Phil

A bike rider! I have always ridden bikes, right from being a little lad, the buzz of it just never faded for me and if anything, now I am in the bike mecca of Morzine, riding has a strong a hold on me as ever.

Originally I’m from the shipbuilding town of Barrow-in-Furness on the edge of the Lake District. A great place to ride bikes, it would be even better if the weather helped and was a little drier but then I guess it wouldn’t be the Lake District!

My first season here in Morzine, some eight years ago I worked for the original dedicated Mountain Bike holiday company , Endless Ride, accompanying guests on epic rides around the Portes du Soleil. It was great fun, I learned loads and met some interesting people.

I’ve worked for various companies in between then and now, winter and summer.

I’m still having great fun riding my bike here, the trail network is simply huge, there is so much to do that riding four, five, six days per week has not left me stale, if anything I’m hungry for more! The riding scene over the last few years has evolved and Morzine and the Portes du Soleil has evolved with it.

Gravity assisted riding has always been a big part of Morzine, how could it not be with all those ski lifts defying gravity for you. Traditionally this was full on downhill; big bike, full face lid, pressure suit etc – no pedalling, in fact you didn’t really need a chain. Likewise what people used to refer to as cross country riding was and is immense here, especially with a little help from those lifts.

Both those riding genres are still massive but these days the middle ground has blurred the boundaries and the scene is all the better for it. Trail riding I believe the term is, although it’s all riding bikes to me.

With a six inch travel bike you can now do epic days out getting into less travelled areas and still be on a machine capable of getting down some really demanding terrain. Or, perhaps put the full face helmet on and hit the purpose built downhill trails which now proliferate. One extreme to the other and everything in between - this is what I do.

It’s all here, come and get amongst it.

Sorry for the war and peace length life story, I could but won’t go on! If you got his far maybe it was more interesting than doing work on a Monday morning!