MTB spots
From alpine bike parks served by chairlift to quieter forest singletrack, here are the mountain bike playgrounds worth the detour. Each guide states the technical level required, the real elevation gain of a typical loop, and the best riding windows.
Cycling Mount Trebević from Sarajevo: up to the abandoned Olympic bobsled track
Climb Mount Trebević from Sarajevo: around 10 km up to the abandoned bobsled track from the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Gravel riding in Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal's only one
Gravel riding in Peneda-Gerês National Park from Caldas do Gerês: forest tracks, granite villages and reservoir lakes, Portugal's only national park.
Mountain biking at Åre, the Swedish resort that hosted the World Cup
MTB guide to Åre in Jämtland: a chairlift-served bike park, host of UCI World Cup rounds, practical tips.
Mountain biking at Ballyhoura, southern Ireland's great singletrack network
MTB guide to Ballyhoura, between Cork and Limerick: waymarked forest singletrack, rideable year-round, practical tips.
Mountain biking at Flims Laax, the great Graubünden bike park
MTB guide to Flims Laax in Graubünden: a gondola-served bike park with trails for all levels, practical tips for a ride in the Surselva.
Mountain biking at Hafjell, the former Olympic site turned bike park
MTB guide to Hafjell near Lillehammer: a chairlift-served bike park, host of the 2014 UCI World Championships, practical tips.
Mountain biking at Jasná, the great Low Tatras resort
MTB guide to Jasná below Chopok, in the Low Tatras: a chairlift-served bike park, practical tips for a summer ride.
Mountain biking at Kitzbühel, from alpine skiing to a Tyrolean bike park
MTB guide to Kitzbühel in Tyrol: a gondola-served bike park with trails for all levels, practical tips for a summer ride.
Mountain biking at Levi, in Finnish Lapland, beyond the Arctic Circle
MTB guide to Levi in Lapland: a chairlift-served bike park, the midnight sun, practical tips for a summer ride.
Mountain biking at Métabief, the Haut-Doubs bike park
MTB guide to Métabief in the Jura: a chairlift-served bike park with DH and enduro trails in the forest, levels and practical tips.
Mountain biking at Plan de Corones (Kronplatz), Dolomites
MTB guide to the Plan de Corones bike park in the Dolomites: lift-served trails, levels, and tips for a ride in South Tyrol.
Mountain biking at Pohorje, Maribor's forested massif
MTB guide to Pohorje near Maribor: a gondola-served bike park with forest singletrack, practical tips for a ride in Slovenia.
Mountain biking at Špindlerův Mlýn, queen resort of the Czech Krkonoše
MTB guide to Špindlerův Mlýn in the Krkonoše Mountains: mountain singletrack, a national park, practical tips for a summer ride.
Mountain biking at Szklarska Poręba, in the Giant Mountains
MTB guide to Szklarska Poręba, in the Karkonosze massif: mountain singletrack, chairlift access, practical tips.
Mountain biking at Vallnord Bike Park, Pal-Arinsal (Andorra)
MTB guide to Vallnord Bike Park in Andorra: chairlift-served terrain, trail levels and tips for a day out in the mountains.
Mountain biking at Verbier, the 4 Vallées alpine resort
MTB guide to Verbier in Valais: a gondola-served bike park with trails for all levels, practical tips for a ride in the 4 Vallées.
FranceMountain biking in Chamonix: at the foot of Mont Blanc
MTB guide to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc: cable cars, high-altitude alpine trails, skill level required and tips for riding facing Europe's highest peak.
Mountain biking in Finale Ligure, Italy's enduro mecca
MTB guide to Finale Ligure in Liguria: historic trails, technical terrain, required level and tips for a ride on the Italian Riviera.
Mountain biking in Font-Romeu: the Cerdagne bike park
MTB guide to Font-Romeu in the Pyrénées-Orientales: chairlift-served trails, skill levels, and tips for a ride in the Cerdagne.
