Like super-rugged mountain biking? Four of the toughest rides of your life
Rugged mountain bikers who have Iceland, Peru, Switzerland or British Columbia on their radar, take note.
Trek Travel, an active vacation company specializing in cycling vacations, has teamed up with Canadian-based Big Mountain Bike Adventures to off-road bike tours to these hilly climes.
Each mountain-biking excursion will feature a maximum of 10 guests, with two guides per trip, and includes full suspension Trek mountain bikes at no additional charge.
The Iceland trip lasts six days and will lead riders over rolling hills and mossy lava fields, by steaming fumaroles and bubbling hot mud baths, to spend nights in back-country huts. Set along the remote and rugged south coast of Iceland, mountain bikers will be able to take mid-ride dips in hot springs and natural warm rivers.
Highlights include a ride along Eldgjá, the largest volcanic canyon in the world, and a single-track descent from on top of the Bláfjöll (or Blue Mountains) range. The cost is $4,199 per person, based on double occupancy, and is offered July 3, 10, 17 and 31.
It’s not for the out-of-shape, however. Daily rides run between 10 and 30 miles with up to 2,300 feet of climbing and 3,100 feet of descending.
Trek Travel tours takes bicyclists on a six-day off-road adventure that includes stopping at Machu Picchu.
In Peru, cyclists can test their lungs on a seven-day, high-altitude mountain-biking trip through Peru’s remote Andean villages that also includes an excursion to the sacred Incan site Machu Picchu. The price is $4,199 per person and is offered Oct. 2, 9, 16 and 23.
The Swiss outing runs six days and includes some downhills that last more than an hour. It is based in Verbier and Zermatt, which boast the peaks of Monte Rosa and the famed Matterhorn, respectively.
Highlights include a descent into the 2,000-year-old village of Aosta, Italy, for dinner; a grand descent to the Rhone Valley with a dip in Sierre Lake; plus an epic one-hour 16,000-foot descent surrounded by 29 high mountain peaks.
The cost is $3,899 will run July 3, 10, 17 and 24. Daily rides vary from 20 to 31 miles with up to 3,700 feet of climbing and 16,000 feet of descent.
The British Columbia tour lasts six days and includes rides out of the mountainous Canadian valley towns of Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton.
Highlights include lift-access descents at the Whistler Ski Resort, as well as a journey to the South Chilcotin Mountains, where a float plane will transport riders to a remote paradise known for grizzly bears, big horn sheep, stunning scenery and great back-country trails.
The price is $3,899 and will be offered Aug. 14, 21, 28 and Sept. 4.
Info: Trek Travel, (866) 464-8735
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