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Bike Travel

stinky6

Monkey
Dec 24, 2004
517
0
Monroe
I just back from a long trip in Costa Rica and it really made me want to travel somewhere next winter with my bike. Where would you go and why? I'm thinking Chile/Argentina, New Zealand or Australia. I'm from the PNW, which is probably on of the best places in the world for riding, but not so great in the winter months.
Thanks
 

jcook90

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2006
1,211
1
Connecticut
Little off topic, but where'd you go in Costa Rica? I've been there a couple times (like 5) for surf trips and we always go to Nosara, about a few hours south of Tamarindo.
 

stinky6

Monkey
Dec 24, 2004
517
0
Monroe
I spent a month in Mal Pais/Santa Teresa. I was also in Puerto Viejo (no surfing there), Popoyo, Nicaragua and just a little north or San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. I was surfing most of the time, but there were a few weeks when it was either flat or too big for me.
 
how long ago did you get back?
it was offshore at Playa Negra and Marbella for the past few weeks... (when isnt it?)

i have spent some time down there because my grandparents have property in both those places and i am in heaven when i look to the west and see perfect surf and to the east and see insane DH oppourtunities... i personally would like to go there to ride, ive heard there are trails around, but the only thing that would sketch me out is all of the Carne Asuela plants everywhere and it seems like every tree in the prime areas has ginormous thorns all over it...

i also really want to go to Western Australia for the same two reasons and more... killer surf, seemingly endless possibilities for DH and MX, roots culture, etc.


its funny how San Juan del Sur is really like the only town on the whole friggin West coast of Nicaragua... and with all of the potential surfing in all the coves, bays, rivermouths etc. just north of the Nicaragua/Costa border, i'm surprised at how little traffic that town gets...
 
personally I would want to go to Switzerland, you would have to do summer though.
Look up BuckoW, (ben walker) he runs a chalet in the Alps on the French/Swiss boarder in Morgins, Switzerland that caters to mountain bikers. It's called 'le Chalet de Ben' He's at the base of a bunch of chairlifts, has wicked skills on a bike, and is just generally an all around good guy. I definately want to go at some point, probably when I stop wasting all my money on racing.

As for a winter trip, New Zealand, Austrailia, Chile, and Argentina all sound pretty epic.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
I just back from a long trip in Costa Rica and it really made me want to travel somewhere next winter with my bike. Where would you go and why? I'm thinking Chile/Argentina, New Zealand or Australia. I'm from the PNW, which is probably on of the best places in the world for riding, but not so great in the winter months.
Thanks
NZ is a great choice. Christchurch, Rotorua or Queenstown are all solid choices. Theres a few others in the south island, post up on vorb.org.nz thats what I did before I went over there.
 

stinky6

Monkey
Dec 24, 2004
517
0
Monroe
personally I would want to go to Switzerland, you would have to do summer though.
Switzerland would be cool, but the idea is ride all summer in the PNW then go somewhere in the winter. I will probably make it over to Europe in the next 5 or 6 years, but it is a little way out.
 

stinky6

Monkey
Dec 24, 2004
517
0
Monroe
anyone have any knowledge of Western Australia?

Stinky6, Australia and NZ seem like good options for how you would like it to work considering how the seasons are reversed to us due to the hemispheres....
I met a guy from Australia that had spent a few months in West Oz and he said the surfing was sick, but he didn't ride bikes so I don't know about that. Did Red Bull sponsor a road trip to West Oz that had a bunch of footage in Disorder 5? Reenies section I think.