Ellmau, Austria mountain bike holiday

05 - An enduro racer

Brother and sister enjoying the alpine trails. A day or two off gave Mike the chance to attack the bike park whilst Katie enjoyed some needed R and R.

Some easier trails to get your skills together. Basically these routes aren't as steep, there are generally less routes and fewer rocks to throw you off your saddle.

A typical Austrian lunch time snack. Freshly baked bread, local hams, meats and homemade cheeses. Washed back with a pint of the locally brewed beer. This is how the Austrians do a ploughmans

Mike practicing on the runs in Leogang. Mike, a keen enduro racer was keen to try and improve his skills on the downhill and freeride tracks.

Again Mike practicing some of the dropoffs set up to build your confidence.

Expect to hear a fair amount of Tyrolean traditional music whilst staying on a holiday over here. Plenty of brass, lots of accordion and a bit of yodelling to make you feel at home.

I think it is probably the bike that needs a rest more than Mike. In the distance you can just seen some of the big mountains in the southern alps.

Competition winner concentrating on a descent back to the farm. Arthur riding at the back to make sure that everyone is ok.

A cloudy day on a quiet thin stretch of singletrack. The Intense bikes enjoying some easy XC riding.

Mike putting his pads on before enjoying some steep steps.

Freshly made bread to enjoy with your lunch. Obviously the smell that wafts out over the restaurant from this bread oven is fantastic.

Leogang with threatening clouds in the distance.

Fun windy trail to practice and hone your skills on. Just one of the fun trails that we have literally from our back door.

Paragliding mixes adreline with an amazing sense of calm after you've thrown yourself off the mountain side. Tandem paragliding days are available from most of the mountain tops.

Deep in concentration as Mike navigates his way over rock and root, deep in the woods behind the farm. Austrian singletrack at its best.

Another photo of Mike trying to master the bermed corners back to the base station at Leogang.

Remember to get your bum over the back of the saddle and hold on! Good balance and control is essential to truely be in control on these steep Tyrol trails.

After popping out of the woods, enjoy a steep, fast descent into Brixen. Just a short rest then it is off to the top of Westendorf for more action.

Mike deep in the flora. Just by shifting your body a bit the trail can look totally different.

Better to be safe than sorry. These days knee and shin pads are light. There isn't really any reason not to take them with you if you've brought them over from England.

A view from Westendorf back over to the Wilder Kaiser mountain range. The farm is in the top left corner of the photo. This is definitely an all day epic.

Not all our mountain biking is hurling down steep trails. A breather on some flat stuff is often welcomed by our guests.

This is the type of mountain biking we really enjoy. Always keep an eye on what is coming up ahead so that you constantly plan your next move. Over time this will become completely intuitive.

Mike taking the short cut to the restaurant.

Mike navigating more alpine trails. There is still about 700 vertical metres back down into the valley from here.

Another shot of Mike on the berms in Leogang. Each time he was going just that little bit higher up the corner.

Just one more jump. An addictive, fun day spent by the cross country rider practicing his skills.