fleming
01-06-2009, 03:31 AM
Winter breaks are usually associated with skiing. You know the score exploring snowy peaks, breathing fresh mountain air and well dodging fellow skiers as you tear down t e hillsides. Oh, and hefty queues to the chair lifts. But what if there were an even better way to enjoy mountain thrills, without every man and his dog joining in? As I discovered in the first week of January when the winter blues were kicking in, there is. And it involves two wheels. My friends, there is no better way to pass the winter than dirtbiking in foreign climes.
I was wandering aimlessly at December's dirt bike show when I bumped into Paul and Bob from Andalucian Trail Tours. One minute we're extolling the virtues of off-road riding. The next I'm on a plane to Malaga in Spain for a three-day riding adventure. The first day was to be spent sampling their Scenic Tour, set in the Andalucian countryside for novices and occasional green laners. The next two days would be devoted to the Terrain Tour for some more serious business.
Day one and tour guide Andy is ready and waiting as we turn up at his garage. It's on the top of a picturesque village set in the hills above Malaga. Being a girl, it's important to wear pink so I bring my own kit. Otherwise Andy can supply you with everything from boots, helmet, protective clothing and even a backpack for your water. Oh, and bike - the novice-friendly yet admirably capable Honda CRF230. Novices get a few lessons from Andy on riding technique (it's very different to road riding!), before setting off across Andalucia's dirt tracks, gentle hills and olive groves, taking in the smells mostly wild thyme scenery and sunshine. It's mid-winter yet the weather's glorious, the sun framed in a deep blue sky. This is the perfect way for first-timers to find their feet off-road, to discover the sheer levels of grip a dirt bike possesses on the loose stuff and how to control it.
Riding off-road will improve your road riding no end. The bike reacts to the slightest rider input on the dirt so you have to learn fine control of throttle, clutch and brakes, and relax as the bike slides around beneath you, letting it do its thing. The CRF230's gentle power delivery and low weight and seat height make it easy to manage. There's no pressure, just endless scenery and camaraderie. We stop in a typical Spanish restaurant for lunch, laughs and banter.
You can tailor the trip, spending as many days as you wish off-road, with days off inbetween to lounge by the pool or nearby beaches. Andy makes the going progressively tougher as you improve. We were all experienced so went straight for lastday stuff. It took in a narrow, fairly steep climb that saw Paul land his bike in a tree. Snigger! But it was soon time to graduate to big boys' territory - the Terrain Tour. This second leg of our journey left'me speechless (hard to believe!), and longing to return.
494
The Terrain Tour is for intermediate to experienced riders. Don't even think about it if you're anything less. Don't assume that because you're a good road rider, you'll be fine off-road - the best road riders become novices on their first excursion in the dirt and have to learn from scratch. Although annoyingly, good.off-road riders make excellent road riders because ofthe outstanding command they have over a bike.
Our base is a hotel in Competa, an hour and a bit's drive from Andy's and further in the mountains. Trevor, also known as the Flying Carrot, heads up this adventure starting from his house that backs on to the Almijara Sierras. He uses bikes suited to the much harder terrain - Beta 450s. These tall enduro beasts wrap KTM's 450 engine in a superb chassis and will take you anywhere. My 5'6" frame fits it perfectly although I wouldn't want to be any shorter. I only run out of leg a couple of times, resulting in silly tumbles and revenge from Paul for belly-laughing at his tree mishap.
We immediately hit the winding dirt tracks that climb deep into the mountains. It's tempting to open the throttle and give the bikes a caning, except the tracks are narrow with a mountain wall to one side and a sheer drop to the other! As we stop by a cliff edge for a breather, I'm gobsmacked. It's like being on top of the world, ,in the middle of the wilderness, where no other tourist has dared venture before. You can see Gibraltar from up here and the only other soul for miles is a lonely mountain goat.
