In a major development, both Grandvalira Bike Park and former UCI MTB World Cup hosts Vallnord Bike Park have teamed up - to sponsor Singletrack Safari Mountain Bike Holidays in order to promote Andorra as Europe’s hottest new riding destination. It is believed that this agreement is unique – never before have major bike parks and local tourist authorities come together to sponsor a UK holiday company to represent an entire country on their behalf.
Singletrack Safari are the only MTB holiday company operating in Andorra in the Pyrenees, where both bike parks are based – and we have been campaigning hard to promote the profile of the area as an emerging mountain biking destination since last year. The Bike Parks have asked Singletrack Safari to act as ambassadors for riding in Andorra – helping to spread the word about the region within the UK and further afield. The project also has the backing & support of the official tourist authority, Andorra Turisme.
Giant Team coach and former World Cup DH rider, Oscar Saiz, who is also the manager of Grandvalira Bike Park, says:
“I first met Martin and Georgina from Singletrack Safari in 2010, when I heard English voices in the Bike Park – and as we rarely get British visitors we quickly got to know each other! Singletrack Safari are genuinely passionate about Andorra, and are as keen as we are to show what an amazing place it is to ride. We really like the way they offer holidays for all types of bikers – whether you are a DH rider, or someone who wants to get out and ride our amazing natural all-mountain trails, they will really look after you - and show you the very best riding!”
We are incredibly proud to be heading this unique project up - we have loved riding in Andorra for years now, and as soon as we set up the company we knew it had to be one of our destinations. It’s really popular with riders from all over mainland Europe – particularly for DH riding – but most people within the UK have never even heard of it, let alone ridden there! Andorra offers world-class trails, enormous snow-capped mountains, amazing food, really friendly people, fantastic weather, VAT-free prices and – very importantly - a much longer season than you get in The Alps. The weather on this southern side of the Pyrenees mostly comes from neighbouring Spain – which means you can ride in warm, sunny weather pretty much from the end of May until the start of October!
Discussions with Grandvalira Bike Park began early in 2011, however once Vallnord Bike Park heard about the idea of using Singletrack Safari to attract more riders from the UK they immediately wanted to get involved too, and the project grew significantly in its ambitions. Vallnord, which hosted rounds of the UCI DH World Cup in 2008 and 2009 is well known as the home and training ground of MTB superstar Cedric Gracia, and the head offices of bike company Commencal are located at the foot of the trails too.
Top Spanish DH/ 4X rider and head of Vallnord Bike Park’s school, Roger Gonzalez adds:
“Singletrack Safari is a really exciting, professional company, and they want to help all English-speaking riders understand our amazing country. It’s crazy to think that we are incredibly famous as a destination for Spanish and French bikers but remain a mystery within the UK! We want British mountain bikers to try something new instead of simply visiting the Alps or Spain every year. Our Bike Parks are amongst the best in the world – our prices are low, but temperatures are high and the runs are long, but the queues are short! With Singletrack Safari’s guiding staff you can get out and explore our wild, unspoilt natural trails too...and I hear rumours that they are also planning to introduce heli-biking soon, which will open up some incredible riding!”
Singletrack Safari will receive a variety of support and funding through both bike parks and Andorra Tourism to help market and expand the principality’s profile, and bring an ever increasing number of British riders to Andorra. Bookings for Andorra in 2011 are already more than double that of last year, and it seems set to be our most popular destination ahead of The Alps and Spain – to the extent that we have added two extra weeks of availability to their calendar to support demand.
2011 will see a variety of profile-growing activities take place, with Singletrack Safari co-ordinating efforts; from special advertising, to journalists visiting to experience Singletrack Safari holidays, logo sharing on everything from websites to t-shirts and competitions to win holidays in Andorra. Singletrack Safari will be named as an “Official Partner” on the Bike Park websites, and our logos are set to feature on some of the official park clothing and even trail maps. Additionally Singletrack Safari staff will sport both Bike Parks’ clothing as they travel around the trails of Europe!
Additionally guests are set to receive special edition Singletrack Safari Andorra t-shirts, plus exclusive deals on lift passes, and we will establish an extra-special week where clients will receive coaching from local pro riders such as Oscar Saiz at Grandvalira and Spanish National Champion and Top Spanish pro Roger Gonzales, head of the Vallnord MTB School. The week will also include commemorative gifts and nights out with the pros – and lucky guests may be joined by Cedric Gracia too!
From 2012 the partnership plans to be able to offer a choice of budget DH-specific holidays in Andorra via the Singletrack Safari website, in addition to our successful fully guided package. The DH specific holidays will allow gravity-focussed riders to easily and securely book non-guided Bike Park packages inclusive of accommodation, transfers and lift passes.
The current Singletrack Safari holiday in Andorra allows riders to explore everything from incredible natural “all-mountain” singletrack to play days in the Bike Parks, in the company of fully qualified guiding staff - whilst enjoying top-quality hotel accommodation and a range of great extras, such as off-bike guiding to the best restaurants and bars in the evenings, to free mechanical support, free photography and travel in the company’s luxury vehicles – riders even get a free, fully edited video of their week on the trails published on our popular youtube channel!
We’re so excited to be at the head of this initiative – our bookings are clearly showing that the message about Andorra’s amazing mountain biking is starting to get through to the UK market – we are heavily booked right through to September, which shows how keen UK riders are to explore new riding destinations. With this fantastic new support from Grandvalira and Vallnord I am certain that we will see Andorra starting to become a major player in the European riding scene within the next couple of years!
Tags: 2011 Season, andorra, In the Press!, sponsors
