Mountain Biking

A writer for "Outside" profiles the best mountain bike adventures, from Thailand to the Hawaiian Islands, from Cape Town to Sun Valley, from the Olympic Peninsula to the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. While much of the best riding is found in the United States, Story spices his top 25 trips with foreign riding in some unlikely spots.

The first three Outside Adventure Travel Guides describe the planet's finest trekking, sea kayaking, and mountain biking destinations. Each is an invitation to join a seasoned traveler and sports enthusiast as he walks, paddles, or pedals his way from continent to continent in a worldwide quest for the best. A search for isolated places where sunrise and sunset still count, and every hour between is spent outdoors.

Outside Adventure Travel Guides are travelogues to the world of adventure sports written, designed, and illustrated to inspire readers to take the first steps toward an active vacation of exploration. The authors rate each expedition in terms of its difficulty, required skills, comfort, and cost. Specific routes are described in detail, as are reliable tour operators, outfitters, and local guides. Vital statistics and maps to each trip are provided, along with total trip time including airline, bus, and Jeep conveyance to remote jumping-off points. Best seasons to visit are given, including prime off-season months in which to avoid an overabundance of like-minded adventurers.

Whether readers are looking for top-flight outfitters or want to outfit themselves, whether they're on a budget or on a binge, Outside Adventure Travel Guides will inspire them to get underway.

Adventurers seeking the adrenaline rush and physical rewards of world-class mountain biking set against stunning and exotic landscapes, look no further. Rob Story, regular contributor to Outside, knows where in the world to go for the best fat-tire, single-track experiences imaginable, from Thailand to the Hawaiian Islands, from Cape Town to Sun Valley, from the Olympic Peninsula to the Atlas Mountains ofNorth Africa. While much of the best riding is found in the United States, Story spices his top 25 trips with foreign riding in some unlikely and untrammeled spots. No matter where he sends mountain bikers, their concerns are addressed, from where to find gear, to which outfitters to trust, to honest appraisals of trail difficulty.