Here on GMBN,
we're pretty lucky to be able to ride our bikes
in some amazing locations around the world.
From the Rocky Mountains of North America
to South Africa's Western Cape,
we've raced, rode and filmed some of the best trails in the world.
In this video,
we're going to revisit all of those epic places.
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The Western coast of Canada is renowned for mountain biking
and is where the freeride was born.
Squamish is a small town
slacked in between Vancouver
and the mountain biking mecca Whistler.
Neil visited Squamish in 2019 to experience the BC bike race,
which calls into town
as the final stage of the seven-day brutal stage race.
Now, although it may not have chairlift accessible riding,
it still has some of the best trails to offer in the world,
with hundreds of trails weaving around the mountains.
The climbs are built up
of long steep, far road climbs and single track,
to winch yourself to the top
making good use of all 12 of your gears.
Upon summiting,
you are rewarded with panoramic views of the valley
for as far as the eye can see.
Canada, in particular British Columbia,
is known for its giant rock slabs and steep, rooty shoots,
but it is also famously known for its north shore,
which is not everyone's cup of tea.
Literally my least favorite thing in the world.
If double black diamond trails aren't your cup of tea,
then they have a whole host of other trails,
including half Nelson,
which is a machined trail littered with rollers and jumps.
Rich joined the GMBN team
with a pedigree of enduro racing under his belt.
We thought we'd chuck him in at the deep end
and send him to Chile in South America
to compete in the infamous Andes Pacifico.
The Andes Pacifico is a stage race spread over five days
which sees the riders descend
nearly 12,000 vertical meters by the time they finish.
If they finish, that is.
The previous year,
fellow presenter Neil took on the task,
but sadly ended his race early in hospital.
It's up to Rich to make us proud this year.
The tracks are fast, long, and rough,
made even more epic
by the breathtaking scenery surrounding the riders at all times.
One thing that makes these trails stand out from the rest
is the infamous anti-grip,
which is like a layer of kitty litter
that shifts unpredictably under your wheels.
With speeds of up to 60 kilometers an hour
on some sections,
it's definitely not the place to lose traction.
To even just finish this race is an achievement,
which you can tell from the look Rich's face by the end.
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Whistler is a place that features
on almost every mountain biker's bucket list.
The bike park offers to lift
accessible downhill trails for all abilities,
from green up to black graded trails.
Jumps, berms, rocks slabs, you name it,
it's in there.
In fact, the mountains surrounding the village of Whistler
are also littered with bike trails going on forever.
This seemed like the perfect place for Martin
to test out his Canyon Sender with a modified bucket seat.
A 13-hour flight later,
and the whole GMBN crew were across the pond
and had arrived in the land of mountain biking.
With nerves playing up on Martin's mind on the gondola line,
some words of wisdom from Blake soon settled him down.
I'm too sexy for my shorts, too sexy for my shorts.
I'm pretty scared.
-I'm kind of scared. -That's natural.
It's a good thing.
-You don't want to not be scared. -You want to be scared.
With so much anticipation and build up,
there was a lot of pressure riding on Martin
being able to actually ride this specifically-built bike
down the trails.
It was time to drop in.
Blake out front, Doddy following behind,
Martim hit the trails
as if he'd been down them a million times.
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So Good.
First bit done.
Dude, that was amazing.
Wind in the hair feels so good.
From then on it was go-time,
competing in the A-line downhill race,
sessioning some of the lost Lake trails
and experiencing all that Whistler had to offer.
What a trip.
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DarkFEST
is the brainchild of UK free-rider Sam Reynolds,
alongside Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela.
Taking place in the wine region of Stellenbosch, South Africa,
with the mountains as the perfect backdrop
for some of the biggest jumps in the world.
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With jumps ranging from 40 feet in length up to 90 feet
these aren't for the fainthearted
which is, why we sent our resident stuntman Blake Samson
out there in 2018.
With a mixture of hips, jumps, and shark fins,
you not only have to confident to hit the line,
but also possess the skills to finesse your way through the line.
