Mountain Biking in France is Fun

I am lucky enough to live just a few kilometers away from the Valmasque, a beautiful National Park in the south of France, which offers some of the best mountain biking on the planet.

Having given up smoking last year, I decided that the best way to lose some of the weight I put on (thirty pounds and counting) was to buy myself a mountain bike and go get some exercise. So I did. I splashed out on a Merida Matts TFS XC 700 mountain bike and have started riding. The weather is not exactly wonderful at the moment - but I am English, so a little rain and cold is not going to put me off. In fact - thinking about it - if English people let a little rain and cold stop them from doing anything, we would never do anything - ever.

Anyway - back to mountain biking in the Valmasque - Sadly - or happily, depending on how much of a masochist you are - everything in the park is a steep hill. This makes for some great mountain biking and some really challenging technical downhills, some of which are quite dangerous because the ground is so stony - more boulders actually, but great fun if you do not fall off.

My current post-giving-up-smoking weight is a sight to behold. I do not look terribly fat because I am pretty "big boned," but - I hate to admit it - I topped out at 280 pounds after 2 months on the gummy bears and Jack Daniels diet while giving up smoking and going through a particularly painful tooth infection which became a jaw infection. either way - I lived on Gummy bears and JD for about 6 weeks until we get the infection down to the point where I could have a channel drilled in the jaw bone to relieve the pressure.

Combined with quitting smoking, this was not a pleasant end to the year. Still - time to put things right and a few extra pounds is not going to stop be from enjoying the biking. The Valmasque at this time of year is truly wonderful because there are no tourists at the moment and the mountain biking rivals anything I have ever encountered.

I chose the Merida TFS XC 700 for several reasons, not least of which is that it is heavy and tough, and I hope strong enough to cope with my post smoking weight until I get that taken care of. I purchased last years model and paid around $900 for it which is considerably less than this years model will cost you. It is reasonably well equipped with Rock Shox Tora suspension - that I am too heavy for and will need to replace before it explodes; middle of the road Shimano Deore shifters and derailleurs and Stroker Trail disc brakes that are utterly awesome. The only thing I have so far changed on the bike is the saddle - to a Fizik Arione CX. This is in my humble opinion - one of the most comfortable saddles on the market.

I cannot recommend it enough - I thought I was going to eat it on a downhill today - wet and slippery, but the bike saved me. As long as you keep pedaling, this thing will go over almost anything. And great fun too.