DESCRIPTION
Single track ride 3 kms long composed mostly of downhill sections. A shuttle vehicle wait for the riders at the bottom to take them to the top. Repeat 3 times.
Santa Elena (Arví Park area) is the most accessible wilderness area near Medellin. To get there you can choose between three different roads as well as one cable car. It's also near the Rionegro airport. Depending on your choice of transportation, we will pick you up in El Silletero grocery store, Santa Elena main park or Arvi metrocable station to take you to our facilities and help you fitting bike and gear, giving you some tips and answering any question before starting our ride. You can find maps of these 3 locations at the bottom of our page.
Most mountain bikers from Medellin visit Santa Elena for its convenient location as well as its riding spots. Its forest area covers 70 square kilometers where the amount of trails found is amazing and it would take several days to ride them all. Some of them are well known but others are rarely visited. Since we started coming to ride here 10 years ago, we have had the chance to try different routes as well as perform trail maintenance when required.
Plenty of people enjoy the downhill sections of the trail but not everybody likes climbing on a bike. When conceiving what kind of adventures to offer, we realized some people want to live the adrenaline rush without pedalling their way up the hill so we scoped a couple of trails that are mostly light downhill tracks with minimum climbs and a road at the bottom. The elevation loss of these trails is 150 meters and they are 3kms long. After 3 descents, most of the riders are satisfied so that is the number of times covered in this tour but more descents can be arranged.
In order to truly enjoy this experience, strong physical condition is not required but you should at least enjoy working out. Come if you have ridden a bicycle before and the idea of riding mostly downhill through a forest sounds appealing to you.
1. PICKUP AND BIKE SETTING
After picking you up at the agreed location, our staff will take you to our facilities to provide you with bike and gear of your size. While enjoying some tropical fresh fruits, you will meet your guide and listen to his tips before starting the ride.
2. LET'S RIDE!
A 15-minute drive will take you to the top of the trail, at 2600 MASL. Then you will ride a 3 km long singletrack with a vertical drop of 170 meters and a few short climbs, none longer than 100 meters as you can see in the following image.
Our tours are not against the clock so at any time we can stop to enjoy the view, watch birds, take pictures or recover your breath after a hard climb.
At the end of the trail our shuttle vehicle waits for the riders to take them to the top again and ride the same trail for two more times.
3. STRETCH, DRINK, EAT
A stretching routine is always advised at the end of your ride. Our staff will be waiting for you with beverages and food taking into account any food preferences mentioned during the booking process.
4. TIME TO RELAX
Our staff will take you back to the place where they picked you up or in case you feel like spending the night in Santa Elena, here are some pictures of the place
A comfortable vehicle to go from the bottom to the top of the trail three times. |
|
Helmet and gloves of your size. There are knee and elbow pads also available. |
|
An aluminium-made front-suspension mountain bike with hydraulic brakes and Shimano drive train. Here are some pictures of the bikes available. |
|
A dish of tropical fruits before the ride. |
|
Fresh water to carry on your bike. |
|
Advice from your guide about seat height, brake lever angle and body position to better enjoy your ride. |
|
Guidance from a fluent english speaking person with several years of experience riding mountain bikes, knowledge of the area and ability to perform first aid assistance. |
|
A cold beverage (beer or fruit juice) at the end of the ride. |
|
Picnic-style meal. |
