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EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 10:30 am
by WIBO
EDC = équipe de chèvres = Team of Goats.....yip...we're that stupid.


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DAY 1






It has been a while since we rode trails together so it was decided to change that....... and of course along with that it's always laugh to see who would be first to do anything stupid.


I'd visited Christophe a few days earlier to see what his new tyres looked like, only to be informed that he'd lost one of his tyre levers and if I could bring mine along.



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That was the start of it.








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Three of us would meet up, with Julien coming over from Marseilles....... and head to Zaragoza in Spain.


He arrived when it was damp


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A cheap hostel was booked within 10mins walk of the centre and with secure parking for €4 per night.


We meet up in good weather......


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No sooner than we had gotten ready....Christophe decided we should ride twenty minutes back to his house to bring his phone that he'd left on the front wing of his Land Rover. Bravo. :D



We returned via Nay and headed out along elevated twisties and via Col de Marie Blanque bound for the Col du Somport tunnel and to have coffee at Canfranc in Spain. (If need be one could ride some of Section 9 of the French TET en route.)


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It's cold enough at altitude so we stop at the first place we find in the main street of Canfranc where the sun can heat us up as we stand outside.

From here on to Jaca then La Pena where we'd pic up the trail.




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Idiots...it's only a coffee stop.



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Oh look...let me see the screen to see what I look like.


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From Canfranc on to Jaca then lunch and on to La Pena via four million twisties and where we'd pic up the trail.


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We stop for lunch and upon our return Christophe has a flat tyre..........rear of course...that's handy in 30c heat.



Push the moto into shade and start the repair..........



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oh look.......there's a tyre lever inside......that'll be the missing one then......before it could be removed Julien and I frantically scramble over each other for our cameras whilst buckled over......




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Repairs effected and off we go bound for La Pena.




Pick up the trail at the last left hand turn at the end of the main street when traveling east to west.

Here

N 42 22 919
W 000 41 928


La Pena

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Just where the A 1205 is labelled in the image below....




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Mark the waypoint and off we go....

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Ride on to where the gap in the hill side is to find a short gorge as a gate way to the upper level.


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We stop for some snaps

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The short bridge now has a fence

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We ride on meeting four other XT660Z's en route.

At one point you can cut a hairpin out by going straight on. This is a 100m 40 degree rocky wash out so you have to concentrate...plan B is riding on along to the hairpin where you'll meet the exit trail. You just can't see the angle in the pic.

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Finally arrive at a T junction and hang right to the viewpoint above Riglos and where you can view vultures more often that not, circling. This is a dead end trail which as a turning circle.


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In the summer you'll see free climbers on the Riglos cliffs.

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U turn and ride past this old chapel via trails.


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We ride on along all sorts of trails.....fast open straight to narrow ones traversing farm land..........the fastest I got on the straights was 143kph at one point....close to 90mph.



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The day is going well and we stop in a small village for a coke break. Julien's 13 yr old boots are falling apart and he has to zip-ty them to keep them half reasonable.




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We'll ride the perimeter fence of the army camp in Zaragoza.....the trail has been graded since last time and doesn't have the 100m stretches of tennis ball size rocks anymore, which was always interesting.


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We get into Zaragoza and park up for a beer as we've plenty of time to get to our lodgings. It's a three hour normal ride but why not take a whole day to get there by trails and to arrive late afternoon?


Cross the bridge and you're at the town centre where they sell beer...... 3x 500mls of ice cold for €4,50


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Park up on the street.....


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Christophe complains of having had a niggling jag in his foot all day so decides to check it only now.....at the end of the day.....as you do.



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He'd been using a drill and round wire brush disc to clean metal a few days previously and ? Yip...a strand had obviously dinged off and found it's way into his boot, up on a shelf and five metres away. I of course told him to get a lottery ticket forthwith, with that kind of luck.






1,5 cm strand......too busy laughing to take a good picture.






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The usual applies.....off out on a thirsty bender that night.....


