- siblings mountain biking -
Take an enduro racer and a novice and put them together for a weeks mountain biking and it feels a little like trying to finish the Times cryptic crossword. Not a problem though, as they were brother and sister and the ‘novice’ had a very good level of fitness. Trickier technical sections were highlighted and Katie was game for trying the majority of routes. What she didn’t like, she was more than happy to ’skip a section’.
The beginning of the week was the Ellmau festival, plenty of drinking, music and dancing on tables. This is an event for locals and tourists alike. However, with the quantity of lederhosen wearers you’d happily see that the locals were up for the party. Mike was in his element, we found out that he has a passion for German beers and runs a website about exactly that. With strong lagers and plenty of Weissbier on offer in Austria, this made Mike a happy man. Check out his site at British Guide to German Beer.
Being an enduro rider Mike was more than happy with the climbs, so we took on a few less used routes to get the legs working. 
Katie also enjoyed these meandering paths in the valley and the climbs were fine, ‘at her own pace’. This appeared to be accordion week, every guest house, mountain hut we stopped at had guys playing the fast paced, traditional Tyrolean music which I’ve grown very accustomed to.
Half way through the week, Katie took a knock to the knee which meant that she’d have to sit out some of the mountain biking. It was in a most unexpected place, but it goes to show that a rather evil drainage ditch can be just as much of an obstacle as some of the trickier descents that we’d already taken on. We Katie on the sideline, Mike and I ventured a little wider afield and we gave him the full Alpine experience. Steep climbs (he asked for them!), secret singletrack paths and some very technical switchbacks. Mike was worked hard and took on the challenge with huge amounts of determination. Top tip for Alpine riding – get your rear over the back of the bike and don’t be too aggressive with the back brake.
Thanks for a great week, we enjoyed the uphills nearly as much as you! Good luck in your racing for the rest of the year.
P.S. Manu is still impressed with your Trivial Pursuit skills (German edition)
