For thou­sands of years, Span­ish farm­ers moved their live­stock from val­ley farms to graze in the high Pyre­nees Moun­tains for the sum­mer months. This move­ment cre­at­ed hun­dreds of incred­i­ble live­stock trails, now redis­cov­ered and uplift­ed by local moun­tain bik­ers in search of adven­ture. This unique his­to­ry of Spain has helped cre­ate a vibrant moun­tain bike scene you need to experience.

The trails criss­cross over mil­lion-year-old sea beds, across wine-rich regions, through aban­doned mid­dle-age vil­lages and along rocky foothills, before meet­ing the rugged Pyre­nees moun­tains — the nat­ur­al bor­der between Spain and France. The ter­rain offers up the per­fect ingre­di­ents for an awe-inspir­ing moun­tain bike trip. Heli-drops, shut­tle runs and tech­ni­cal sin­gle­track rid­ing in the heart of the Pyre­nees is topped off with mouth-water­ing Span­ish cui­sine (‘tapas’ includ­ed), local wine pair­ings and fas­ci­nat­ing, rich cul­tur­al expe­ri­ences. Descend 2,500 ver­ti­cal meters in one day,  ped­al by 1,000-year-old cas­tles and take count­less pho­tographs — the mem­o­ries you’ll cre­ate on this ride will not be forgotten.

Is This Ride For You?

You are a skilled moun­tain bik­er who loves a good chal­lenge, long descents and a fair amount of ped­alling to keep you in shape! You’re fine break­ing a sweat if it means incred­i­ble views and get­ting off-the-beat­en-track where the chances of see­ing anoth­er moun­tain bik­er are slim. You thrive off epic descents with the help of a shut­tle van or your own two legs. You’re com­fort­able rid­ing rocky ter­rain, includ­ing rock slabs, loose rocks, grip­py rock, slip­pery rocks — rock on! You’re com­fort­able rid­ing for up to 6 hours a day, for mul­ti­ple days. You have a sol­id, well-main­tained do-it-all trail bike (with rough­ly 130–160mm of trav­el, drop­per post and beefy tires. Lim­it­ed rentals are also avail­able). You love eat­ing like roy­al­ty, try­ing new foods and learn­ing about the local cul­ture and his­to­ry of the des­ti­na­tion you’re visiting.

Itinerary

Day 1. Wel­come to Spain!

We’ll pick you up from our part­ner hotel in down­town Barcelona at 11:00 am or from the Barcelona air­port (BCN) at 12:00 pm.

Enjoy a 3‑hour scenic dri­ve from the bustling beach-side city of Barcelona to the small, his­toric town of Aín­sa, on the edge of the Pyre­nees moun­tains. We’ll pro­vide snacks and lunch for the road trip.

The small vil­lage of Aín­sa was the cap­i­tal of the old King­dom of Sobrarbe and was lat­er incor­po­rat­ed into the King­dom of Aragon in the 11th cen­tu­ry. The now mod­ern and vibrant tourist town con­sti­tutes a mag­nif­i­cent exam­ple of medieval archi­tec­ture. The his­toric quar­ter was declared a His­toric-Artis­tic Site in Spain and you will under­stand why when you’re dropped off in the beau­ti­ful town square. The hous­es are har­mo­nious­ly packed togeth­er with the back­drop of bell tow­er, cas­tle and church. The walls that sur­round­ed the town cen­turies ago remain almost intact today and the streets are filled with mon­u­ments that will trans­port you back to the Mid­dle Ages.

Upon arriv­ing in Aín­sa, you’ll meet your guides, review the week’s itin­er­ary, build your bikes and enjoy your first Span­ish din­ner together.

There will be an option to go for a quick ride close to town to get your legs spin­ning and warmed-up for the incred­i­ble week ahead!

We’ll enjoy din­ner as a group tonight as a warm wel­come, start to the trip meal. Get to know your fel­low trav­el­ers, and rev­el in the cama­raderie of the group. 

Day 2.  Explor­ing Aínsa

Rise and shine!

Enjoy break­fast at the hotel, take an ear­ly morn­ing stroll through the his­toric medieval town of Aín­sa and then suit up to ride!

The vil­lage of Aín­sa dates back to the 11th Cen­tu­ry, and the trails that sur­round it are old trad­ing routes, care­ful­ly brought back to life by the local moun­tain bike community.

In 2015 and 2018, Aín­sa host­ed the Enduro World Series and you’re about to find out why — it’s home to incred­i­ble moun­tain bike trails and ter­rain. From forest­ed sin­gle­track to rocky descents, you’ll get a lit­tle taste of the diverse ecosys­tems in the area. From the ‘bad­lands’ north of town to the rolling rocky hills south of town, you’re sure to fin­ish this day with a smile on your face. 

