Steve W is a seasoned and well traveled Mountain Biker; having visited mountain bike venues across Europe and staying with a multitude of guiding companies in the process. This is what he had to say about his holiday with All Mountain Venture last spring. (Edit: He has since been back three times)
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Hi Christian
This is my honest opinion and I’ve put what I think are the main weaknesses.
Steve
Accomodation 9.5/10
- Newly refurbished, clean and very, very spacious. Large kitchen area with sparkling new facilities
- Sparkling modern bathrooms with powerful hot showers and bath available too. Loads of hot water (or as some might say ‘lashings of hot water for dusty bikers’ - haha). This is really important though if you re cycling all day and return sweaty, tired and dirty.
- Its always important to get a good nights sleep too (you will need it after a full days ride) and the bed was large and really comfortable and I always slept well. There was never any loud noises at night as the house is located in a quiet area and away from the road
- There is a storage/workshop area for your bike – I took my own bike but they can be rented from Christian – and tools available to fix your bike if you need them. Also a washing machine if you need to clean your cycling kit.
- There is a large yard area with BBQ facilites and sun loungers available, plus a swimming pool for the hotter months
- By far the best accomodation I ve stayed in on a mountain bike holiday and it was way above what I expected. I doubt even Pure Mountains can match it (and they are double the price)
The Rides 8.5/10
- Christian has done a great job and has obviously put alot of hard effort into exploring the region and coming up with a fantastic variety of rides which mountain bikers will love.
- I ve done alot of mountain biking in the Sierra Nevada which I think is the best place in Europe but I really wanted to explore other parts of Andalucia and do something different. I’m really pleased I did. The riding was far better than I imagined and in my opinion not far behind some of that on offer in the Sierra Nevada.
- The mountains are not as big (as those in Sierra Nevada) and hence the climbs and downhills not as long, however that did not detract - there were long technical descents twisting downwards on natural trails, some forested and some on open rock, and a lot of it I could tell was unchartered mountain bike territory. No one else is riding in these areas with the exception of the El Chorro region. These trails deserve to be ridden and well done to Christian on finding them.
- Also worth mentioning is that I cannot recall descending on doubletrack at any point, all the descents were singletrack (this of huge importance to serious mountainbikers – a company that rides everywhere on doubletrack trails has no credibility) and also there were very few parts where you had to get off your bike and walk due to the terrain.
- The diversity of the areas and terrain I rode on was fantastic and a great surprise. We drove out in different directions on each day to reach the start of the ride and hence it felt I had explored quite a large area by the end of the week. The geography/geology of some of the areas was not all what I expected to find in Andalucia.
- The most magical area was the Genal valley, an isolated, unspoilt, forested place full of natural beauty and with its own little micro climate. I would have been happy to ride there every day.The terrain was steep and challenging and I was tired at the end of the ride but the natural downhills carved by water through the woods were absolutely amazing. I will always remember the scenery and the view looking towards the village of Cortez.
The Guide 9/10
- Christian was very knowlegeable about the areas we rode in and also about the local area and Andalucia in general.
- Advance warning was given whenever a tricky section of track was approaching.
- Christian was very flexible concerning how much or how little riding we did in a day and whether you wanted to focus on climbs or riding downhill. There was often the option of doing extra loops at the end of the ride or taking a shuttle run back to the top of the hill. He was also very open and keen to get feedback on what you liked/didn’t like about all of the trails.
- One observation (not a criticism) is that he was very safety -conscious and always considered fully the risks associated to mountain biking in a hot country on steep, remote terrain.
- He helped me with my GoPro Hero video camera and gave me alot of advice with this which I really appreciated, and he was also willing to take time out to ensure I captured some interesting video and he helped me to store this on memory sticks as I did not have a laptop with me.
- He was happy to take me out on the local trails on the rest day and on a day when it rained heavily and we couldn’t ride he drove me to Ronda for some sightseeing. To make up for the lost day riding we went out on the morning of my final day there which was not planned. You can’t say fairer than that!
- Overall I found him very relaxed and easy-going, friendly, helpful, open and with good people skills. Importantly he knew what a good mountain bike trail looked like.
The weaknesses
- As Christian covers such a large area it means that some of the transfer times to and from the start of the rides are quite long. It is possible that you are in the van travelling for up to 2 hours on some days (1 hour each way). The rides at the end are worth it in my opinion but this may not suit everyone. There are some local trails closer to the house if this is the case.
- The transfer time from Malaga is quite long – I think it was 1 and a half hours – although this is about the same time as it takes to the Sierra Nevada from Malaga
- The house is a little bit far away from the town of Olvera if you want to walk into town. It is a little isolated. Christian does however offer a shuttle service to and from the town if you want to go there for a night out or need some shopping and I took advantage of this.
- No free tapas with drinks in bars, as this is Malaga province!