Description: Technical XC day riding on miles and miles of singletrack in a beautiful and ‘breath taking’ part of the world, catered accommodation to suit all riders.
REVIEWS
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Strengths: small groups, friendly people, location is superb being in the middle of the sierra nevada, serve erdinger in the local pub, oscar the dog, simon and nick are inspirational guides. did i mention free beer.
Weaknesses: none really
Overall: spent a week out there mid october. best cycling holiday i have ever been on. riding was challenging technically, hard physically, very refreshing mentally. shouldnt write a review like this otherwise i might not be able to get a place to stay there again in the future. definitely going back.
Strengths: Phenomenal technical riding, top weather, easy to get to, relaxed atmosphere, great people, Spain's fastest mountain biking dog plus beer, bars and culture just up the road in Granada.
Weaknesses: Er, no.
Overall: The Sierra Nevada and the Alpujarras have some of the best riding in Europe but without the crowds you get in the Alps. It's a mix of rocky mountain singletrack, forest switchbacks, blindingly fast downhill doubletrack and loads more. It'll test your riding skills for sure, but despite the name, it's not 'freeride' in the sense of huge drops - Simon guides, at high speeds, on a hardtail.
The Freeride Spain set-up's spot on. The atmosphere's very relaxed with a comfortable house and self-service breakfast, but the riding side of things is really efficient. Simon and Nick, the guides, being both good company, good riders and able to help you improve your own trechnique. Oscar the short-haired German pointer provides additional riding entertainment...
You can go over the winter and ride low down or hit the area in high summer and stay high in the Sierra Nevada where it's cooler.
The Peak Midweek BM forum crew have been out three times now and keep going back for long weekends, which tells you something. What else, er, Emma's lovely too, so, great riding, great people, nice place, good value, what more could you ask for?
Oh, culture. That's okay cos Granada;s just 30 minutes up the road with some excellent tapas bars, a fantastic, eccentric bike shop and the extraordinary Al Hambra moorish palace.
Strengths: No chair lifts - you get to earn your downhill smiles in this fantastic area of Southern Spain! Simon is an excellent guide who will ensure that you have a great time on rides that are suited to stretch your riding, but not break you. Despite the quality of the riding there are still very few riders out on the trails. A very relaxed set up means that you really feel as though you've had a holiday by the time you come back.
Weaknesses: Set up may be too relaxed for some!
Overall: A great set up run by very friendly people (and a dog!) providing awesome biking in some spectacular settings - as Simon would say "the best office in the world".
Strengths: The scenery, food and riding is fantastic, the guiding and knowledge is beyond comparison. The dog is probably the fittest in the world for its breed. When everything is said and done, the riding with this company is what mountainbiking is all about, good company, great riding and great evenings re-living the days events. There's something about riding to the top of some of the trails that makes you appreciate the descent's even more, the french alps seem too clinical and boring in comparison, the trails in spain are more natural and amusing. As an added bonus the locals are extremely friendly and chilled as well, there's also an eclectic bike shop in granada which has to be seen to be believed, stocked to the rafters with anything, good local amenities such as banks and supermarkets as well.
Weaknesses: none whatsoever
Overall: Whether I was taking friends to Spain who are new to mountain biking or seasoned riding mates I would always take them here, there are trails for most abilities and any rider of any level will be astonished at the variety of trails. The weather is awesome and scenery inspirational. I ain't going to the alps in 2005, I'm extending a holiday here instead. Rides are guided at a pace to suit the riders and that means up and down the hills, there's no pressure to keep up or slow down on the rides. The guiding is well managed and that's what makes it a great place to chill out and enjoy the ride.
Strengths: Miles of technical singletrack, chilled out atmosphere, Simon and Emma are excellent hosts, great location in Lanjaron southern Spain-plenty of bars close by!! , the cultural city of Granada is just a short drive or bus ride up the road
Weaknesses: None whatsoever
Overall: Been out twice and returning again in the summer. Off the bike you will enjoy a laid back, chilled out holiday in the company of like-minded riders. On the bike you will experience the best riding Spain has got to offer guided by a truly top guy (Simon) who will do everything possible to ensure a fantastic holiday
Strengths: Knowledgeable about the trails and riding in general , patient with clearly incompetent riders (ie me). Stunning singletrack being technical, flowing, scenic and DRY.
