Lahnvalley Crew Season OpeningOnce again it was time for the annual LVC season opening at the Cote d'Azur. After the inaugural trip last year there was no question that we had to return to the land of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Super Yachts that offers some first class hidden gems for mountain biking. We were blessed with beautiful summer like weather for the whole 10 day trip. It only rained once over night, which turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. On the picture below you see the corner jump we build in literally 15 minutes as the clay like dirt at the spot could be worked with like Play-Doh - dream come true building conditions.
Also the rain converted the overly dusty, almost Kamloops like dirt back into into a more grippy surface. Although the fun never stopped on the loose dusty conditions the days before, I guess I speak for all of us by saying that drifting into a loose, dusty berm just never gets old. For those who do not think alike, please check the photograph below for references.
There is one thing you'll have to be aware of when riding dusty trails at the Cote d'Azur all day. There is a severe danger of dehydration and suffering from a dry throat. Luckily the friendly French Men came up with an easy to apply cure that is both affordable and tasteful. As you can see on the picture below we easily adapted to this culture, coming rather close to a medical addiction or true French heritage as the locals called it.
If you ever make your way down to the Cote d'Azur for riding purposes be sure to check out Blausasc, this spot is insane, definitely one of Europe's best hidden gems. The terrain is a dream come true. It offers everything from fast, flowy downhill tracks to an endless selection of natural obstacles to play with like the sweet drop below, that we stumbled upon next to the fire road leading to one of the downhill tracks there. The best part is that most everything can be linked into a fun line which makes the whole valley there a huge freeriding playground.
This playground offers anything you could ask for. From fun little obstacles and jump lines to serious big mountain lines. Those by the way come in all sizes and varieties from short pinner lines with little consequences built in, over medium rough lines, to insane huge lines that are definitely bigger than your health insurance allows.
I guess after hanging out there for 10 days, there is no doubt why Fabien Barel calls this very valley his home. Just like there is no doubt that we'll return next year as this place offers more potential then you can possibly cover in one trip.
Thanks to: Alpinestars, Bikepark Leogang, Birdbox and Daniel Jakubowski
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