The Passportes du Soleil Mountain Bike Race

Admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:14:44 +0000

The Passportes du Soleil is an epic mountain bike race in the huge Portes du Soleil region of France & Switzerland which heralds the start of summer and the opening of the lift system. It takes place over the last weekend in June, and has evolved from an earlier event known as the “Freeraid”. Most riders don’t really treat the Passportes as a race (although you do get a number for the front of your bike) but simply a great day’s mountain bike riding. The event is massive – 2 days, 3 courses (30, 45 & 75 km) and 3700 riders. The classic trek of 75 km includes 12 ski lifts, 6500 m of total downhill, 500 m of total uphill climb. What makes this event unique is the fact that it attracts a wide range of participants – from lycra clad cross country riders to armour clad downhill riders, and from beginners to experts. Everyone gets involved and rides the same course. True, the cross country riders tend to beat the downhill riders on the climbs, and for the real keen peddlers, there is also optional climbing sections. And true the downhillers tend to overtake the cross country riders when it comes to descending, and there are a couple of optional “free ride” sections. But overall, the race is a fantastic melting pot of all mountain bike styles and standards. As for the course itself – it has to be one of the best in the world! It takes in some amazing panoramas on the Morgins and Champoussin sections with views of the Dents du Midi, the Dents Blanch and even Mont Blanc. There is some excellent steep and twisty single track down through the woods in Torgon. There are dedicated downhill courses used at Chatel and Les Gets. There is an epic descent from the top of Linderets down to Morzine and there are some great meandering cross-country sections on relatively easy 4×4 tracks. Another excellent feature of this event are the fantastic refreshment stands located at regular intervals throughout the course. Large tables offer up a wide range of snacks and drinks, from energy/nut bars to cheese and ham, from energy drinks to beer and wine. It is always interesting to see who feels fit to tuck into the alcoholic drinks at ten in the morning, and then avoid them if you see them on the course!The Passporte du Soleil is really an event for everyone. It has become so massive that it now sells out months in advance. However, if you visit the Portes du Soleil later on in the summer, it is possible to get a map from the local tourist office and cycle pretty much the whole route. Race stats:Classic trek – 75 Km The classic circuit is for purists: a long tour of the Portes du Soleil about 75km* approximatively 75km – 12 lifts* 6500m of total downhill/ 500m of total uphill* 7 resorts to start from : Avoriaz, Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine, Champéry, Morgins et Torgon* 8 refreshments pointsIntermediate trek – 45 km 45km with one aim in mind; having fun* approximatively 45km – 7 lifts* 4000m of total downhill /300m of total uphill* 4 resorts to start from: Châtel, Champéry, Morgins et Torgon. * 4 refreshments pointsDiscovery trek – 30km For those who are quite good at mountain biking, but out on The Portes du Soleil’s tracks for the first ime. . . an ideal “breaking in route”* approximatively 30km- 5 lifts* 2200m of total downhill/ 200m of total uphill* 3 resorts to start from: Avoriaz, Morzine et Les Gets* 3 refreshments points

Cross Country Mountain Biking

Admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:24:47 +0000

Cross country mountain biking is cross country at

its finest. Where free riders and downhill bikers

use four wheel bikes and ski lifts to get them to

their destination, cross country bikers get to

the top of the mountain by the ride. Though free

riding is very popular, the life vein of the sport

has always been cross country biking.

Just as cross country riders are a different breed,

the bikes they ride are as well. The cross country

bike is completely different in many ways from other

types of mountain riding bikes. The premise for

cross country riders is speed. Everything about

their bikes revolve with the idea of making the

bikes faster and faster.

Bikes used in cross country mountain biking can

be fully rigid frame, hardtails, or even full

suspension frames. Through the years, the cross

over to full suspension has become very popular.

The weight difference between free ride bikes and

cross country bikes are considerable. You’ll be

extremely hard pressed to find a bike that weighs

more than 24 pounds, and even that weight can be

heavy. Free ride bkes weigh close to 40 pounds,

which makes the difference in weight pretty close.

If you’ve never tried cross country mountain biking,

you’ll probably find it to be a break from the

ordinary. Even though this type of biking involves

trails, it’s normally the type of terrain that

beginners wouldn’t want to ride. Involving hills

and rough terrain, cross country biking offers

quite the rush.

For mountain bikers everywhere, cross country is

the way to go. It offers you a new assortment of

bikes, new areas to bike, and a new twist to

mountain biking as you know it. If you’ve been

looking for a mountain biking rush, cross country

mountain biking is what you need to be experiencing.

By: John Ugoshowa

Mountain Bike » Free Ride

The Passportes du Soleil Mountain Bike Race

Cross Country Mountain Biking