Video: 'Gravitating Around The Aneto' Explores The Magic Of The Pyrenees

TEXT: SIMON ANDRE
PICTURES: ULYSSE DAESSLE
VIDEO: ANTHONY MARCOU

At MET, we love taking our bikes for long and far-away adventures. But sometimes you don’t need to go that far to discover or rediscover amazing places. When our friend Simon Andre proposed to us to support this bike trip to Benasque, on the trails of the Trans Nomad, we said yes straight away. We vaguely had some images in mind, but mostly this place remained unknown. Free from all constraints of time, with the only purpose of taking pictures and enjoying, telling the story of the trails, sharing the experience, and explaining why this location is worth the trip; this a story of slowing down and living the moment!



The discovery

I remember the first time I went to the vicinity of Benasque: I was helping the brand Orbea with the launch of the Rallon R5. I knew the French side of this region well, but I was wondering where the planned itinerary would take me. After a long and tortuous road, I eventually arrived at the back of the Valley of Benasque and discovered the city. At sunrise, I saw gigantic mountains all around me.


The following days were magnificent and even magical! I was so stunned by the mind-blowing landscapes that I had trouble focusing on the trails! It was during the summer. The colors, though less spectacular than during autumn, were sublime. So wonderstruck by every corner of this region, I almost forgot to take the time to immortalize it in photographs or videos. How surprising it was for me to realize that the media was so focalized on the testing of the bike that they were missing out on the beauty of the landscapes!

This same year, I had the privilege to participate in the second edition of the TransNomad with Orbea to accompany French media in this superb adventure. Passing by the vicinity of Benasque once more, admiring the Aneto and all these stunning mountains made me want to go back there again. I genuinely fell head over heels for the immensity of this region, the diversity of the landscapes, and the mountains stretching as far as the eye can see.



The story of an encounter

I have known Anthony for more than 20 years now. He was a young man passionate about mountain biking in my club in Brassac, for which I have a soft spot, when I was still a savvy competitor. He has a totally unique personality as well as being incredibly kind. He became a good pilot through the years, but also-and most importantly-a great photographer and videographer. You can follow him on his YouTube channel Bikelive every week to get to know him better.

I met Ulysse way more recently during the launch of the MET helmets in the Dolomites. We immediately got along because of our same passion for mountain and mountain biking. I did not know about his talent for photography at the time. During the trips we took together for the magazine or for MET, we got to know each other, and I was able to discover his vision through his breathtaking photos. I had finally found the dream team to go to the assault of the most beautiful mountain bike spots.



The project

Talking with Anthony and Ulysse, we agreed on the fact that we should lead personal projects without too many constraints linked to professional activities. We came to talk about going on trips centered not on the ride or the rider’s action, but on the place as well as the community who allowed the creation, the maintenance, or the promotion of this place. We pitched this idea in the middle of the Covid crisis and it clearly played a role in our desire to discover new places and immortalize places as if one day we would no longer be able to visit them…

While discussing the location of the first trip, I suddenly had an idea: We have to go to the vicinity of Benasque to discover a bit more about this place but also to share it with friends and, above all, bring back images to be able to share it with even more people who are passionate about the mountain, just like me.

That is how the three of us ended up in a van in the direction of Spain and Navarre.



The trip

We chose to go near Benasque in mid-October as it is one of the moments when the light is the most beautiful and when the trees are starting to get more and more colorful. The weather is usually mild during this period; indeed, we rode only wearing a jersey during the day. We only had to take out the jackets in the morning at sunrise, though it was usually the moment when we would start going up the mountain, riding or pushing our bikes.


To accompany us on this journey we surrounded ourselves with local professionals. Chris from Pyrenees Connexion for the logistics, particularly with two photographers interested in equipment and two eBikes. Dani from Altituderides also accompanied us. They guided us, helped us, and served as models for multiple shots or photos. We also met other mountain bike fans, notably Thomas, the president of Puro Pirineo who creates and maintains the trails in this valley. Thomas is the owner of the camping site of Castejon de Sos, a bit lower in the Valley of Benasque. An ideal place to establish a base camp if needed.



Day 1: The luxurious mountain

Departure from Benasque in the direction of the north and the cross-country ski resort above the city. A place outside of time. We are in a green valley with a beautiful torrent and magnificent trees as well as a surreal-looking hotel that used to be the Benasque’s hospice. Looking up we only see mountains surrounding us and we will have to climb one of them to finally get a glimpse of the Aneto.

We go due north, closer to France, by a narrow hiking trail. The trail is steep but, most of all made technical due to the rocks and the ruts. We have to regularly push our bikes to continue going up. After less than 45 minutes, we finally arrive at a ledge where small lakes are forming. We have an amazing view of the Maladeta forest massif, its highest point being the Aneto, culminating at 3 404 meters. We discover other sumptuous forest massifs at the east and the west.




We continue our ascent in the direction of the Port of Benasque. This trail, worthy of a fairytale, is a narrow passage in the source rock, between the Sauvegarde (2 738m) peak and the peak of the mine (2 707m). It is one of the rare passages between Spain and France.

