2019 marks the first full year of guiding for me. So far it has been an amazing year of guiding mountain bikers from all over the world. I showed more people around than what I had hoped for in beginning of the year. They came from all corners of the globe and they all loved this place.
There so many biking stories to tell of all the people I rode with. In this blog I like to share the story of Martin Lang. Why him? Because are level of skills on the trails was in sync, Martin dared to be vulnerable and he took the time and effort to record it on his GoPro and put them on his You Tube channel. And last but not least we had two epic days of riding late August.
Martin getting down stage 4 of the EWS 2018
Martin had been on holidays with his family in Ainsa before and rode some of the Zona Zero trails by himself. But he always took the trails close to Ainsa and this year he wanted to do some riding more outside of Ainsa and maybe outside of his comfort zone . The day before the guiding we met for a beer to talk about the days of riding and share some of our bike stories.
The first day we did the first full day of the Enduro World Series race from 2018. These stages start at the base of the rock cliffs of the Peña Montenesa at 1550 meter. I think those stages are already classic in Zona Zero. We skipped the long climbs by taking the Trailhunters shuttle up to La Collada and to Loz Pozos. Mind you skipping the big climbs doesn’t mean there won’t be any climbing here. It had been raining a little bit the night before and that made the trail just a bit more grippy and the riding so much more fun. The first stage from La Collada to Laspuña was heavenly.
Have look at the POV footage of Martin to see the descent of the EWS 2018 Stage 1 to Laspuña.
Watch Martin his Badlands POV footage here. Or check my take on the badlands here.
Our second shuttle took us up to Los Pozos, from where we made the long 15 km descent down to Ainsa. By now it started to get really warm. Luckily in Zona Zero has plenty off small villages you pass on your days on the bikes. These villages often have a water tap to refill your bottle or camelback. On our way down we rode the other 3 stages of the EWS 2018. When we were in Ainsa we added on extra run of the famous badlands. Martin was just loving the trails and we had great talks about biking and everything else in life.
On the second day Martin wanted to ride one of the higher peaks in the Spanish Pyrenees, so we headed up to the Comodoto peak at 2300 close to the French border. Martin was quiet on our drive to Bielsa where our bike adventure would start. Only when we where at the refuge at 2100 meter where I made a coffee for us, he told me that he was very nervous. This was his first real backcountry adventure and he had no idea what he was about to ride. After a good hour of hike-a-bike we reached the peak of Comodoto. After a short break we started the descent with a couple of goats as our audience. After we done the first hard bit of the descent and we entered more into the flow parts of this magnificent trail, Martin started to get is smile back on his face. Ending the trail and the day with a good hamburger at El Kangaroo Tranchero in just outside of Bielsa. Just see it for yourself in his video.
Martin and I had two amazing days in Zona Zero and I am sure we will ride together again. I want to thank Martin fro 2 great days of riding and companionship & the kind words in his review on Facebook which you can read below.
“I had the pleasure of spending 2 days with Jeroen in August 2019, with the provisional plan being to ride some EWS stages on Day 1, with some higher mountain riding on Day 2.
Once I had arrived in Ainsa, Jeroen arranged to meet prior our riding days to discuss our plans, we also had a beer which is always good! In seriousness, it was a great idea to meet up beforehand to get to know each other.
Day 1 was, as planned, EWS stages with some shuttle assists to get to the top. Unbeknown to me at the time, but Jeroen used this day to assess my riding, in order to pick the following days route, based on my ability.
Day 2 involved a shuttle & hike-a-bike to almost 8000' to ride the Comodoto Descent. When we arrived at the peak it quite literally left me speechless, and once again the descent was amazing.
Everything we tackled over the two days was taken on in bite sized chunks & at sensible speeds. Getting to know Jeroen over the two days was an absolute pleasure, & I would like to think I'd left having a new friend in another corner of the world!
As for the riding, the 2 days are without doubt two of the best days riding I've ever had, & I've had a few!!! At times, I was left speechless, & the memories made will last a lifetime.”
Cheers Jeroen!
Author: Jeroen Spoelstra
Pictures: Jeroen Spoelstra
Videos: Martin Lang
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