Students from Wales UOTC formed up in Maindy Barracks for the now annual mountain bike expedition to the French Alps. Bikes and kit loaded, we set out on the 24 hour drive to Le Biot, a small village near Morzine in the French Alps. Tired but excited on arrival we checked our kit for the following day enjoyed a relaxing dinner and contemplated the week’s activities.
A wet, misty first day saw us on the Super Morzine side of the valley, students using the green routes to build confidence but with weather worsening it was decided to instead use the skills park in Les Gets. With weather settling the following day and for the rest of the week we were able to explore all the Port Du Soleil MTB area has to offer including the 84km PDS route, the bike parks of Morzine and Les Gets, demanding cross country rides and for many the highlight a journey from Morzine to Chatel involving lifts, long XC sections, challenging technical sections and some incredible views which could too easily distract us from the trail ahead!
As the week progressed we all became more confident and most of us were at some point grateful for our knee and elbow pads! Endex unfortunately quickly arrived and thoughts turned to the journey home. Tired, a little battered but grateful for the experience and in awe of what we’d been able to do we left France, all eager to mountain bike more and return to Morzine as soon as we could.
Dragon Morzine was summed up well by one of our students:
“The trip was great, it was so good getting better and better on the bike each day and enjoying the scenery and the trails around Morzine and Les Gets. I’ve learned so much and definitely want to do more – maybe even doing a leader course so I can help out on other trips.”
The continued generous support provided by the Ulysses Trust has been key to the success of this and previous expeditions, growing mountain biking as an activity within WUOTC and enabling both staff and students to develop the skills and experience to gain JSAT and civilian MTB leader awards including a student who has spent the summer working as an MTB guide in Sardinia! Staff and students are extremely grateful for everything the Ulysses Trust has done to help facilitate a demanding and rewarding expedition.