The terrain varies from dirt tracks to rocky riverbeds, mountain climbs and even sand tracks with whoops and berms, almost like a never ending purpose-built motocross circuit. We pass a couple of steep, tricky climbs that the braver, more skilled riders in my group tackle. These include Donna Gray,
former British enduro champion who even won the Welsh 12-hour Iron Man enduro.
I was wandering aimlessly at December's dirt bike show when I bumped into Paul and Bob from Andalucian Trail Tours. One minute we're extolling the virtues of off-road riding. The next I'm on a plane to Malaga in Spain for a three-day riding adventure. The first day was to be spent sampling their Scenic Tour, set in the Andalucian countryside for novices and occasional green laners. The next two days would be devoted to the Terrain Tour for some more serious business.
Day one and tour guide Andy is ready and waiting as we turn up at his garage. It's on the top of a picturesque village set in the hills above Malaga. Being a girl, it's important to wear pink so I bring my own kit. Otherwise Andy can supply you with everything from boots, helmet, protective clothing and even a backpack for your water. Oh, and bike - the novice-friendly yet admirably capable Honda CRF230. Novices get a few lessons from Andy on riding technique (it's very different to road riding!), before setting off across Andalucia's dirt tracks, gentle hills and olive groves, taking in the smells mostly wild thyme scenery and sunshine. It's mid-winter yet the weather's glorious, the sun framed in a deep blue sky. This is the perfect way for first-timers to find their feet off-road, to discover the sheer levels of grip a dirt bike possesses on the loose stuff and how to control it.
Riding off-road will improve your road riding no end. The bike reacts to the slightest rider input on the dirt so you have to learn fine control of throttle, clutch and brakes, and relax as the bike slides around beneath you, letting it do its thing. The CRF230's gentle power delivery and low weight and seat height make it easy to manage. There's no pressure, just endless scenery and camaraderie. We stop in a typical Spanish restaurant for lunch, laughs and banter.
You can tailor the trip, spending as many days as you wish off-road, with days off inbetween to lounge by the pool or nearby beaches. Andy makes the going progressively tougher as you improve. We were all experienced so went straight for lastday stuff. It took in a narrow, fairly steep climb that saw Paul land his bike in a tree. Snigger! But it was soon time to graduate to big boys' territory - the Terrain Tour. This second leg of our journey left'me speechless (hard to believe!), and longing to return.
494
The Terrain Tour is for intermediate to experienced riders. Don't even think about it if you're anything less. Don't assume that because you're a good road rider, you'll be fine off-road - the best road riders become novices on their first excursion in the dirt and have to learn from scratch. Although annoyingly, good.off-road riders make excellent road riders because ofthe outstanding command they have over a bike.
Our base is a hotel in Competa, an hour and a bit's drive from Andy's and further in the mountains. Trevor, also known as the Flying Carrot, heads up this adventure starting from his house that backs on to the Almijara Sierras. He uses bikes suited to the much harder terrain - Beta 450s. These tall enduro beasts wrap KTM's 450 engine in a superb chassis and will take you anywhere. My 5'6" frame fits it perfectly although I wouldn't want to be any shorter. I only run out of leg a couple of times, resulting in silly tumbles and revenge from Paul for belly-laughing at his tree mishap.
We immediately hit the winding dirt tracks that climb deep into the mountains. It's tempting to open the throttle and give the bikes a caning, except the tracks are narrow with a mountain wall to one side and a sheer drop to the other! As we stop by a cliff edge for a breather, I'm gobsmacked. It's like being on top of the world, ,in the middle of the wilderness, where no other tourist has dared venture before. You can see Gibraltar from up here and the only other soul for miles is a lonely mountain goat.
The terrain varies from dirt tracks to rocky riverbeds, mountain climbs and even sand tracks with whoops and berms, almost like a never ending purpose-built motocross circuit. We pass a couple of steep, tricky climbs that the braver, more skilled riders in my group tackle. These include Donna Gray,
former British enduro champion who even won the Welsh 12-hour Iron Man enduro.