Weaknesses: The dog kept sniffing my knackers. Simon's a yorkshireman- Having said that he is not that tight.
Overall: DO NOT GO. otherwise he'll be too busy to have me back.
Strengths: Grin factor (hence the face ache), quality trails, top people- "chin chin!", my riding when I left! Proper mountain biking with proper mountains to throw your bike (and yourself) down!
Weaknesses: My riding when I arrived!
Overall: Well I had a truly awesome time!! Only been back in to MTB since 27 September 2004 following the arrival of my 2005 Kona Dawg (suject of review elsewhere). My pre-holiday training ground- the rocky peaks and technical descents of the Essex mountains...
Went to FreerideSpain on 30 October for a week, and WOW what a week! I went from zero to hero under the expert guidance of Simon and Nick with a literal baptism of fire on the first day to full on crossed up technical half kicking descents on 45 degree dirt and rock trails by the third day!!
Funniest memory is following Simon down a rocky dry river at about 30mph and having to try and choose a line to overtake Oscar the Magnificent Mountain Biking Dog God!!!
Most rewarding memory is cleaning trails, fast, that before the holiday I would never even have considered walking down let alone riding!
Worst memory, leaving, like Arnie has said too many times, "I'll be back!"
Hats off to Simon, Emma and the aimable Geordie Nick for top guiding, top company and top hospitality, and of course to Oscar for teaching me a thing or 2 about line choice!!
Strengths: Good value, excellent people, relaxed set-up, amazing trails, good food, cold beer, Oscar the Wonder Dog, amazing trails, good weather. Oh and amazing trails.
Weaknesses: Erm....?
Overall: I've not much experience to draw on with mountain biking holidays but I cannot wait to get back to this place. The setting and the set-up are perfect. The riding is incredibly varied - in one ride we had gut wrenching climbs, technical singletrack, rocks, roots, contour tracks, balls-out descending and even a smidgen of tarmac - all in about 16 miles - followed by gorgeous milkshakes in the sun. Stunning.
Strengths: Only a couple of hours away. Friendly and knowledgeable guiding on endless technical singletrack, fast rocky descents and sweeping forest trails. Bars and a pancake cafe nearby. Full board and a fully equipped workshop.
Weaknesses: Nope, none, not at all.
Overall: This is a riders dream holiday destination. The mind warping descents are earnt on the climbs. Fly over, ride, eat, drink, sleep and repeat 'til you can ride no more. Granada is close by if you need a sightseeing break, but you'd really rather be riding, wouldn't you?
Strengths: Singletrack, singletrack, the food, the hosts - Emma, Simon, Nick and of course Oscar the fittst bog in the world, the location, the food, the uphills, the downhills and did I mention the singletrack?
Weaknesses: My lack of fitness resulted in limiting me doing even more!
Overall: I can't emphasise how I was blown away by the technical singletrack, quality of guiding and care that was taken over tailoring our holiday for us. I've been mountain biking for over 15 years in many locations and with other holiday companies but this was - without a doubt - the best week I've ever had on a bike! Simon and Nick commit themselves 100% to (theirs and) your riding. Simon is the most awesome and modest rider I have ever met who showed me (and my friends) things I never thought could be done on a bike on such trails. Nick, usually rode at the back (we had two guides for our group of six!) while Simon led most rides but Nick, when he went for it and put the power down, was also an exceptional rider. The two different guiding techniques worked very well together with Simon's pretty driven 'lets rip it up - and down' balancing out Nicks chilled 'how you doing dude?' attitude and wild and very funny imagination.
British Cycling stars have also been out there, such as Tracey Mosley, Helen Gaskill, Dan and Gee Atherton, Zak Toogood, Gary Foord and Liam Kileen. However, this is irrelavent when you hit the trail because you become the star as the smile broadens across your face and you start to gargle with a mix of joy and fear as you hit the 10km singletrack descents which force you to stop and shake your hands and forearms free of lactic acid from continually pulling on your Hope mini's!
Even the workshop was kitted out like a bike shop with wheel jigs, reamers and torq wrenches to mention just some of the kit. And to think, all we had to do was get to Malaga with our bikes! This is top drawer stuff for only 300 very well spend quid!!!!
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MY REVIEW
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Average Rating: 5 out of 5
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