LUCHON - FRENCH PYRENEES

ESCAPE THE CONCRETE TRAILS OF LIFE....discover Luchon, the 'Queen of the Pyrenees'.

Hidden within the trees, overlooking Luchon’s valley floor is AQR’s mountain biking playground. There are trails for all fitness levels and abilities. Every ride offers panoramic views and breathtaking scenery, along with the crisp pyrenean mountain air to invigorate your senses.

Every mountain bike trail imaginable is found here in Luchon - 

*Never ending single track.

*Rooty and rocky trails winding up and down the mountainside.

*Switchbacks galore.

*Fast and flowy or slow and technical or a mixture.

*Wider trails you can gently roll down or attack quickly for that extra adrenalin buzz.

*Gentler riding on the valley floor or along the tree lined river.

*There is a 1200m lift with an endless choice of down hill routes and cross country loops for AQR to guide you on.

AQR guides will take you on a variety of trails that aim to test you without terrifying you according to the holiday programme of your choosing and your ability.

LUCHON, FRENCH PYRENEES……Single Track Heaven

AQR~Luchon 2012 will be open for guiding on the following weeks -

5 - 9 APRIL           EASTER MTB WEEK

28 APRIL - 5 MAY  XC CHALLENGE OR EASY 

26 MAY - 2 JUNE    XC CHALLENGE OR EASY

2 - 9 JUNE            ROAD CYCLING WEEK

7 - 14 JULY           XC CHALLENGE OR EASY

14 - 21 JULY         TOUR DE FRANCE WEEK (XC CHALLENGE OR EASY)

7 - 17 AUGUST     DAY TRIPS ONLY XC OR LIFT ASSISTED

18 - 25 AUGUST   XC OR LIFT ASSISTED WEEK

25 AUGUST - 1 SEPTEMBER   XC OR LIFT ASSISTED WEEK 

15 - 22 SEPTEMBER              XC CHALLENGE OR EASY

22 - 29 SEPTEMBER              XC CHALLENGE OR EASY

*Please contact AQR if you have a special guiding request that falls outside of these dates or if you have a special cycling adventure in mind that AQR may be able to support you with. 

AQR GUIDED RIDING OPTIONS

Mountain Bike XC EASY:

E.Z.X.C is our chilled out mountain bike guiding suitable for all fitness levels and abilities. These trails are less physically and technically demanding, plus there are plenty of photo opportunities to be had along the way.

NOTE - As with all our programmes there are easy and hard options available on different sections of the trail. Your guides will point out these options during the ride, so there will be an opportunity to test yourself on certain technical or physically demanding trails if you desire.

E.Z.X.C TUITION is to help you get the most out of each ride and to ensure safety on the trail. Guests who choose E.Zee.X.C will be taken through basic mountain biking skills during the first day of riding. AQR guides will continue to assist you at any time to improve your skills so that you become more confident riding in the mountains.

E.Z.X.C is recommended to mountain bikers new to the sport or anyone who doesn't want such long days in the saddle. As with all our programmes we can be flexible and change parts of the programme to suit different abilities within the group.

MOUNTAIN BIKE XC CHALLENGE:

XC CHALLENGE will test you! At times your fitness and skill on a mountain bike will be challenged, whilst providing maximum grin factor along the way.

XC CHALLENGE TRAILS are not for the faint hearted. Be prepared to climb high and descend down amazing single track that never wants to stop. Learn the art of riding steep switchbacks and rocky trails with grace and confidence.

NOTE - As with all our programmes AQR guides offer both EASY and HARD options. There will also be opportunities to session certain trails that have difficult sections, before attempting a clean run. Due to the nature of this programme we recommend body armour be worn on the descents, which can be provided if required.

XC CHALLENGE TUITION is to help you get the most out of each ride and ensure safety on the trail. AQR guides will teach you advanced trail technique to bring your skills on in leaps and bounds. AQR guides will help you to overcome any obstacle by teaching you the tricks of the trail which will inspire confidence so that you return home a much more skilled and competent rider. The first day will prepare you for the week ahead and give you a taste of what’s to come.

MOUNTAIN BIKE LIFT ASSISTED:

LIFT ASSISTED means no climbing unless you really want it! The programme is lift assisted, whether that be by van or chair lift. AQR guides will take you down all their favourite descents across the Luchon valley and from the top of the Superbagneres (1820m), the largest accessible vertical drop in the Pyrenees (1200m).

LIFT ASSISTED TRAILS incorporate a wide range of descents from slow and technical to fast and furious. The single track is like no other in Europe as you face switchbacks and berms that every school of rider can enjoy. As with all our programmes we will offer both easy and hard options for you to choose from. AQR guides will not take you down any descent they don’t think you will enjoy, but at the same time test riders who want to challenge themselves all the way down…

LIFT ASSISTED TUITION is to help you get the most out of each ride and ensure safety on the trail. AQR guides can teach you the secrets of speed and flow on the trail, as well as how to ride some of the steepest switchbacks in Luchon.

NOTE – The lift is open every day in July and August. Due to the nature of this program we recommend body armour and full face helmets to be worn. Body armour can be provided for you if required.

ROAD CYCLING ALLEZ VELO:

ALLEZ VELO is our road cycling programme that takes advantage of the numerous cols and mountain passes that are regularly used each year in the Tour de France. Right on our doorstep is the bottom of the Col de Peyresourde, and just around the corner you have several other famous cols. However at AQR we also know great rides through sleepy villages with rolling hills if you don’t fancy such long climbs on your ride.

ALLEZ VELO ROUTES are graded from 1-5 according to your fitness level and how long you want to ride for each day. A rough programme will be discussed at the beginning of the week to ensure you are happy with the planned route. At 10am each morning there will be a short group meeting to ensure everyone is happy with the chosen ride of the day. Allez Velo is very flexible and can be altered upon request. A support vehicle can also be arranged if members of the group wish to have some time out along the way.

NOTE – There will be a small charge if the support vehicle is required.

GUESTS FEEDBACK

"Superb, well chosen, varied and good for improving technique."

"Excellent, on other guided holidays the rides have been much shorter. This week was great as the rides were all day with proper lunch stops."

"As a non mountain biker the town and surroundings provided plenty to do on my own. Maybe Russ could consider offering one or two days of cookery lessons :).”