For the second year running students and staff of Wales UOTC assembled at Maindy Barracks with the prospect of a week’s mountain biking in one of Europe’s premier MTB areas – the Port Du Soleil. The 20hr drive completed we arrived at our chalet – staff and students sorting out our unit bikes and a couple of us getting into Morzine to check out our hire bikes. Equipment checked and routes confirmed we ate our first meal in the chalet and settled in, hoping to catch up with some sleep, all excited with the prospect of what the week had in store for us.
Day one saw us all using the lift system to access the green and blue runs on the Super Morzine side of the valley. For the regular riders, it provided an opportunity to dust off the cobwebs and remind themselves of the challenges ahead of them, whilst those less experienced got to practice techniques which would enable them to make the most of the trails they would encounter.
Splitting down into groups for the rest of the week enabled the students to undertake an MTB journey to Chatel along the 80km Tour Du Port Du Soleil route, sample the trails above Les Gets and develop their fitness and skills on a variety of both XC and lift-assisted routes. The riding was always challenging and there were certainly a few occasions when some of us were grateful for our helmets and pads!
We all left France better riders than when we arrived and talk this year was less of the falls and “stacks” but much more of the trails, the views and how much we’d all enjoyed the trip. Everyone is eager to return to the Port Du Soleil, not just to experience the Alpine riding but also to improve our own skills. Dragon Morzine was summed up well by one of our students:
“A great week’s mountain biking to finish off the year and my time in Wales UOTC. We were lucky with the weather, but the trails and the awesome bikes ensured we all managed the trails in one piece (almost!).” The ride to Chatel was my favourite, the views were breath-taking and the riding a real challenge, but we all got so much out of it!”
Dragon Morzine will hopefully be repeated next year and interest in MTB within Wales UOTC continues to grow. Members of the unit regularly take part in MTB rides, both locally and on UK AT activity and a number students and staff have now obtained JSAT and civilian MTB leader awards, enabling them to pass on their passion to others and enable the activity to grow further.
The generous support provided by the Ulysses Trust was key to the success of Dragon Morzine and the staff and students of Wales UOTC who took part are very appreciative of that support.
