On Friday, local guide Lionel, of Synergie bike school, treated the flowmtb and Endless Ride teams to a training session on his new trials bikes. It was a new experience for all of us and the bikes took a little getting used to, with more than one of us forgetting what we were on and trying to sit down! Before long though we were hopping on and off palets and practising endos, wheel lifts and bunny hops on the grass at the bottom of the Pleney.
I can’t claim to be the best trials rider, but I think we all got something out of it and had lots of fun too. Lionel’s offering 1 1/2 hour sessions throughout next summer – let us know if you’d like to know more and build it into your holiday.
The last of the Morzine and Les Gets chairlifts shut on Sunday. It’s always a sad time of year, wishing that the Portes du Soleil biking season could keep going just a little bit longer.
However, undeterred, Guy, Tom and I headed to nearby Praz de Lys, parked up at the bottom and pedalled up the road to the resort. Feeling very pleased withourselves for earning our descent we had a coffee at the top and headed down on a fast rocky trail known as the Roman road. Before long we spotted a singletrack on the left, a quick check of the map showed us it’d get us back down to the right place so we took it. Steep, technical and wet, it was an interesting, fun descent but sadly over all too quickly. We realised the summer of lift assisted riding has spoilt us all!
We’ll be back mountain biking in Chatel and Champery this weekend though as the lifts open for the weekend and a new group of guests come in ready to ride.