We’ll head back to the hotel and you can get out for an amaz­ing intro­duc­tion to Span­ish cui­sine. Bring your appetite!

Day 3. Bik­ing in Bielsa

After break­fast at the hotel, we’ll pack up and head out to Biel­sa — a small town close to the French bor­der, and the gate­way to the beau­ti­ful Pyre­nees mountains. 

Our team in Spain is part of the group who builds and main­tains the trails in this area. You’ll get to expe­ri­ence big moun­tain views and sin­gle­track straight of a dream at the door of the Orde­sa Nation­al Park. Today is about the adren­a­line of the descent — with a lit­tle climb­ing (around 100 meters), you’ll be in store for about 2,500 meters of descent! 

After a great day of rid­ing, we’ll head back to the hotel and get ready for din­ner in Bielsa. 

Day 4. Find­ing Flow in France

Rise and Shine!

Today we cross over the bor­der and enter France for some amaz­ing enduro-style trails in the lush green forests. The immac­u­late dirt here will have you almost as excit­ed as the first time you got on a bike. Make sure to real­ly breathe in the fresh air in this pris­tine area of the country!

We’ll be rid­ing in the Fabi­an Bike Cen­ter and the Ens trail sys­tem for some fast and flowy trails, with a mix­ing in of fun tech­ni­cal trails as well. These forest­ed sin­gle­track rid­ing areas will leave you rem­i­nisc­ing as we head back to our hotel in Bielsa. 

Tonight we’ll all go out and enjoy din­ner as a group. Sto­ries about the rid­ing and cold bev­er­ages are sure to flow! 

Day 5. Long Descents in Loudenvielle

We’ll enjoy break­fast at the hotel in Biel­sa and then head to the small moun­tain town of Louden­vielle (less than a 1‑hour dri­ve), for some sweet down­hill action. 

Since 2021, Louden­vielle has been host to a round of the Enduro World Series, which means you’ll be rid­ing in the foot­steps (or tire marks) of some of the great­est rid­ers in the world. From the moun­tain sum­mer pas­tures to unspoiled hazel­nut and fir forests Louden­vielle has estab­lished itself as a mec­ca in the moun­tain bike world. From the trails to the set­ting (lakes and moun­tain peaks sur­round­ing you), this is a play­ground for all rid­ing styles. 

After a full day of rid­ing, we’ll dri­ve back to our hotel in Biel­sa. Tonight is our last night in Biel­sa. Make sure to get out and sam­ple some more of the local cuisine! 

Rest up, the adven­ture con­tin­ues tomorrow. 

Day 6. La Pobla de Segur

Wake up and enjoy break­fast at our Biel­sa hotel before pack­ing up and head­ing south to our next des­ti­na­tion — Tremp. Along the way we’ll stop in the lit­tle town of La Pobla de Segur (The Town of Secu­ri­ty). Orig­i­nal­ly set­tled north of where the town is present­ly, La Pobla de Segur was moved to its cur­rent loca­tion in the mid 13th century. 

Get ready for some long descents, a con­stant­ly chang­ing land­scape from pine and moss forests to more cob­bled and rocky out­crop­pings. Just like the land­scape, there is a good vari­ety in the trails as well — from flowy and fast to tech­ni­cal and spicy. 

After we fin­ish rid­ing, we’ll con­tin­ue on to Tremp, where we will spend our last two nights in Spain. Our hotel is a his­toric one, with it being orig­i­nal­ly start­ed as a small inn by the fam­i­ly’s great grandfather. 

Day 7. Tremp

Today, you’ll awake to amaz­ing views of tow­er­ing moun­tains and alpine lakes. After a hearty break­fast, we’ll get out and hit the trails. 

We will enjoy some won­der­ful trails in the area — the ones with the most flow, and the most tech­ni­cal ones if we still have the strength. This will be our last good day of rid­ing, so make sure to get the goods! 

After the full day of rid­ing, we’ll head back to our hotel, enjoy a final din­ner togeth­er, share sto­ries and say “Salud” to an amaz­ing adventure!

Day 8. Adiós España

After break­fast, we offer a com­pli­men­ta­ry shut­tle back to Barcelona at 8:00 am. We will drop Rid­ers off at the Barcelona air­port (BCN) by 1:00 pm or pro­vide a drop-off to our part­ner hotel in Barcelona in the late afternoon.


