Bike St. Lucia

[weloverunning]

Has anyone recently moutain biked with bikestlucia.com? Their website states they now have 1/2 excursions for cruise ship passengers. I think it takes quite a while by boat to get to Anse Chastanel Resort. Is there still enough time to mountain bike? Any input would be appreciated.

Ann and John

[Giventofly]

Hello rpbcouple.

 

I was there about 2 years ago, so my info is not exactly up to date, however, I will mention that the staff there is amazing, and the riding is even better. I have posted a very long review of my experiences there at MTBR.com (the mountain bike review website) I have linked to that below. My review is (obviously) the one with giventofly as the author.

 

Have fun.

 

http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/trails-around-the-world/trails-other-areas/trail/PRD_169838_4572crx.aspx

[Giventofly]

Copied and pasted from http://www.mtbr.com

 

 

THIS IS A LONG REVIEW.

 

I just returned from a Cruise of the Caribbean onboard Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas. I wanted to ride this trail for months, but it was looking like an impossibility, as my ship did not arrive in time to meet the watertaxi, as the trailhead is only accessable by sea. THere are no roads in this part of the island.

 

Charles at jungle biking pulled all sorts of strings with the cruise line, to get me to the trailhead. That heroic effort mirrored the entire experience, described below:

 

The ocean is heaving. 8 foot swells flip the water taxi like a cork as we speed along the st. Lucian coastline. as we round the point, the beach comes into view. I am the only mountain biker on the boat. The pilot says to me in broken english "this is where you get off". He floors the throttles full reverse, as the waves crash over the stern of the small dive boat. The deckhand yells "JUMP" and pulls a lever, releasing the gangplank. I jump. I hear a thump as my gloves hit the sand next to me, and I scramble to get out of the way of the next incoming wave. By the time I get up and dust myself off, the boat is gone, and I am alone. For 5 minutes, I stand there. Taking in the solitude.

 

After a breif moment of reflection, I begin walking inland. After a minute, I find an empty Tiki Hut, and from behind it pops a man, clad in a security uniform. He asks my name, and knows right away by my dress what I am here for.

 

We walk behind the hut, and the jungle begins to close around us. I can barely contain myself, as the trailhead comes into view.....the most unreal sight I'd never expected. Huge 12 foot high wooden doors, similar to jurassic park, separate the isolated beach from the jungle within. The guard swings them open with a groaning sound, revealing behind them, a perfect ribbon of singletrack snaking off into the jungle.

 

We walked maybe 100 yards into the property, where a 200 year old ruin of a building awaited me. As I walked up the crumbling steps of this ancient sugar plantation, walked through the doors, and was immedietly surrounded by at least 50 thousand dollars worth of bikes. At least 30 Cannondale f-800s hung from the ceiling and in the bike racks. All decked out to the max, with XT hydro disk brakes, and lefty's I even spotted a few jekyll's in the mix...but I'm a hard tail man...so that's what I chose

 

After being outfitted with my new favorite bike, it was time to hit the trails. I donned my helmet and gloves, tested out the brakes and fork lockout, and spun off. The trail guide took me around the 1.5 mile inner loop, pointing out various trailheads that branched off of "main Street" Explained the easy-to-read trail markings (green, yellow, red, and Black) and what difficultys they represented. His final piece of advice was regarding the "black" trail. "tinker's trail" he said " is black for a reason. Only Tinker Juarez has climbed the entire thing without walking, and very few can make the decent." I took that as a challenge. As I got used to the bike, I got more courage. The Creeping fig loop has cool vines growing up the side of the cliff as you ride by, Some of the downhill runs shoot you out through the ruins, while creek crossings and technical sections abound. The true highlight of the trip (the entire cruise vacation) was "Tinker's Trail" From sea level, it is a 1000 foot vertical climb. 1 mile up, 1 mile down. I remember being about half way up...walking switchbacks, thinking to myself "most trailbuilders use the shallow grades for the climbs" ...

 

"What could possibly await me on the descent?"

This was without a doubt, the most difficult climb of my life.

As I round a corner, I see a trail intersetion. There are signs, telling you at this point, you can either continue upward, or head back down. Trust me....you will want to go back down! DON"T You're halfway there....and the best is yet to come. You climb among boulders as big as houses, through loose rocky switchbacks, but The view at the top is spellbinding. I would say that the view of the Mighty Pitons rising out of the caribbean is worth EVERY climb you have ever made.....oh yeah, then you get to come back down!

 

The climb took me 45 minutes. The descent took 6.

 

It was hair raising, white knuckled and fast. The first 4 switchbacks are so steep and tight, that if you can't trackstand, you WILL fall. After you swing around each one, let the brakes go, and hold on for your life. Over 5 minutes, the trail changes from dry rocky, to tacky and rooty, as you decend below the jungle canopy. Stay off the brakes over the roots, or you'll find a shortcut to the caribbean....and enjoy the best mountain bike ...no ... JUNGLE bike ride of your life!

http://www.Bikestlucia.com

[looking_forward]

Has anyone recently moutain biked with bikestlucia.com? Their website states they now have 1/2 excursions for cruise ship passengers. I think it takes quite a while by boat to get to Anse Chastanel Resort. Is there still enough time to mountain bike? Any input would be appreciated.

Ann and John

 

 

Looking for anyone else (maybe not such a hardcore biker) that can give input for a novice rider. Is it worth it? Are you rushed for time?