There's lots of places to eat and drink in La Massana to suit all moods and budgets – and one of our faves is frequented by someone you may very well have heard of.....a certain Mr. Cedric Gracia - and you are very likely to bump into him a few times during the course of the week! There's also a number of bike shops which all have a great range of stock – and many specialize in hiring DH bikes and equipment if you are an XC rider who fancies dabbling with gravity for a day!
A Little More Detail
Not only does Cedric live here, Commencal's head office is in the town - and for good reason. La Massana sits at the foot of the increasingly famous Vallnord Bike Park, which offers a brilliant selection of trails, including a World Cup course, and some challenging natural XC routes too. We'll give you plenty of time to ride here – it's a very accessible place, with trails to suit all abilities, and it's expanding rapidly – in fact it increased in size by about 30% last year! There's also a second Bike Park – Grandvalira - a few miles to the east at the winter sports town of Soldeu - its a total contrast to Vallnord, with long, sweeping runs on forest-free open slopes. If Bike Park riding really fires your imagination then it's also possible for us to plan in a day's riding at La Molina*, located to the south over the border in Spain. This is the country's premier man-made resort, open mid June to September and we'll need to make an early start to reach it!
However, don't mistakenly think that Andorra is all about man-made riding – the quantity and quality of the natural trails is staggering! Over the many years we have spent riding natural trails in Andorra we have learned how difficult it is to find routes which are suitable for biking – as the maps are often appalling. Don't worry – we have spent hours and hours wandering around in thick forests so that you don't have to! We have a repertoire of routes here which will blow you away, such as the amazing "Balcony and the Basement" route, which is almost entirely singletrack - this contours up a stunning valley high above the treeline, before diving off the mountain side down to the valley floor, where you continue descending for several hours back to the van! Or perhaps our "Big Cat" ride which descends 20km from the head of a valley at 2300m to our hotel over 1000m below! You will spend much of your time deep in ancient forests, occasionally bursting out into high meadows with incredible sweeping views. The singletrack in Andorra is sinuous, plentiful and at times very technical – as the valley sides drop very sharply to the valley floor in places.
Fantastic Accommodation
Our accommodation in Andorra is in a very good quality 3 star hotel, which really feels more like 4 star accommodation with great facilities including a swimming pool, sports facilities and wireless internet access. The hotel's restaurant has a particularly good reputation locally, and there's also a comfortable, traditionally styled lounge and bar.
A short bus journey sees you in the capital; La Vella – where you can make the most of the 
thousands of duty free shops or enjoy the famous Spa Baths, housed in the city's most impressive modern building.
The format for this week will see you riding for at least 5 days - at most times fully guided; although the Bike Park riding may not require a guide we'll be on hand to point you in the direction of the best runs and suggest itineraries, showing you how to make the most of your time at each resort.
*- a small extra fuel charge will apply
