Date: 15th to 22nd July 2006
Riders: Richard, Elliot, Will, Jeremy, Huey & Sue
Morzine, Les Gets and beyond, French Alps
Weather: 28-36°C

Saturday 15th July 2006
After only getting my shit together this moring and packing my bike around mid-day we take the afternoon flight to Geneva. You know, there's something to be said for living 35 minutes drive from Gatwick.

After an uneventful flight, Elliot's bike doesn't arrive at Geneva and while searching we bump into two guys and their girls who have flown in from Liverpool where Easyjet have booked too many bikes onto the plane and only one has arrived. Elliot is sweating but suddenly his bike pops out of the luggage department having been stuck behind the doors for half an hour.

A beer in the Ridge bar that night sees us bump into the group from Liverpool again - all looking forward to their first riding in the Alps.

Sunday 16th July 2006
An early start, buy the lift passes and up the Pleney lift for a couple of runs down the 'Bar Creperie' route back into Morzine. Very fast and fun but not so dangerous as the Pleney downhill course. You really need to get the feel of your bike and how well you can handle all that gravity that keeps pulling you down. Bump into the sole rider from the Liverpool party who has hooked up with some Irish guys and is loving the Pleney DH course.

We head over to Les Gets and the 4-x course there. Elliot has a bad day starting with a broken seatpost very early on. After buying a new one he then takes a flyer over the handlebars, shaking himself up and thinking he has broken his back but realises that he is lying in an electric fence that is sending 30v up and down his spine.

He heads off to buy himself a full facer (a very nice 661 lid) and after chatting to him over lunch I take the plunge too and buy a Phoenix lid. Fairly cheap but my little nut feels much safer cocooned inside there.

Elliot then has trouble with his brakes - I was never sure what the trouble was but he convinced himself to buy a new set of disc brakes at Morzine retail prices; So that's 400 Euros he's spent today - ouch!

Monday 17th July 2006
Will is our very own Alps guide and takes us on a tour of his personal favourites. Heading up Super Morzine and across towards Avoriaz we then head cross country to follow the Gully, Satan's Chute to Les Lindarets and then over to Chatel to play in the bike park. We return via GR5 discovering a fair amount of unmelted snow which keeps some of us happy for about 30 minutes.

We hear that our friend from Liverpool broke his forearm clean through on his third run down the Pleney course - first day!

Tuesday 18th July 2006
We attempt the Porte du Soleil but after only a few miles the party splits up due to a lack of communication and we waste an hour trying to find each including the advance party administering first aid to a badly smashed up French teenager who subsequently needs airlifting out we are never going to do the whole route but we plough on and still manage plenty of riding.

Once we make it into Switzerland Sue decides to go surfing face first down a nicley rocky part of the DH course and end up grazed, battered and bruised. Huey is the plaster master though and patches her up to allow her to limp home even with us putting her on the wrong ski-lift to get her down from Les Mossettes.

Whilst walking into Morzine that evening for a few beers a shout from a restaurant reveals Tim, who came out riding a number of times with us last year, on holiday with his family. I think I have persuaded his wife to let him come with us next year!

Wednesday 19th July 2006
Sue is a bit sore today and so Richard, Will, Elliot and Jeremy head to the Kona bike park in Les Gets via the Tennis Courts trail. We session the standard course before Will takes us off-piste again. We head down the Gnome trail, a great loamy loose trail with some steep descents before exiting out onto the DH trail again.

Up to the top of the Chevannes DH course on the other side of the valley where there is a timed descent being run and dozens of riders waiting their turn.

Again we head off-piste and do the tallywhacker trail befor ereturning to Morzine on the XC trail. Whilst pausing for breath we get passed by a red dialled bikes Prince Albert. we give chase and when we catch the other group up, discover it is Dan Lees of Chocolate foot/year-off work to travel fame. We agree to meet up for a few beers at the Ridge bar later with him and Claire...

Thursday 20th July 2006
The accumulation of the weeks riding is growing and its a slow start this morning. A number of us head different ways and I end up doing a couple of runs of Pleney before heading over to Les Gets and sessioning the new DH course there that leads into the 4X trail. I am really getting the trail dialled and getting faster every time I ride it.

In the afternoon we head up the Col de Ranfoilly and stake a claim on a spot just past the crest of the final climb. after a couple of hours of being entertained by Le Tour caravan and grabbing all the freebies we eventually get to see Floyd Landis on hi now infamous breakaway followed by the rest of the riders trailing over the climb spread out over roughly 40 minutes before the broom wagon sweeps through.

The now favourite XC return to Morzine followed by some hanging around all the team trailers watching the mechanics cleaning those expensive bikes with nothing more than washing up liquid and water followed by a blast of compressed air to dry certain parts.

Friday 21st July 2006
Will and Rich head up Super Morzine and across towards Avoriaz before coming back down Russell's backyard, one of the more famous 'hidden' trails. More messing around on the Les Gets side before I park myself just along from Le Boomerang to watch Le Tour fly past.

More sessioning of the trails with a final couple of runs down Pleney DH course where I do the whole run non-stop including all the 'expert' sessions including the 10%'er - my first attempt at this section of the course.

6-15 sees us finally turn towards home with a great weeks riding under our belts and I really felt that my riding improved, helped by the SX trail no doubt.

Saturday 22nd July 2006
The flight home and I bump into Tim again who's family are taking up about a third of the seats on the plane!

Here's a few photos to whet your appetite:

For more details click here for all the 2006 Alps photos

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