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I am seeking riders for a trip next early November as well. (2024) 5 Star level accomodations and food, the absolute best trails on offer.
Only requirements are to be a strong rider, and have a radiantly positive attitude! Nothing but great trails and great vibes!
(It will be my 13th trip down there to ride, I know some stuff ;);)
Is there no requirement to pay for said trip??? If so….Quote:
Originally Posted by rideit
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Well, the price depends a bit on group size. I max out at eight. Six costs a bit more, but is ideal dynamics-wise.
The guided portions of the trip generally run ~$300 (can vary) a day. This includes insanely amazing lodging, private chef, laundry every night, breakfast, dinner, guides (2), transportation and logistics for the ride days, snacks, and other things.
Disclosure: I don’t really make any money off of putting these trips together, it generally just offsets my costs. However, I can offer these trips at very reasonable prices due to my relationships there, built over 22 years of going down there.
Flights from the US generally run ~$1k, flights to Cusco are usually about $200 round trip.
There is an option for a day to Machu Picchu, that is usually about $300 for the day.
I would be happy to go over any other details and answer any questions!
There are *some* nice bike rentals available, but honestly, it's a crap shoot.
I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend bringing your own bike for the finest experience, it will be some of the hardest and most rewarding riding of your life.
And to be able to handle altitude! Riding and some pushing at 4500m+Quote:
Originally Posted by rideit
Or even higher! (We have ridden as high as 5,500 metres).Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeLau
A little celebrating in the evening is O.K., but these are NOT places/trails that you want to be hungover or out of shape for, LOL!
Those prices are very reasonable I feel. Perhaps in 2 years for my 40th I can convince the wife I deserve it….
What’s a stereotypical bike? I saw a megatower in the photos. Fast, flowy downs or more on the tech side??
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Hard to describe, but you will use every mm of whatever travel you bring with you. ‘Enduro Bike’ country, for sure. Lots of rocks, ledges, relentless Inka and pre-Inka stair steps, which are square edged for many hundreds of feet at a time. Sure, people can ride a ‘Trail’ bike, but it would greatly limit your speed and fun. Climbing prowess is basically irrelevant, but a true DH bike would kinda suck for a lot of it.
I bring a 170/170 coil Altitude, 223mm rotors, DH casing tires ( a MUST, for me and most guides, YMMV) on the rear at least), and possibly Cushcore or another liner. YOU WILL NOT REGRET THAT DECISION.
Many of the rides are ~5k descents with (at most) a few hundred feet of climbing. Almost all climbing involves hike-a-bike, so no real penalty for a more descent oriented bike.
(This applies to the shuttle trails, if you want to climb 20% grades above 3000 metres, I can make that happen!)
Caveat, this is my opinion, of course, I would love to hear other impressions about suitable bikes from others, Lee? Smokan?
Rideit- the pic was from El Pastor above Cusco, right at the very top where it's tight singletrack and pretty mellow. I agree with your bike choice- I would want nothing less than 150mm of travel here with very modern geometry. I'm riding my 170/165 Forbidden Dreadnought, and the smallest amount of travel in our crew is 160mm (a GG Gnarvana).
Sandbox- the trails are (or can be?) super technical. Some very steep sections, lots of chunk, lots of tight corners, and some major exposure. And that was only yesterday, my understanding is there's lots more to come. I would rate yesterday's trails as solid "BC blacks" with maybe a handful of short double black sections.
Oh, man, you are in for a treat. Bring your big-boy stoke!
This is all very very tempting!
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Ugh so many possible trips! I may be going to TSN again next year but if not the Peru trip would be amazing.
Duuuuuuude, you are always invited.
(But I know you are really going for the mushrooms, mezcal, and shitty internet) :FIREdevil
FWIW, my experience in both Oaxaca and Peru is very limited thus far, but if you're going primarily for mountain biking Oaxaca doesn't hold a candle to Peru.Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian
Oaxaca certainly has its charms culturally, but as to the riding….no comparison.
One thing about Perú that needs to be explained is the nature of the trails, and why it is so incredibly different than anywhere else. These trails principally follow either Inca and pre-Inca routes. (The Incans built an extensive trail network of an estimated of almost 25,000 miles, no one knows for sure) These routes provided transportation for goods They were also used as messaging routes, like the Pony Express. There were no wheels, of course, so everything was on foot. As such, the idea of a manageable grade was really up to how strong the
locals were, and they were willing to die to show how tough and fast they could be.