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The route including the off road stuff can be downloaded here if need be.......



https://www.wikiloc.com/outdoor-trails/ ... 9-37732644





















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Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 4:01 pm
by dibbs
Nice pictures WIBO! love the tyre lever left in the tyre, classic!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: We stopped in Jaca last year on our spanish TET journey, very nice swanky place. We even got a nice hotel cheap! and had underground parking lol...

Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:22 pm
by WIBO
Day 2

Download here if need be.....

https://www.wikiloc.com/outdoor-trails/ ... a-37733670





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Up we get and we head off for a loop ride out in 32c. The other remove panniers and I keep mine on as I will carry tools and first aid box. My XT is now not going into first when it should..I suspect a worn selector lever roller. I start off in second most times.


This loop is a super loop with a good few technical sections especially towards the end where it turns into single tyre track going. Close to the end is a climb and a ride around a dimple mound to get off the trail....more about that later.

The whole loop culminates at a viewpoint.


We ride for a spell and stop at a windmill installation....never been close up when the blades are waiting to be mounted.


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The usual flowing trails and then whilst riding along a very rocky decent I hear a ding and a rattle. It turns out my centre stand spring had been knocked off by a rock. I dander back up the trail and actually find the spring.....then set about checking bolts before re-fitting.



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All regular and off we ride......



Towards the end section the trail is single track wide which parallels the autoroute to Zaragoza. There's a few V shaped drops and rises of about 3-4m.


En route there's a chance to stop at the rear of autoroute services for a coke break.



The dimple mound mentioned earlier....as usual in pictures with angles it doesn't look anything too special. Just as it gets steep there's a loose trail around.to the left. GS1200's will not fit as their RHS cylinder will hit the side of the slope as it's steep.


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We'll ride on along typical trails to get to the viewpoint......


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I know.......juvenile........




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Co-ords for the toro structure are

N 41 37 252
W 000 42 531




There's any amount of trails as can be seen.....


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We turn back on ourselves and ride under a bridge to come out on the other side of the autoroute......

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Along the trail is a moto cross track to play on if you want at

N 41 37 547
W 000 43 565


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We ride off the trail and onto tarmac and make our way back to the hostel, via, strangely enough the same beer shop that we were at before.....


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Showered and out to a pizza place I use each time I visit.


Another thirsty bender......

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Great ambience.................look at her arse.


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oh look....it's a sculpture........




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I know..........juvenile again......FFS




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Return after a great night.......there might have been a lot of beer consumed ?........


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It's what lamp shades are for......






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Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:45 pm
by WIBO
DAY 3

Last day.




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We'll crew up and head back via a mix of trail and tarmac.


The other two have to tidy up a lot of pruk......they have two panniers each to carry downstairs and I have my usual ammo box only...with the same required overnight stuff that they have.....I of course point and laugh.




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We'll road ride to Lecinena where pick up 45kms of trails on our way to Huesca.


Trail can be downloaded here if need be

https://www.wikiloc.com/outdoor-trails/ ... s-37732453


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We ride to a viewpoint which also has picnic tables, ideal for a lunch stop in the future.





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Picnic stop at chapel at ....

N 41 54 831
W OOO 32 528




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Here's something you don't see too often.......



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We exit the trails and head to Huesca for lunch. We'll take tarmac and finish off with a short 7km trail before arriving back into France.


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Download the trail here if need be

https://www.wikiloc.com/outdoor-trails/ ... e-37732568





Start of trail crosses a shallow river.......


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There's usually a few stretches of muddy going here.


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Once back on tarmac we head over Col du Pourtalet and on home... .....a great weekend!!!








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Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:34 pm
by bikenav
always a double edged sword looking at your reports great pics and words and then the envy from wet Wales. Familiar landscapes and rode the gorge last year on the way to the Catalonia WRC . thanks for taking the time.

Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 10:06 pm
by WIBO
Thank you.

The good pics are Christophes....he's a pro photographer. :D





:D

Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 7:56 am
by crofty
Great stuff Keith, entertaining and informative as usual

Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 9:13 am
by WIBO
Thank you kind Sir


:D








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Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:03 am
by qcnr
Awesome.

Re: EDC Trail Ride Zaragoza, Spain.

Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:44 pm
by zimtim
Thanks
Thoroughly enjoyed that.