As soon as we got back to the Pyrenees, the first thing I wanted to do was ride the Spanish bike park of La Molina(sponsored by Kona), and just 40 minutes from home.
The first impression is great with a big car park, perfectly clean and organised, very nice and helpful staff and a modern and quick cable car...a good start!
Once on the tracks, that first impression is reinforced, everything is really pleasant and well thought out. No massive berms or motorway style tracks here, but singletracks taking as much advantage of the terrain as possible. In fact the ground is so rocky and dusty that the shapers seem to struggle building anything based on dirt, the few berms that we came across were either, trashed or covered with wood or even plastic! Most of the jumps are made of wood but very well shapped non the less.
All the tracks join towards the bottom at the "wood park", which is a flatter area where a few lines have been built with different wooden obstacles and table tops, all really fun to ride.
We managed to ride pretty much every thing apart from one of the blacks that we didn’t manage to find, even with the trail map! Apart from the green track (a gravely fire road, which was very disapointing), this is a great spot with one of the highlights the blue track, a not so steep singletrack swooping it’s way down around trees and over roots... you could even add extra fun and keep going all the way down to Alp, 1000m below! This place is very much aimed at experienced riders though, I’m not sure beginners would have as much fun up there...
Finally some great initiatives worth noting, there is a beginner area you can use without a lift, off road adapted bikes for disabled riders available for rent with access to the lift and bike park, and last but not least, if you come with your good lady, she will get a free lift pass... how is that for gallantry?!!