As such, many of these trails (called the Capaç Ñan in Quechua) took the most direct route possible. Often this would be up and down drainages, of course, but also straight the fuck over 16-17,000 foot passes.
The end result, which we ride today, are pure, perfect DH trails. Sure, some were routed more gently with the introduction of horses and burros, but you get the gist.
These trails are not exactly on public property, but also not exactly on private property, either. So currently, the status of what we ride is somewhat murky, at best. In most cases, these trails are ‘public’ right of ways for everybody, but usually under the (loose) jurisdiction of a local collective (sort of a county, but not as official).
They cross through 15 (?) or so of the microclimates that exist on earth, so the sheer variety is stunning. There are generally no trail groups, trail builders, maintenance, or ‘improvements’ of any kind, except in a few very localized spots, such as Lamay, Pachacámac, Playa Asia, and one zone near Cajamarca. (Porcon). (There was some building done for the old MegaAvalanche route, but I don’t think it is currently maintained).
This makes the rides a patchwork quilt of different types of trails and terrain, as it goes through different zones. Sometimes you will feel as if you are going through someone’s yard, and sometimes as if you are on the edge of the earth. It is NOT a sanitized bike-park, flowy experience!
This is testament to the engineering genius of the Inca builders, as we ride the very same stairs and abutments that they built many hundreds of years ago.
I will continue my explanation if anyone is interested, there is lots more to share about why it is so unique! (And I have been deep diving into this, and learning more every day).
You had me at hello.
This has been added to the list for sure.
This is a cool endeavor!
We tend to take more winter trips but we’ll have to put a trip like this on our list.
And for others considering I can attest that rideit is good riding company [emoji1]
A few from my experience earlier this month.
Its not Apex, but I still enjoyed it. Trails were rugged, and definitely bring the adult bike, and the most braking you can. Fat tires with insert. And your balls you forgot that you once had.
The people were as rugged as the trails. The roads were narrow, and driving was a different level (city and country). The food was incredibly rich in flavor, and the very fresh. Very high and dry desert, and an amazingly minor variation of temperature with elevation.
Can't wait for '24
Cusco flighthttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...629fa8b426.jpg
Sacred Valley, yo
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YEAH, WKD-RDR!
I forgot about the jumping jacks (sorta) at almost 15k!
You gonna bring more mushroom chocolates?
So if I’m being honest with myself….a lot of Oaxaca was at the edge of what I was comfortable riding sight unseen, which is probably why I found it so fun. So I’m not sure I would want more exposed, tech-ier, steeper.
Sounds like Peru most likely isn’t for me? Looks awesome though.
Hell, ZZZ, I think you are a decade younger than me, SEND IT, BRO! :D:eek::FIREdevil
(So, I have been thinking about this, Peru is somewhere that should be done while we still have some tech riding chops. Warren said it best: "Do it now, or you will be one more year older when you do")
I am also strongly considering TSN next year, but Peru with rideit is also high on my list if I don't do the race. I got a little taste of Oaxaca on a non-race tour this past April... then a buddy that was on that trip ALSO did TSN and basically said if you want to ride the *real* goods in Oaxaca you kinda have to commit to the race. So... yeah.Quote:
Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian
Peru on RideIt's program looks awesome and I'm giving it serious consideration for next year.
W what are the weather and temps like down there that time of year?
I would agree re the bikes you need for Peru. I brought a 150mm travel bike and it was fine. At least 2 sets of brake pads and new tires. Get your brakes bled. If you have any bubbles or air in the line you will have more issues as the rarefied air causes more air in the line issues.
As for Oaxaca vs Peru. I thought Oaxaca's trails were better than Lima or Cusco (have not ridden Huarez). But only due to variety
More on this from perspective as trailbuilder and rider in BC.
- Oaxaca has purpose built bike trails that are loamy and routed for bikes at the higher elevations of 3300m to 2800m. Cusco generally didn't.
- Perus trails had a tad more foot and cow and animal traffic at lower elevations than Oaxaca
- Perus trails had higher starting elevation thus true alpine. Oaxaca doesn't.
If you can do the tougher Oaxaca trails blind you can do tougher Peru trails blind.
- the food in both countries is indescribably good
All of this IMO.
