Mick Extance at The Redtread Off - Road School.. .Britain's best Dakar rider

"I would personally recommend The Redtread Off-Road School as they operate out of the best base venue and they provide the best off-road bike experience package in Spain and Europe." - Mick Extance

Our week’s stay at Redtread - by Mick Extance

Ian and Sally had invited me and my wife Sharon for a week’s holiday in Spain, as we had never had a honeymoon or been away together for over five years this was an ideal opportunity for us both to have a welcomed and much needed break. Redtread is based in the small town of Competa, set in the mountains and hills of Spain; about an hours drive from Malaga airport and only forty minutes from the seaside resort of Nerja. All facilities are on site so no travelling to and from hotels or having to be picked up for rideouts all of which can be time consuming and takes valuable time off your holiday. The apartments are spacious and offer self catering facilities and the views from the apartments over the mountains are outstanding. You certainly enjoyed waking up and looking out of your window every morning.
 
We arrived at “The Redtread Country Mansion” with mixed feeling of what to expect. We had no need to worry, Ian and Sally made us feel very welcome and at ease and after a tour of the house, the apartments and of course the bikes we sat down to dinner. Ian has been an avid follower of the Dakar Rally and has watched my progress over the last five years; he had also competed against me in many s in the UK throughout the 1980’s, which according to Andy, one of the Redtread guests, was the best decade for music, um I don’t think so mate!!!!

After a couple of days chilling out, checking the local restaurants in Competa and getting to know Ian, Sal and the other guests, I go along for the first day of Ian’s Tour. As an experienced and Dakar rider I was interested to see what Redtread had to offer. We are all taken to the kit room where we are suited up with all our protective riding gear which was great quality with ample size alternatives available and also included was a Kriega bum bag with water and spare inner tube, as the lead rider, Ian also carries various tools and spares to cover all mechanical eventualities. Ian along with Doogie, the sweeper rider, guide us to the motocross track which is about 40 minutes away. The riding gets us warmed up and also a chance to check the abilities of the group and for Ian to give some personal tuition to the guys which mainly focused on cornering technique, body positioning and also any individual requests that the guys came up with.

On booking Sal does ensure that all riders are of similar ability so you don’t get a mix of boy racers or plodders, by doing this all guests get to enjoy their ride outs and for the less confident Ian is on hand to offer extra tuition.

After a couple of hours on the track we are met by Sal who has brought along our wives, a great personal touch; we are all pleased to see them and they join us for lunch on the coast which is laid back and leisurely. All the boys exchanged bike stories while you take in the sun and look out towards the sea. As the ladies leave we are off out on the bikes heading for the hills through Sedella and Fogarate, taking in some awesome trails with some breath taking views. I felt that the good thing about Ian’s Tours are that the pace keeps flowing smoothly allowing all the guys to settle into their own pace, as I have said before, by matching up the riders you are not having to stop for others to catch up. Another good point which I liked is Redtread's sweeper system which makes sure that the guys at the back, who are generally the least experienced riders, can feel confident that they are not being left behind and become the last man out on the trail. It lets them relax and feel comfortable. Once we have reached certain points of the tour, the guys are allowed to stop and take photos, take a drink and enjoy the surrounding mountains which are awesome.

On our return to home the in-house mechanic is waiting and sets to work on the maintenance of the bikes, this is done EVERY night. Once back at  Redtread Honda Towers, which is about 6 O’clock in the evening and with a good 130 kilometres and more behind us, we are met by balloons and banners. Sharon had told them it was my birthday and the girls had decorated the outside of the bar. I am greeted with champagne and a great big chocolate cake and Happy Birthday is blasting out of the stereo. That was a really nice touch again another thing that makes these guys unique is they seem to go out of their way to ensure that all the guests have a good time. I was then invited to go for a dip in the pool or shall I say I was chucked in by my fellow riders!!!!

We spent the evening in Restaurant El Pilon in Competa and enjoyed a fabulous meal with Ian, Sal all the guests and their wives, we are joined by Alice and Achim from Germany who are friends of Mick (nicknamed “Slow Mick” whilst I was there and then “Fast Mick” when I wasn’t!) his wife Astrid and Andy who all meet up every 2 years or so for a reunion and this time chose Redtread as the venue. Pete, Graham and Mark (Talc Man) so called for his love of the white dusty stuff that he chucks all over his body and every where else, are also mates on a four day trip.

My following day is spent in Nerja with Sharon, preparing for the 2007 Dakar each year is extremely time consuming and our whole life seems to revolve around it, my physical training alone is quite intensive and there is very little free time for us to spend together. We spent most of the day on the beach watching others being treated to a massage by these guys who work on the beach. We found there are plenty of restaurants to choose from and feel very safe wandering the streets in the evening. There are no noisy drunks hassling you like they do in the UK. Nerja is a really cool place to visit.

Tuesday, and I have another days riding in store, today is spent purely on trails which were very different from those we rode on day 1, not as rocky and some single track stuff. Around 2 o’clock we had lunch over in Granada province at an amazing place where high in the mountains we are surrounded by Brown Bears, Llamas and Hippo’s in a kind of open zoo….it was very surreal. Back onto another trail and again more spectacular scenery which you really need to see to appreciate its scale and beauty. I make the others feel great as I go flying around a corner looking for the perfect photo moment and gracefully fell off the bike and straight onto my arse, why does it always go pear shaped when there is a camera involved? Today we covered 135km´s. 

Tonight everyone does their own thing, Pete, Graham and Mark have gone home and the others go to town to have a meal and catch up. Ian cooks up a mean curry which impresses Sharon and puts me to shame as I have just mastered scrambled eggs!!!!! We are all bushed so say our goodnights and have an early night, tomorrows a day off for the riders.

On the “free day” Ian and Sal take us on a tour of proper Spain; we stop by a beautiful lake at a place called Pantana and feed these very large fish, we ate at a local restaurant and just chilled out. We went to Alhama de Granada to the natural springs where people go to relax in the hot waters but left quite quickly as the clientele were all in their twilight years and we felt like young bait !!! Then, the fog descended sending Sal and Sharon into gibbering wrecks whilst Ian drove down the hills and onto the coast for dinner.

Our last day, I manage to persuade Shaz to let me have one more day on the bike while she is packing. The day is foggy but Ian and Doogie expertly guide the group into the trails above the mist. Today we went into the National Park again and rode open rocky trails through the middle of the Sierra Almijaras. Ian was constantly giving help and tips to all the riders to ensure that they all got the absolute best out of their time with The Redtread Off-Road School. We ate at a lovely traditional Spanish restaurant and enjoyed a great leisurely lunch. Once again we headed out onto more trails that are new to the group for more fab riding. Today we rode up to 6020ft and looked out towards North Africa on the top of a mountain called Maroma, it was brilliant. Today we rode for 140km´s.

We get back in time to say our goodbyes as we head back for the UK………… it has been a fantastic week.

Ian and Sal go way above what it’s expected of them and make their guests feel extremely comfortable. Their set up is very professional and the surroundings of the Redtread mansion are outstanding. They have the ability to add that personal touch to a well organised and fantastic off road experience.

"I would recommend The Redtread Off-Road School as being the premier off road bike experience in Spain."

Mick Extance
1st place British finisher in the
2004, 2005 & 2006 Dakar Rally.