Category: Mountain Biking

Today’s Mountain biking outing with my good friend David, of Mountain Biking Valencia. Starting in La Drova we set off at 10 am, via Barx and then a very steep climb up the Pinet Pass (ouch) then some high mountain riding and a very dramatic descent into the village of Pinet. Time for coffee and to discuss the rest of the route for the day. We set off again on an off-road track that leads down to the village of Llutxent,… some really nice riding,… sharp short accents followed by lovely sweeping descents, through pine forests, olive grooves and orchards. From Llutxent through to Castello de Rugat, we followed country lanes and bridal paths through the valley, to our next coffee stop, and route discussion. We decided to take the CV-705, mountain pass and avoid the steeper climb via Benicadell,… a good decision for the day, and we got to see the valley from a very different perspective. We lunched at the summit of the pass, with magnificent views back across the valley with our home mountains in the distance. Looking in the opposite direction was Beniares, and the next valley, and a descent that was just awesome!! A very…

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Now that the heat of summer has passed and daytime temperatures are very much more suitable for outdoor activities, I decided to take my partner Nigel out on a mountain biking expedition, along with my mountain biking coach Dave Warrington we set off on a day’s excursion into the beautiful mountains and countryside around us. We transported the bikes in the back of Dave’s minibus to Pla de Corrals, which was to be our starting point for the day’s outing. And a beautiful day it was too! The sun was shining and the weather was just perfect for the trip, so we were able to fully enjoy the wonderful scenery in this part of the La Safor region. Starting in the morning and up in the mountains it was still chilly to begin with but once we were on the trail, the warmth of the sunshine came through and made for a great day out. We biked along trails, roads and pathways through the villages of Barxeta and Genoves before reaching the beautiful inland town of Xativa where it was time for a well-earned refreshment break and a look around the old town. Xativa is a warren of narrow streets…

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29er Sport Hardtail Trek Mamba 29er Sport Hardtail,..I have been mountain biking for the past 9 months, and all this time, I have done all my riding on a rental bike from MTB VLC, a Trek 4300 disc. With an upcoming birthday, I decided that it was time to invest in my own bike.Having done my necessary research, I set off on Monday with my MTB coach, into the Trek Bicycle store in Gandia, with every intention of purchasing a new 4300,…Yes, I could have one, yes, they had my colour, yes, they had my size, but delivery was 2 weeks,….not in time for my birthday!Then I spotted her,…the new Trek Mamba 29er, in glistening orange and black,…(I had briefly looked at this bike while doing my research but thought that it was a little out of my league both in terms of budget, and spec of the bike, and had thought it better to stick with what I knew.)After a brief discussion with my coach (“yes, you can handle the bike”) and salesman (“yes, I can do you a discount, Yes, you can have it today”), the decision was made,… Yes I want one! I returned one hour later,…

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Last week, along with my good friend Dave, we decided to go mountain biking in Valencia. We parked the van in the town of Xeraco, just north of Gandia. After an obligatory coffee, we set off at 10:30, along a quiet country road that took us through orange groves and up the coast to the town of Cullera. From there we followed 7km of road riding to the town of Sueca from where we entered the Natural Park of Albufera de Valencia. This section of the ride was particularly pleasant as we rode through the rice fields along surfaced but very quiet country lanes. By 12:30 we had reached the famous “Paella village” of El Palmar for another coffee break and to replenish our water supplies, before taking another quiet road out towards the coast, passing the lake of Albufera along the way. From here took another trail, this time right alongside the beach. This great little trail took us up the Mediterranean coast and right into the city of Valencia where we biked through the Turia gardens to the stunning architecture of the City of Arts & Sciences, just in time for lunch! Our original plan was to take…

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Recently I had the pleasure of working on the websites of a friend of mine who runs a business organising mountain biking expeditions. This made me think even more about how much I wanted to get out and about in the beauty of the countryside where we live, so when Dave offered me the opportunity to come with him on a mountain biking trip, I eagerly agreed. I did a quick count of how many years it had been since being on a bike of any description, didn’t like the answer, so decided it was high time to set matters right! Dave provided me with one of the excellent bikes he hires to his clients, and after getting used to the techniques of managing the mountain bike – I had never been on one before – we set off on our trip from his base in La Drova. We made our way along country tracks to the Barxeta Valley and on to the village of Barxeta itself where we stopped for a coffee in the village square. The weather was great, and the sun was warming up nicely by now, so I was keen to carry on and tackle the…

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