The northern side (French) is way more abrupt with a cramped and pebbly leading to a superb lake and the famous Hospice of France at the back of the valley. This part of the mountain has been arranged by the Counts of Comminges in 1325 to trade with Spain. It is a place steeped in history because of the wars and the many tales of smuggling.



We continue up towards Spain to join a trail in the direction of another mountain pass further east. The passage is way milder, and we emerge into the Valley of the Val d’Aran. We discover from afar the mountains of the Baquiera resort.




We leave the rocky trails and the mineral environment to go into luxurious valleys. It feels like we are in New Zealand. The soil appears and becomes more and more black and heavy. We are accompanied by the lammergeiers in the sky and the horses on the trails. We truly feel the pleasure of riding and it is becoming increasingly more complicated to stop to take pictures. We go from valley to valley to eventually reach the edge of the forest.



The hardwoods are mainly present here. The trail becomes even more enjoyable and starts twirling around majestic logs. The slope is getting steeper again and in only a few kilometers we reach the back of the valley. We continue for a few kilometers on larger tracks to eventually arrive near Vielha where we will spend our first night. We are already stunned by the landscapes and my acolytes who are discovering this place for the first time are still processing the sumptuousness of this area.


If you wish to make it to this stop without support, it is easily achievable if you leave from Benasque (about 40 km for 1 000m of vertical gain and more than the double vertical drop). You will have to take a lot of water with you since there is no refueling possible on the route.


Day 2: The Sierra Negra desert

On the second day, we leave Vielha, in the direction of Llauset’s barrage. We start on the main road of the Valley of the Val d’Aran and then we branch off to the right on a magnificent mountain road winding its way up in hairpins until the barrage. Before discovering this construction initiated under Franco’s regime, we must pass through along surrealistic tunnel reminding us of World War II. It feels like entering a sanctuary.


We arrive at a barrage filled with emerald blue water. We have a hard time imagining how we will make our way up because of the towering mountains surrounding us. Chris and Dani take time to point to the trail in the direction of the mountain pass of Llauset at 2852m.



We will have a harder time than expected, we will have to carry and push our bikes up on more than 700m of vertical gain on a hiking trail. Fortunately, the landscapes of this enclosed valley are, once again, breathtaking. We discover the sources of the barrage where the water, rich in iron, is almost blood-red. We are slowly reaching the summit and the slope is getting steeper and steeper in black and sandy soil. We advise you not to come there with an eBike and an equipment bag heavier than 10kg. Ulysse and Anthony are in the hard and we have to take breaks to help them get out of this zone.



Once arrived at the pass, it was worth it. We finally reached the beginning of Sierra Negra. It is a sort of black and fire-red desert with, as background, the Aneto. We are once again accompanied by the lammergeiers signifying to us that we are on their territory.



The path we take is narrow and we have no desire to stray away from it because, even though from afar it seems like we are riding on sand dunes, it is actually way rougher than it seems.

The immensity of this place is truly impressive. Here we are faced with two types of reaction: we either, like Anthony, feel dizzy looking at a space like this one, or we are invaded by a deep feeling of wholeness making us want to stay here forever. Ulysse and I are part of the second category, and we will spend a few hours taking photos to immortalize every corner of this incredible place.



We then continue our journey through a splendid and well-maintained track allowing us to sneak amid those hostile rocks. However, it is crucial to stay careful as we start to go increasingly faster, and the wind is sometimes unpredictable on the ridges. We strongly advise against taking too many risks for it is not easy to find service and even more to find help…

Over the kilometers, we are still astonished by the landscapes, and we imagine ourselves free riding at the heart of these fantastical valleys.



We are diving into the forest little by little. The ground is getting less brittle and pebbly. We eventually arrive under large coniferous that come down to Benasque. We ride across small lush green plains; the trial is bucolic.

The end of the descent is more technical and gives us the impression of riding for a nice special of enduro race. We however take a break to contemplate the view with blood-red waterfalls seeming unreal in vegetation this luxurious.

We arrive once again at the back of the valley et we let time flow at the pace of the water on a muleteer trail to finally arrive in Benasque. It is time to take a break and, above all, enjoy a beer for my two photograph friends.



If you wish to do this stop autonomously, you will have to plan to take supplies and water as there is no way to refill during the day. We can do this itinerary without taking the car, but it takes a long way to get to Llauset’s tunnel. You will have to count more than 60km with almost 2 000m of vertical gain. We advise you to drop off at least at the foot of the Llauset pass if you are in good form.



Day 3: The red dirt

We planned to meet to finish off this journey with the Gallinero, a peak at the south of the Maladeta massif, culminating at 2 700 meters. We will not start from the summit but from a pass allowing us to do a very beautiful descent leading near Castejon. The view makes it possible for us to contemplate the plains of the south that are more shimmering than the north with less abrupt landforms. Anthony feels way less oppressed in this area which is all in roundness and softness.


