Three Nations - 3 Nacions - a MERIDA e-bike story

Sometimes you just need to head out on your own little adventure. No number board, no ticking clock, no race tape; just a big old ride where you can explore the unexplored and enjoy the company of good friends.

That is precisely what José Antonio Hermida and Toni Ferreiro decided to do when they embarked on their '3 Nacions' (three nations) eMTB adventure onboard their eONE-SIXTY 10Ks.

The '3 Nacions' is an adventure that goes through three countries in the Catalan Pyrenees. The idea was to cover a loop, broken up into two stages with starts and finishes in the same place, Jose’s home town of Puigcerda. It would pass through three countries: Spain, Andorra, France and it would also take in the most rewarding trails and descents to keep the fun factor high, while the climbs would give our two friends a chance for long talks and some proper 'catching up' time.

While the chosen route could have been conquered by a 'human powered' bike, José and Toni chose their eONE-SIXTY eMTBs as the best option to manage their efforts, fully enjoy the journey and get to the most remote places with relative ease – as well as conquering some seriously technical climbs too.

On their first day, which would cover around 70 km, the pair left Puigcerda (Spain) and followed the Segre River, eventually getting to the highest point of the Pic Negre de Claror  (2,642 m) which is already across the border in Andorra. From there, a long, spectacular and magical descent littered with fast flow sections, panoramic views, rocks and technical obstacles opened up, which showed the eONE-SIXTY in its element. After around 2,500 m of climbing and 2,900 m of descending, the first part of their little adventure came to an end and the traditional Andorran accommodation called ‘Borda’ offered some basic but welcome shelter for the night.

Refreshed and ready for more, perfect autumn weather greeted José and Toni on their second day which would be around 62 km long and would have once again a healthy dose of climbing and descending thrown in for good measure. With their accommodation being more than 2,000 meters above sea level, the morning would start with some fantastic descending; what better way to start the day?

Eventually, the trails would point upwards once again, with the 2,409 m high Port d`Envalira being the summit goal for their second day. After reaching the top, roughly 30 km of the route remained, offering the perfect combination of open hills, sweet singletrack and lots of exciting things along the trail to explore, including a quick visit to some old iron mine buildings just off the path.

After more than 130 km of riding and more than 5,000 m of climbing and descending, our eONE-SIXTY pilots made it back to the starting point, with a head full of beautiful pictures, some never ridden before trails in the 'trail bank' and plenty of quality time with each other. While giving them many memories to cherish, this unique trip that covered three countries inspired José and Toni to plan their next trip already…so watch this space.

The EP8 equipped eONE-SIXTY 10k bikes performed flawlessly and managed to deliver all that climbing and descending with just one battery charge per day.

While racing and competition can be hugely exciting, a long ride on beautiful trails with a good friend is very, very difficult to beat. Time to pick up the phone, call a riding buddy you haven't seen for a while and hit the trails.