We call this trip our “Backcountry Pyrenees”, but of course, there is no real backcountry in the Pyrenees. There is precious little left of it in Europe I think, not in the same, “walk for a week” or “float plane access only” way that I imagine there is in Canada; the country just isn´t big enough and life encroaches on even the most out of the way places. Wherever we go, there are normally the marks of man on the land; the scars of electricity pylons, roads cutting through the contours or the acme of scattered buildings. In a way though “backcountry” is also a choice, a definite decision to seek out the quiet and out of the way places, places where you are unlikely to bump into other people and where adventure still lurks. That was the decision we made on our “Backcountry Pyrenees” mountain bike trip. None of these places are separated from the nearest settlement by days of travel, nor are they secret places which nobody else knows about, what we have are infrequently used, quiet places, where we can practice our sport with a rarely felt sense of true adventure.
Part of this blog is self interest because … Great pictures and more
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After an incredible season Manon Carpenter took some time out on the Spanish sunshine to ride in Malaga. The top three ladies in the World Cup were the only ones to break into the 1000 points plus club so she definitely deserved a break. In the first of a new series of rider diaries we get an insight into what Manon got up to on a recent trip to Malaga.
Where to start? Maybe that with it being off season at the moment I’ve pretty much been ‘Living the Dream’. I don’t use those words often because although training full time and racing around the world is amazing, it is still work and you don’t get a lot of time to do just what you want to do… It’s not a holiday. However … Pictures and more
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Bryony Shaw is a fan of cycling, especially during the winter season. She considers it a base level training to prepare for the windsurf racing events.
Shaw is part of the British Sailing Team, which competes at the highest level, at the world’s top sailing venues. At 30, she is the first ever women’s windsurfing medal for the British Olympic team.
“This time of the year, I will try to get out on the bike at least 3-4 times a week, riding for at least two hours a time which can be great fun when you … More
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ZAM, which means journey in Mongolian, is the project of European mountain biking legend and four time Red Bull Rampage participant Richard “Gaspi” Gasperotti. Gaspi’s journey began in 2012 when he went to the remote Mongolian Altai Mountains to explore new, wild and undiscovered terrain in a specially adapted van which became his means of transportation, his base camp and an escort vehicle for a crew of four.
The Mongolian adventure also set the stage for the eponymous documentary, ,ZAM, which went on to gain international acclaim at outdoor film festivals and also won Gaspi fourth place in the international online poll for Adventurer of the Year 2012.
2013 saw ZAM begin the newest chapter of its never-ending journey to the world’s most fascinating places. The team was initially headed to the mountains of northern Mexico, but investigation into the region brought up safety issues that couldn’t be ignored, so it was decided that ,ZAM’s next destination would be New Mexico, USA … Pictures and more
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