VTT Championnats de France 2011

18th July 2011

Vélo Tout Terrain – The Mountain Bike.  If you think skiing is scary, you have seen nothing until you have watched these competitors battle it out for the title of French Mountain Biking Champion!  The competitors come from all over France to compete in the various events, downhill, cross country, 4x and Trials (basically BMX bikes with no saddles hopping between giant rocks and wooden ramps – see the photos!).

Having walked the entire length of the downhill course I have decided that these guys are insane – throwing themselves down a mountain on a piece of metal with no snow to cushion the falls – and they do fall – I think they need their heads examining. They complete the course in around 4 minutes, and the best part is that the men, women and juniors all ride the same course – pretty hardcore for the girls! Running from the top of Plan de l’Homme all the way to the Chaudanne the course covers open ground, some pretty tight tree runs and finishes off on the Stade piste to cross the finish line.

Meribel has been far from quiet recently, with all sorts of events going on I can highly recommend a trip out here, even in the summer!  Here are some pictures of the weekend’s events and some views from the top of Tougnete – very green!

Clare   x