All great contributions. Beaterdit: where we ride is roughly equatorial, so basically no snow ever below about 17,000 feet. (there is occasional sleet and hail, but fairly rare to actually stick on the ground.) Usually you ride with clothes for an October day on Monarch. Maybe about 40-45 degrees up above 14k (usually warmer, though) maybe 70-75 down at 7k or 8k. It's pretty consistent.
Yes, Oaxaca has some excellent trails. TSN is pretty ridiculous, and yes, you do hit almost all of it in the race.
One of the things I love about the Peru thing is how raw and unridden the terrain is, it's just a totally different experience. But one that should really, REALLY be on every serious rider's 'must do' list, IMO.
Oaxaca (city) does have great food, but the food up at camp during TSN was really, really bland IMO.
I think you can enjoy Perú a LOT more than TSN if you aren't in true 'racing' shape, it was some of the most brutal back to back days I have ever done with all of the climbing.
But the ridiculous party atmosphere of TSN certainly has its...charms?
FT: I believe you can certain ride 'all' of the goods in Oaxaca without doing TSN, you just need the guides that would like to shred all day as well.
Re: weather.... I'm here in Peru right now and it's basically perfect. During the rides it's probably 50-60 up high (14-15k') and gets fairly warm in the valley bottoms, 70* or so. There have been storms all over the place, but we've been lucky and have only been rained on a little bit. Still have 5-6 more days of riding to go - I'm here with Wandering Wheels (based in Revy), Matt also knows what he's doing down here.
Awesome, Smokan, hopefully I can meet him sometime, I would love to chat about stuff.
Would you mind adding some pictures in this thread?
Edit: Checked out Wandering Wheels, looks super-tight! We definitely hit similar classics, they have a couple I haven’t ridden, and we have a couple vise-versa.
My trips we generally stay at my friend’s stupid deluxury (heh…I just made that up) home, (near Yucay, Sacred Valley) so it’s a ‘home base’, but I am exploring another great luxury option for Cusco so we have a bit more night life.
But at the house we have cooks, maids, drivers, and possibly an on call mechanic. (Also access to my friend Bryan’s (Gringo Bryan) bike shop in Lamay, El Bike Project).
https://elbikeproject.com/
How big is your group, Smokan, and is it mixed?
Rideit, do you know Roberto, he owns Peru Biking in Cusco? He was in Guatemala riding with us when we were there last month. A bit crazy but a great rider. Some of you should really consider giving Guatemala a look too. It sounds similar to Peru- old, unmaintained trails that are steep as shit and go through all kinds of different flora and fauna, sometimes starting well above 10K. Maybe if I have time I'll start a new thread and post some pics.
I don’t think I have met him, but I have heard of him. I am always looking to network, though!
Do you know his full name?
Do you mind starting a new thread for Guatamala?
I look forward to it!
I find your lack of pix disturbingQuote:
Originally Posted by smmokan
^^^ agreed but I’m remiss, still haven’t posted many pics from my Switzerland trip.
Anyhow I’m like 90% in for this for next November. Sounds like a bucket list trip.
Yess!
Love to hear what you think of Guatemala. Did a trip in 2017. Had some OK trails but nothing I was crazy about. Seemed more like gravel with mixed doubletrack interspersed with singletrack.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenboy
Would be good to see a different perspective
I don't have a camera or cell phone with me most days... I'm not really into it when I'm not running trips back home. I just want to experience the rides and the culture in the moment. That, and I'm riding with my friend Alex who's the Singletrack Sampler on YouTube, and he's going to create 8 videos afterwards... so I'll have plenty of shit to show friends/family.
Rideit- our group is 5 riders, but was supposed to be 8 until three people cancelled in the last month. I didn't have any part in organizing clients, I just signed up earlier in the year and then tried to get friends to join me.
Got it. Thanks for the reply! I’m not great about the pics, either, I am lucky to get the ones I get. Have fun today!
I’ve been around some of the wandering wheels crew in Revy ( just seen them on some trails and in the lot) and they have all been good people. They have a little store front in DT Revy as well. They seem to put together some solid trips.
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I would also say that Matt of Wandering Wheels does a lot of work supporting trails in Revelstoke and is a really good community guy. Just adding this if that's important to a considerationQuote:
Originally Posted by Sandbox
LOL, that sounds very... familiar...
:FIREdevil;)
All of this chatter has me interested. It might even be worth shuttling for the first time in my life...