Mountain biking in Le Mont-Dore, the Sancy massif bike park
MTB guide to Le Mont-Dore in Auvergne: cable-car-served bike park, volcanic forest trails, levels and practical tips.
Mountain biking in Les Deux Alpes, the reference bike park in Isère
MTB guide to Les Deux Alpes in Isère: cable-car-served bike park, DH and enduro trails, levels and tips for a ride in the Oisans.
Mountain biking in Livigno, between alpine pasture and the Swiss border
MTB guide to Livigno in Lombardy: high-altitude bike park, lift-served trails, levels and tips for a ride in the Alps.
Mountain biking in Peira Cava: Nice's hinterland and the Mercantour
MTB guide to Peira Cava in the Alpes-Maritimes: forest trails, skill level required and tips for riding at the gates of the Mercantour.
Mountain biking in Saint-Lary-Soulan, the Pyrenees' bike park
MTB guide to Saint-Lary-Soulan in the Hautes-Pyrénées: bike park served by cable car to Pla d'Adet, levels and tips for a mountain ride.
Mountain biking in Sintra, between granite boulders and romantic palaces
MTB guide to Sintra, on Lisbon's doorstep: technical singletrack in a UNESCO-listed forest, granite boulder fields, practical tips.
Mountain biking in Sologne from Romorantin-Lanthenay
MTB guide to Sologne from Romorantin-Lanthenay: forests, ponds, sandy trails, skill level required and practical tips.
Mountain biking in the Bercé forest
MTB guide to the Bercé forest from Jupilles: centuries-old oak stands, approachable terrain, required level and tips.
Mountain biking in the Brocéliande forest
MTB guide to the Brocéliande forest from Paimpont: Arthurian legends, forest terrain, required level and tips.
Mountain biking in the Compiègne forest
MTB guide to the Compiègne forest: historic woodland, required level, terrain and practical tips for a ride in the Oise.
Mountain biking in the Estérel from Agay
MTB guide to the Estérel massif from Agay: red volcanic rock, coastal trails, skill level required and practical tips.
Mountain biking in the Harz, up to the Brocken and its Cold War history
MTB guide to the Harz from Braunlage: forest singletrack, inner German border history, practical tips.
Mountain biking in the Jura: Les Rousses and the Haute Chaîne
MTB guide to the Jura mountains from Les Rousses: trails, forests, skill level required and tips for a ride in the Haut-Jura.
Mountain biking in the Lyons forest
MTB guide to the Lyons forest from Lyons-la-Forêt: Norman beech woods, hilly terrain, required level and practical tips.
Mountain biking in the Pilis hills, Budapest's nature escape
MTB guide to the Pilis massif from Pomáz: karst forest singletrack, practical tips for a ride near Budapest.
Mountain biking in the Restonica valley, Corte
MTB guide to the Restonica valley from Corte: glacial lakes, granite terrain, required level and practical tips.
FranceMountain biking in the Vercors from Villard-de-Lans
MTB guide to the Vercors massif from Villard-de-Lans: forests, limestone plateau, skill level required and practical tips.
Mountain biking in the Vosges: La Bresse and Le Markstein
MTB guide to the Vosges mountains from La Bresse: bike park, trails, skill level required and tips for a ride between La Bresse and Le Markstein.
FrancePortes du Soleil: enduro and bike park MTB paradise
MTB guide to the Portes du Soleil from Morzine: trail network, lifts, skill level required and tips for a day at the bike park.
Pra-Loup MTB: enduro and DH bike park in the Ubaye
MTB guide to the Pra-Loup bike park: lift-served trails from a family-friendly path to technical runs, skill level and practical tips.
Serre Chevalier MTB: a lift-served bike park in the Hautes-Alpes
MTB guide to the Serre Chevalier bike park: lift-served trails from a family-friendly path to technical runs, practical tips.
Strada dell'Assietta: the ridgeline military road above Sestriere
Riding the Strada dell'Assietta from Sestriere: 24 km, 700 m of elevation gain, a high-altitude military ridge road in the Cottian Alps.