In this article, we present a new adventure cycling event in a 100% mountain environment. It’s not a race, it’s a journey through time, unhurried but with determination and effort. There are no rivals here, only accomplices to help us reach the finish line before nightfall catches up with us; that’s the essence.
It is one of the most spectacular routes that can be done on MTB, Gravel, or ebike. A combination of well-maintained tracks and winding roads in remote border valleys full of stories. Pure Pyrenees, ports at 2,300 meters high, forests coveted by bears, deer, and wolves. A valley of blacksmiths, of strong people, shaping iron with hammer blows on the anvil. Villages with history and anecdotes; like the charismatic village of Tor, where Pili will prepare the supplies for us at Casa Sisqueta.
Gravel riding allows for a comfortable combination of pavement, dirt tracks, and trails
Contrabandistes
We will pass through the properties of Palanca until we reach the summit of Puerto de Cabús. We will cross the natural pass of the smugglers, where they still pass through at night, without light, in the midst of a breath-taking silence. We will discover Os de CivÃs, a Catalan village inside Andorra. Farmhouses in the middle of nowhere with many stories to tell. All of this you can experience with every pedal stroke in just one day, a long day that will be forever etched in your memory. This is adventure cycling, and this is the Route of La Contrabandistes.
On September 28th, the second edition of La Contrabandistes will start from the Sant Joan de l’Erm cross-country ski resort, at 1,700 meters above sea level. A landscape of ancient forests in the Alt Urgell region of Lleida, located within the Alt Pirineu Natural Park.
EPIC: 102km / 3.170m
HERO: 50km / 1,230m+
Are you up for this cycling and adventure challenge?