A couple of rare gems on the shore of Lac du Jaunay in the Vendee.
Manitou HT and Amp B3 (i think), never seem these in the metal before, but they were both a bit sorry with the Manitou having a couple of dents and the Amp looking a bit daft with the crazy stem height.
Also spotted during the couple of weeks, a Zaskar (yes it was real), an M2 Stumpy and an FSR. No pictures of these though.
Put in some miles too with organised rides in the local area by an English MTB'er called Steve (riding an XTC 29'er HT) who ran the site bike hire and ran 3 rides a week, Family Fun, Long Distance and Advanced.
Steve live locally and shared with us his regular loops and a bit of area history and culture.
I took on the Distance and Advanced (both 20 miles) on my Sorcerer Mega which was perfect on the distance but a bit overwhelmed by some of the stuff on the advanced, but I only resorted to walking one part (all of 10 metres of one descent) the rest I rode. If I had been riding the Butler I would have ridden the lot and faster too (Maguras and better forks would have made the difference).
Fitness wise, the work I have been doing this year has paid off and I was faster and fitter than some of the roadies that joined us.
Now it's not really a hilly area but there is some good riding to be had, but what it really offers is the mix of family holiday (good family friendly holiday park that is well kept where you can camp or stay in a mobile home or cottage) with plenty of stuff for the wife and kids (pools, parks and entertainment with nice weather) and some riding thrown in. We plan to go back next year (will try a different bike) for some more and I'll be staying in touch with Steve so I know whether he will be guiding again next season, if he is I can really recommend it as a good place to go.
Carl.
Manitou HT and Amp B3 (i think), never seem these in the metal before, but they were both a bit sorry with the Manitou having a couple of dents and the Amp looking a bit daft with the crazy stem height.
Also spotted during the couple of weeks, a Zaskar (yes it was real), an M2 Stumpy and an FSR. No pictures of these though.
Put in some miles too with organised rides in the local area by an English MTB'er called Steve (riding an XTC 29'er HT) who ran the site bike hire and ran 3 rides a week, Family Fun, Long Distance and Advanced.
Steve live locally and shared with us his regular loops and a bit of area history and culture.
I took on the Distance and Advanced (both 20 miles) on my Sorcerer Mega which was perfect on the distance but a bit overwhelmed by some of the stuff on the advanced, but I only resorted to walking one part (all of 10 metres of one descent) the rest I rode. If I had been riding the Butler I would have ridden the lot and faster too (Maguras and better forks would have made the difference).
Fitness wise, the work I have been doing this year has paid off and I was faster and fitter than some of the roadies that joined us.
Now it's not really a hilly area but there is some good riding to be had, but what it really offers is the mix of family holiday (good family friendly holiday park that is well kept where you can camp or stay in a mobile home or cottage) with plenty of stuff for the wife and kids (pools, parks and entertainment with nice weather) and some riding thrown in. We plan to go back next year (will try a different bike) for some more and I'll be staying in touch with Steve so I know whether he will be guiding again next season, if he is I can really recommend it as a good place to go.
Carl.
