Mountain biking and the best mountain trails
There are excellent mountain biking opportunities throughout
the whole Europe. In the European mountains every cyclist will
find something what suits them.
What the majority of bikers will appreciate the most are the Alps
with their endless trails and farm roads, gorgeous scenery as
well as affordable prices, rarities of the European cuisine, comfortable
and inexpensive lodging including campgrounds and B&Bs. All
these things will provide you with many unforgettable experiences.
Let’s start from Switzerland that has recently
created an elaborate network of numbered routes for bikes. All
of them are well-signed with red arrows. Most roads are paved,
but unpaved ones may appear as well, so you'll need a mountain
bike or hybrid. Berner Oberland, the home of stately peaks Jungfrau
and Eiger is the most visited and beautiful region of Switzerland.
You'll find there endless biking opportunities, which can be explored
with a little help of the excellent guidebooks and maps. In Gstaad,
the main gondola lets riders carry their bikes to the top of the
mountains. Views from the top are really charming.
The undoubted Mecca for bikers in Europe lies in the northeast
of Italy, in the Dolomite Alps
surrounding the Garda Lake. Its warm Mediterranean
climate guarantees you excellent weather, palm trees around the
lake and a long holiday season. The biking is fabulous, with trails
winding through the hills and mountains, vineyards and groves,
with views of lakes, villages and mountain valleys. There are
so many first-class trails that even the most demanding adventure
seekers will find something for themselves.
In the Austrian Alps we can distinguish the three
greatest holiday centres which all offer beautiful alpine settings
combined with a friendly Austrian welcome. Alpendorf is the most
famous for the wild untamed waterfalls of the Liechtenstein Gorge,
one of the longest and deepest (300m) wild-water canyons in the
Alps, it also offers excellent conditions to try all the activities
on offer. For bikers are available 30km of riverside cycle routes
plus more challenging mountain biking trails and also gondola
and chairlifts for both biking and walking. Kirchberg is placed
in the heart of the Kitzbüheler Alps and is definitely one of
the most beautiful spots in Tirol to be spending your holiday.
Its 445km of mountain biking tracks attracts many cyclists. Finally
St Anton offers all the usual opportunities to get active on 60
km of trails and explore the surrounding scenery.
Luckily, the nation that hosts the Tour de France
considers itself as the base for all things relating to bicycling.
For mountain bikers, this has produced a truly extraordinary nationwide
network of numbered trails, with special multi-coloured maps.
The French town of Morzine is the undisputed heart of Alpine mountain
biking, and the centre for sensational chalet-style summer biking
holidays. With over 23 lifts, hundreds of kilometres of trails,
and an excellent range of riding to suit downhill, freeride and
cross-country enthusiasts, this is a destination, which does it
all.
The Tour de France is often decided in the spectacular
mountain stages of the Pyrenees. However for
those who enjoy an easier ride, Ariege also has much to offer
as most of the interesting places to visit lie along the river
valleys, where the slopes are gentle. Mountain-biking, or VTT
(vélo tout-terrain), is also very popular here and many tracks
have been created and adapted for all levels.
The Highlands have excellent cycling facilities
not just because in this low-populated area many roads are quiet
anyway, but there are so many ways in which cyclists are encouraged.
There are off-road activities by way of a huge range of forestry
tracks, for example. There is an "official" long-distance
cycle track, and the National Cycle Routes also traverse the area.
The region also boasts the longest downhill mountain-biking track
in the UK. So, no matter how you use your bike, from gentle pedalling
with the family to extreme sport, make sure that cycling is part
of your Highland experience