The fol­low­ing data rep­re­sents a typ­i­cal itin­er­ary, but adven­ture trav­el can be unpre­dictable and our Guides may need to make last-minute changes to ensure your enjoy­ment. Inclement weath­er, road clo­sures, changes to the itin­er­ary to accom­mo­date requests, and oth­er issues may affect the itin­er­ary. The ride data rep­re­sents an ‘aver­age’ itin­er­ary, and may dif­fer when you actu­al­ly show up to ride. Our guides make every effort to stick to the itin­er­ary as post­ed, but your safe­ty is our #1 priority. 

Ride Data: The Pyrenees and Beyond

Day Hours of rid­ing Dis­tance rid­den Ele­va­tion gained Ele­va­tion lost High­est ele­va­tion
1 2 6 800 800 2300
2 6 17 985 3300 4900
3 4 9 350 8200 3300
4 6 16 500 5000 4300
5 7 14 500 6500 4200
6 7 12 650 6000 7200
7 7 16 1000 5000 9400
8 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 39 HRS

Picture Yourself Here

Book The Pyrenees and Beyond Now

Dates chosen: Jun. 22, 2024—Jun. 29, 2024
Skill Rating: Black Diamond
Fitness Rating: Blue Square
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Skill Levels
Black Diamond

The Black Diamond Rides are  suitable for riders looking for that edge. Maybe it’s the edge of a drop, the edge of a cliff, or singletrack requiring focus and fast reactions developed from extensive experience riding “the edge”. You will find yourself on steep trails of varied surfaces. In the Pacific North West that could be slick roots and loam, in Nepal you will find exposed granite in the Mustang Valley and in Guatemala it maybe narrow stairways through cliffside villages. While airtime is rarely required, the ability to find the backside or clean a tabletop should be comfortable or in a state of progress. Obstacles on Black rides are likely to be outside the range of your bikes ability to cover your goofs with its awesome suspension and grip.

Blue Square

In general, Blue trails are narrower than green trails, encounter unavoidable obstacles such as roots, rocks, and drops that are up to 8-inches tall. You will want to have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of mountain biking including body positions, powerful braking, cornering, riding on varied terrain, steep sections and experience riding trails that requires line choice. Airtime is not mandatory, but you will find yourself on trails with alternate lines giving you the option.

Double Black Diamond

A Double Black ride is for those that already know they are looking for a Double Black. It’s going to be very hard and require advanced bike handling skills. You will find yourself on trails with sections most non-riders would look at and say, “that’s totally nuts!”. You will know how to look at a line and contemplate where it will work and where it won’t. Drops of a couple feet should be comfortable and getting your bike off the ground should feel predictable and fun.

Green Circle

Typically, green Rides are safe for beginners. Green Rides may have both avoidable and unavoidable obstacles. Trails are generally low grade, wide, consistent surface texture and have minimal features. You are likely to come across unavoidable obstacles 2-inches or shorter, which is small enough for mountain bike tires to simply roll over. More challenging than tarmac, but in general, a wonderful Ride for those riders new to mountain biking or looking for a casual experience.

Fitness Levels
Black Diamond

A Black Fitness ride will test you. Aside from needing to be able to manage up to 6 hours on the bike, day after day, including distance up to 50km/30miles and elevation gains up to 1750m/5000feet of climbing, you will be adding extra challenges along the route like periods of hike-a-bike and the extra effort required by the whole body to safely dance with your bike over technical terrain. Generally, riders who are up for a Black Fitness ride, likely spend time on the bike a couple times each week.

Blue Square

Blue should be considered a good deal more effort than our Green Rides.  You should be able to handle 3 to 5 hours in the saddle covering up to 45km/30miles and be able to pull off a big day of 1000m/3000feet of elevation gain. Managing fuel is important as well.  You should have a good understanding how your body responds to multiple days on the bike. We will help with positive coaching, a manageable pace and plenty of trailside snacks.

Double Black Diamond

A Double Black will be for those with the strength and endurance to get to the top of anything they want and understand the term “turning the screw”. Distance could be quite high on some routes and elevation gain numbers could hit 2000m/6000 feet+ in a day. You are likely riding multiple days a week during the dry periods and have a trainer or belong to a gym for the rest of the year.

Green Circle

You should be ready to spend 2-4 hours per day on the bike. Mileage may be up to 30km/20 miles and elevation gain will be under 500m/1500feet. On e-MTB tours, numbers will be higher, however the approximate effort would be considered similar to a standard Green Circle ride. If you get on your bike once a week, you will be just fine. However, when preparing for a Ride, you will benefit from more rides and time in the saddle.