Surrounded by 10 or so of the best riders in the world,
Blake set about getting through the line.
More importantly,
the 90-foot monster jump in the middle of the course.
I know I keep saying this word nervous,
but this is a whole new level of nervousness.
Judging the speed was the hard bit.
Too slow and case,
too fast, and you risk overshooting what is already a 90-foot jump.
Following the creator of this completely mental line,
Sam Reynolds,
helped Blake judge the speed and got him over it safely.
Oh my [bleep] I made it. That was sick.
It was game on from there.
He used tricks like backflips, supermans,
and even a cash roll from Nicholi Rogatkin.
Blake did us proud
and even brought us a bottle of red home.
Cheers Blake.
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This one is a little closer to home for us,
especially for Neil.
Shropshire is where he grew up.
Neil and Blake planned a route around the rolling hills
to enjoy the best of British autumn.
Sampling some of the long winding single track
that the hills of Shropshire have to offer
was top of the list.
It wasn't long before the heavens opened
and they really found out how waterproof their jackets were.
Starting off on open hillsides, bombing down flat out descents,
to ducking into dense woods to avoid the rain.
Weaving turns around trees and natural rollers to jump
spiced up the ride.
Just as they'd got used to the rain,
the sun decided to come out for the final descent of the day,
and it couldn't have come at a better time.
A steep loose rocky descent came between them and the finish
so they carefully picked their way down
to an epic day out.
The diverse terrain and the microclimates
meant that they managed to experience
every type of trail and weather condition.
Not bad for one day out on a bike.
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Neil again,
this time we sent him with GCN presenter Si Richardson
to the mystic world of Iceland.
With volcanoes, lava fields,
and thousands and thousands of kilometers of gravel roads,
it was going to be like nothing they had ever ridden before.
The route was 130 kilometers split over two days
that would see all four elements, earth, wind, water, and fire.
Starting on snow, they made their way
through towering mountains, active volcanoes,
and ice-cold river crossings.
With surroundings
that could quite easily be mistaken for the surface of Mars,
they made their way to the overnight hut
to replenish their lost vitamins and minerals
with beer and steak.
The second day saw Neil and Si crossing deserted highland plains
to the base of a gruelling climb,
made all the harder with a consistent headwind.
Just to add to the tension,
Iceland's most active volcano was next to them
and was about to erupt any time.
Luckily, they made it back onto tarmac
and even managed to dip in the hot springs
before they headed home.
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Back to South America again.
This time in Patagonia
to sample some of the local trails, coffee
and, in Blake's case, fly-fishing.
To host them
was an ex-World Cup downhill rider turned fly fisher
named Gabo.
With the much-appreciated help from a minivan on steroids,
they set off into the backcountry of Patagonia.
Day one involved a traverse around free lakes
to a small hut in the middle of nowhere,
crossing through vast grazing plains
with cattle and horses to accompany them.
It was pretty apparent they weren't in the UK anymore.
Dusty, weaving single track
fired them through thick walls of trees on either side,
slashing through the dirt
as if it was a layer of fresh snow.
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Riding until 8:00 PM,
they got to the hut
for some well-deserved beers and barbecue.
Some strong coffee was needed the next morning
after beer, wine and pisco in order to get the lads out of bed.
Day two definitely looked a bit more relaxed.
A lift to another riding location,
a climb and a long descent down to a river for fly fishing.
Maybe it had something to do with all the drinks the night before,
but a lunch stop at the top of the climb
made for the picture-perfect place
to watch the clouds roll over the hills
and have a much needed rest.
A mixture of open grassy fields and rough raw rocks
saw them pick their way down to the river.
It was fishing time.
Time for Blake to impress the pros.
Poised with a rod, Blake cast off.
No fish this time, but I think they'll survive.
So there you have it,
GMBN's favorite riding places in the world.
We've been really lucky to visit some of these locations
and we hope to take you with us next time.
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Thanks very much for watching, and we'll see you next time.