The descent awaiting us allows very little time to go through totally different landscapes. We are riding in a mountain pasture to then cross a blood-red rock and eventually finish in more yellow and black lands, with taller vegetation but of a less Mediterranean style.



When it comes to the ground, we must be wary of impressions because even if everything seems rounder and welcoming at first glance, it is not the case on the bike. The thunderstorms have considerably made the ground harder, and we have to know how to go from one rut to another. The central part of the red land is quite friable and brittle. We must be careful when moving and not get ahead of ourselves. We take this opportunity to take pictures because of how majestic the landscapes are. We were not expecting to find such landscapes in this area. It feels like we’re riding in the plains of the American West. We are playing with the track to find even more aesthetic lines, but reality quickly catches up as we are still on natural trails where it is crucial to stay careful to avoid getting hurt.




The rest of our descent becomes more and more fast and fluid. We can let go of the brakes without fear. We even have a hard time stopping to take pictures because we are carried away by the flow. The tracks are specially designed for mountain biking with modules allowing us to easily play with the trail. We make the most of a break to take a few tighter action images.

Fatigue sets in, especially for Anthony and Ulysse who are on the deck during the whole day with their huge bag and their eBikes. But more than just physically, there are also put to the test mentally as a focus of all instants is mandatory to be creative.

We decide to finish this day in riding mode to appreciate these last moments in those sumptuous mountains to the fullest. We find our rhythm and we let ourselves slide down to the village at the back of the valley.


If you wish to do this stop autonomously, this day is the easiest of our whole trip. You can reach the summit of the Gallinero by tracks starting from Benasque. You have to count at least 30 kilometers to go to the summit of the pass with almost 1 800 meters of vertical gain. You can easily spot the descent, but you will need to wield well the handlebar in some very Trail-like parts. This descent takes us to the foot of the small hamlet of Bisauri at then we have to go up for 2 kilometers to eventually reach the last descending part leading to Castejon. There are several fun trails to finish this day. We advise you to spend the night at the campsite of Castejon, otherwise you will have to count between 15 and 20 kilometers to go back to Benasque with more or less than 500 meters of vertical gain. The complete loop totals around 60km. It is way easier to find water on this itinerary compared to the other days.



Final words:

Simon: "This trip was a first for our small team. I think that this journey allowed us to get to know each other better. We shared good moments with obviously highs and lows depending on the situation, but we always helped each other out to overcome all of that. We’re coming back from this place with images, head full of memories but also and above all with full-to-bursting SD cards. I personally think that I rarely took this much time to contemplate places. The fact that our goal was to bring back beautiful images changes radically the approach we had to this mountain biking trip. I am sometimes in the bulimia of kilometers and elevation gain always fearing to miss the gem… I already knew almost the entire route but sharing it with friends and trying to make all of that exhilarating for the reader completely changes the game. I took immense pleasure in this adventure, and I can’t wait to set off again with the chaps to go discover another place and, most of all, share it with you."


Ulysse: "The clock is a sword of Damocles threatening all of the photographer’s projects. If taking your time is a major challenge, having time is also one. So many options, so many possibilities. We would like to stop on each stone to grasp each angle on the camera. Redoing each action until perfection. Elongate a day from 5 to 10 hours. We spend beautiful and long days in the mountain, way more than if we would have only ridden on this magnificent trail. I thank Simon for his patience and for taking part in this amazing journey. This trip’s goal was to come back without the regrets of skimming the subject, all while sharing beautiful moments on and off the bike. When will the next time be?"


Anthony: We’ll keep these three days in mind, that’s for sure! As much by the beauty of the landscapes than the difficulties they gave us. Producing images in the high mountains is really different from our day-to-day habits. We always find a way to quickly reach the spot, it is very often by van or 3 kilometers of eBike. This was the first trip, the one that allowed us to validate our ideas, the one that gave us an opportunity to get to know each other in moments of ecstasy and pain. But also, the one that will allow us to gain experience. It’s certain that there are things to improve to forget the pain and delve even more into our pictures. Just like the choice of the bike, pushing an eBike at more than 2 500 meters is really a hassle, or the choice of the equipment to put in our backpacks, we have to find a good compromise and learn to optimize. Carrying 20 kilograms of equipment is possible but really not fun. Optimizing will allow us to find more joy, both during the ascent and the descent. Thank you so much for the team spirit that settled in this group and that allowed us to attain our goals.




Acknowledgments:

An immense thank you to Anthony and Ulysse for their trust and their hard work. There are two people with enormous talent doubled by impressing tenacity.
I would like to thank the partners who supported us during this first experiment and all of that in record time: MET - Bluegrass - Pirelli - Crankbrothers - Number A - 7Mesh - Hope.
Thanks to Lumir Daessle for the translation and proofreading. Many thanks to the whole logistic team that allowed us to make this trip happen in exceptional comfort (Pyrénées Connexion and Dani).


Route:

- Day 1: Es Bòrdes - Vielha
- Day 2: Cerler - Barruera
- Day 3: Castejón de Sos - Borda de Rins