Morzine, French Alps
Saturday 28th June 2003 saw 10 intrepid mountain bikers arrive in Morzine in the French Alps to sample a week of some of the best riding Europe has to offer.
Thanks to Chris Metcalfe and Endless Ride, we found ourselves in a gorgeous chalet in Morzine town centre, with just a few minutes walk separating us from food, drink and most importantly, the chair lifts! The week ahead consisted of some awesome riding, with Chris leading us on routes which had been his backyard trails just last summer. Two days of blisteringly hot and sunny weather were followed by showers during the middle of the week, finally ending in some true downpours on Thursday and Friday - not that this put us off riding of course! A French and Swiss variety of full on downhill courses, technical paths, swoopy fire roads and cross country routes, with a couple of significant climbs thrown in for good measure, kept us occupied during the week. Even the virtually unrideable sections of trail above Morgins, including some North Shore ramps, provided laughs - so much so in fact, that sliding down some sections on our arses was the only feasible option!
The variety of riding was enjoyed by all, with the wannabe-DH (no offence guys!) posse heading off to do their own crazy thang for a couple of afternoons, while the rest of us found some flat and even short uphill sections to remind us how unfit we really were. Although crashes seemed fewer and farther between than last year's Les Gets trip, the body armour bought or owned by most of the riders was called into use on several occasions. These included Graham's attempts to throw himself off the edge of paths into absurdly deep ravines (luckily caught on the 1st attempt by a fence and the 2nd by a tree!), James' inability to steer and use the front brake simultaneously and Phil's miscellaneous wipeouts! The mud later in the week proved highly amusing too, with the inability to steer and/or brake experienced by all.
Thanks to the cordon bleu (well, almost) cooking skills of the group, we were treated to some superb meals over the course of the week, whilst kitchen-bitch-Phil Gradwell looked after most of the housekeeping duties. Attempts at barbecues were semi-successful, with the Thursday night effort consisting of more an oven-cooked - barbecue-smoked feel than the good old charcoal sausages effect of the usual student barbie! Wednesday saw us sample some proper local cuisine in Morzine, with Phil and Roger bravely attempting Raclette, a local delicacy comprising meat, a very large cheese and a two bar electric fire (really!). While Pete and James attacked their fondue (bread and more cheese!) alongside, Phil and Roger were eventually beaten by the mammoth feast before them. At the other end of the table, however, a minor miracle occurred with Martin declaring "I'm full" (yes, it is possible!) after devouring a small cow. A few brave souls then ventured onwards to the bar next door, with the dance floor (and all six dancers on it), providing much entertainment, particularly when enhanced by Tom's attempts to get it on with a German (probably) woman (probably/we hope!). Unfortunately and to the disappointment of all those watching, he failed.
Overall, a fantastic week, summed up with a few awards:
- Guinness Book of Records softest rear shock ever - Andy Robson (with attempts to copy this new trend by Pete Thomas towards the end of the week)
- Most crazy riding - Dan Schiff - v-brakes in the Alps?!!!
- Most realistic overtaking sound effects - Phil Gradwell
- Miscellaneous & random crashing - James Dymond
- Lamest stack - Chris Metcalfe (falling over while standing still astride bike and explaining next section of XC route!)
- Encountering most unusual obstacle - Phil Gradwell - electric fence on Swiss DH course!
- Eating (quantity and regularity) - Martin Brand
- Yoghurt eating - Andy Robson
- Kitchen bitch - Phil Gradwell
- Heinous crimes against (bike) fashion - Andy Robson (closely followed by James Dymond)
- Groovy dancing - Graham Sinclair and Tom McKay.
Video clip of trail below Avoriaz thanks to Chris Metcalfe: http://www.jdymond.freeserve.co.uk/chrism_morzine03.mpg
James Dymond. 07/07/03