ade towell
Über Member
- Location
- Nottingham
Col de Portet is a lovely ride up and then down - good work on a montain bike
Cycling B&B in the foothills of the Pyrenees
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- Start date
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OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Yeah, the bike does weigh a bit more than a road bike. Loved it though :-)
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Tomorrow we're heading up the road to France to catch Stage 17 of le Tour.
We have a Plan A and a Plan B - let's see how busy the roads are and which plan we need . . .
Either way we'll be there to cheer the riders up the climb we rode a few weeks ago on our mountain bikes!
:-)
We have a Plan A and a Plan B - let's see how busy the roads are and which plan we need . . .
Either way we'll be there to cheer the riders up the climb we rode a few weeks ago on our mountain bikes!
:-)
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Today we had our first swim in our local river with our friends after a nice picnic.
It was lovely.
Europe is cooking!
It was lovely.
Europe is cooking!
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Had a great morning last Saturday in glorious weather!
ZZ-019, Route 19 out of the village of "Camporrotuno" with some friends from Scotland and from Andorra.
Route 19 has lots of XC Singletrack and lots of Enduro Climbs & Descents.
No pics of me . . . I was the cameraman!
ZZ-019, Route 19 out of the village of "Camporrotuno" with some friends from Scotland and from Andorra.
Route 19 has lots of XC Singletrack and lots of Enduro Climbs & Descents.
No pics of me . . . I was the cameraman!
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
My MIAS (Mountain Bike Instructors Award Scheme) qualification, certificate and ID card arrived in the post.
I'm now a fully registered MTB guide with a European approved organisation!
:-)
I'm now a fully registered MTB guide with a European approved organisation!
:-)
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Recently I've been looking for ways of joining sections of several different Zona Zero routes together in order to create some "day long" XC routes.
Zona Zero is great as it is for Enduro riders and I'm doing what I can to make it great for XC and Technical XC riders.
It's a tough job but somebody has to do it . . . .
;-)
Zona Zero is great as it is for Enduro riders and I'm doing what I can to make it great for XC and Technical XC riders.
It's a tough job but somebody has to do it . . . .
;-)
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
A few weeks ago a friend of mine thought to arrange a weekly social ride that starts and finishes in Ainsa.
The ride is about an hour and a half long and covers a bit of everything. Some fire road along the Rio Cinca, some technical climbing - not too difficult but hard enough to be interesting", some nice descending, some riding along a dry river bed, a bit of singletrack and finally a coffee stop.
This week was the third week and we were joined by four guys from Holland. It was a bit faster than usual today but great fun. We don't generally race because it's a social ride but today everyone present was happy to go for it a bit . . . so we did.
The ride is about an hour and a half long and covers a bit of everything. Some fire road along the Rio Cinca, some technical climbing - not too difficult but hard enough to be interesting", some nice descending, some riding along a dry river bed, a bit of singletrack and finally a coffee stop.
This week was the third week and we were joined by four guys from Holland. It was a bit faster than usual today but great fun. We don't generally race because it's a social ride but today everyone present was happy to go for it a bit . . . so we did.
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Last week Mrs Bonus provided Picnics for our friends Jeroen & Marce who were running some of their "Office in Nature" courses locally. The courses were on Mon, Tues & Weds and were held at 3 beautiful outdoor locations near Ainsa.
The group sizes varied from 6 to 9 people and we provided different food each day because some of the people were attending more than one course.
We both enjoyed doing this - although it was very much her baby, I was just helping - and the groups were very happy with everything we did. They were lovely people and we got some great feedback and encouragement from them.
Now we've made some new friends
My MTB Guiding and Mrs Bonuses Picnics are two services we always planned to offer alongside our core B&B business.
They say that to enjoy life (and work) you should try to "do what you love" - and these are things we both love!
The group sizes varied from 6 to 9 people and we provided different food each day because some of the people were attending more than one course.
We both enjoyed doing this - although it was very much her baby, I was just helping - and the groups were very happy with everything we did. They were lovely people and we got some great feedback and encouragement from them.
Now we've made some new friends
My MTB Guiding and Mrs Bonuses Picnics are two services we always planned to offer alongside our core B&B business.
They say that to enjoy life (and work) you should try to "do what you love" - and these are things we both love!
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
MTB Ainsa Guiding . . . .
We've had our "Bilingual Flyers" printed. They look good :-)
We're out at a Fiesta & Carnival in a local town today followed by a big traditional lunch, but tonight when we get home we'll pop into Ainsa and hand some out. I'm targeting cars/campervans with bike racks/bikes on them as potential customers. Plus "the Chatterbox" Mrs Bonus will talk to anyone who looks remotely like a cyclist and give them a flyer :-)
I think today might be the last local Fiesta, because the new school year starts in a week or two.
The last 6 weeks have been crazy - every single town and village in Spain holds a Fiesta once a year and most of them are in the summer. Some have Processions or Carnivals, they all have a big evening meal and then they have music & dancing in the town or village Plaza until the following morning. . . .
It's a hard life . . . .
We've had our "Bilingual Flyers" printed. They look good :-)
We're out at a Fiesta & Carnival in a local town today followed by a big traditional lunch, but tonight when we get home we'll pop into Ainsa and hand some out. I'm targeting cars/campervans with bike racks/bikes on them as potential customers. Plus "the Chatterbox" Mrs Bonus will talk to anyone who looks remotely like a cyclist and give them a flyer :-)
I think today might be the last local Fiesta, because the new school year starts in a week or two.
The last 6 weeks have been crazy - every single town and village in Spain holds a Fiesta once a year and most of them are in the summer. Some have Processions or Carnivals, they all have a big evening meal and then they have music & dancing in the town or village Plaza until the following morning. . . .
It's a hard life . . . .
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Mrs Bonus and I have volunteered to help out at Stage 7 of the Enduro World Series when it comes here in a fortnight.
We're down for helping during the week with registrations and general admin, and over the racing weekend we'll be in the Paddock.
Looking forward to it :-)
We're down for helping during the week with registrations and general admin, and over the racing weekend we'll be in the Paddock.
Looking forward to it :-)
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
On Monday morning there was an "Enduro World Series 2018" meeting held by the local organisers (Ainsa Zona Zero staff) for people who have volunteered to help.
We went through the layout of the Expo, Paddock and parking areas etc - which will all be in the Castle grounds (up in Ainsa Old Town) and discussed what the various jobs would be that need doing.
Yesterday we were sent an up to date "schedule of events" which included maps of all the routes for the World Series stages that will be held over the weekend of the 22nd/23rd as well as the route for Fridays "Enduro Challenge" which is open to non professionals.
At the moment there are around 400 Pros riding and 80 non-Pros taking part in the challenge.
It's going to be amazing :-)
We went through the layout of the Expo, Paddock and parking areas etc - which will all be in the Castle grounds (up in Ainsa Old Town) and discussed what the various jobs would be that need doing.
Yesterday we were sent an up to date "schedule of events" which included maps of all the routes for the World Series stages that will be held over the weekend of the 22nd/23rd as well as the route for Fridays "Enduro Challenge" which is open to non professionals.
At the moment there are around 400 Pros riding and 80 non-Pros taking part in the challenge.
It's going to be amazing :-)
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
The Castle grounds in Ainsa where the EWS Expo and Paddock will be, are starting to take shape . . . .
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Helping out at Stage 7 of the Enduro World Series here in Ainsa . . . .
Our motto is "we'll tell you where to go....."
Our motto is "we'll tell you where to go....."
OP
OP
Bonus
Veteran
- Location
- Ainsa, Spain
Team Support vans arriving now . . .
