark. Tonight we sleep high up in the mountains, with our camp supplied thanks to a local mule team. They haul up our food, drink and tents and we sleep in a billion star hotel tonight. Unless you are very lucky and have lived a life jam-packed full of excellence then I bet this will be one of the most memorable nights of your life.

Distance Cycled:30km
Riding Time:7 hours
Climbing:500m
Descending:2500m
Technical Difficulty:Moderate-High
Physical Difficulty:High. The hike is hard and the descents are long.
Time In Van (excluding uplifts):None.

Wednesday

Day 4 | Antiflow and Flow

Lets be honest, it can get cold up here! In the morning it is a fantastic feeling to squeeze into the tent and have coffee made for us. We will strap our bikes to the mules, (don’t worry, it´s a very easy job for them), and make our way up around 600m to the high mountain pass above. From here we have spectacular views over the lake we camped beside and the mountains around us. The descent is going to be an eye opener for you guys. It is my absolute favourite, (Doug says!), but this isn’t enduro. This is old school, all mountain, with long sections of anti-flow on some of the most technical stuff I’ve ever ridden. It is immense. It is only possible because of the fact that these groups are smaller and the entry is limited to prior guests, it wouldn’t be responsible to offer something this tough on a normal trip! And it is endless. We will have a picnic later in the day and a small uplift but the whole of the day will be spend fighting our way down this mountain. The bar at the end serves the best beer I have ever tasted! The numbers really don’t do this day justice. Tonight we will eat in the best hotel in the region, expect to eat well.

Distance Cycled:35km
Riding Time:8hours
Climbing:800m
Descending:2200m
Technical Difficulty:This one goes up to 11.
Physical Difficulty:Intense
Time In Van (excluding uplifts):None.

Thursday

Day 5 | Uplifts and Flow

After the anti-flow of yesterday we will change gear a little today and have a day of uplifts. If you are fit then expect to ride around 4000m before we are driven to an empty valley. From here we have an hour of hiking to meet up with our friends, the mules, for another high mountain camp, this times in the shadow of the highest mountains in the Pyrenees in a protected park. By now you are tired, really tired, but you know that we will have a special day prepared for you tomorrow and you will sleep well!

Distance Cycled:40km
Riding Time:6 hours
Climbing:700m
Descending:4000m
Technical Difficulty:High
Physical Difficulty:Moderate
Time In Van (excluding uplifts):45 minutes.

Friday

Day 6 | Heli-biking and High Mountains

Today is our last day and ist is special! We will have breakfast with our mules before a short hike up to a crack in the chain of the Pyrenees right on the Spanish – French border. From here we have a crazy descent down into France, a real high mountain trail with around a million switchbacks and almost 2000m of absolute descent. We will get a lunch in France before the biggest uplift of the week in a helicopter we will charter. Flying over the highest mountains in the Pyrenees we will be dropped off at just under 3000m where we are faced with a 2000m descent to the hotel below. Today we will have descended for over 5 vertical kilometres, one of the biggest days on a bike I thinkI have ever done. We will enjoy beers together in the local town as we relive the experiences we have shared this week.

Distance Cycled:40km
Riding Time:8 hours
Climbing:800m
Descending:5000m
Technical Difficulty:10/10
Physical Difficulty:10/10, more for the descents than anything else.
Time In Van (excluding uplifts):0.

Saturday


Sorry folks but that’s the end of the trip. This morning we will take you to the airport in Barcelona.

Find out more about the Ultimate Pyrenees