RIDING RÉUNION
It’s three in the morning and it’s taken Max twenty minutes to wake me. We’re going to make our first attempt of three to ride the trails around Île de la Réunion’s active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise. The reason I’m so reluctant to get up is mainly down to enduro superstar Rémy Absalon, who, after winning the Megavalanche the previous day, spent a lot of the evening plying me with a mixture of French wine and Réunionaise rum.
Île de la Réunion is most famous for the Southern Hemisphere edition of the Megavalanche, and we’re on the volcanic island to explore what riding is on offer away from the mass-start enduro slogathon.
The reason for the early start and the three attempts is the geography of this stunning place. It rises from the Indian Ocean to more than three thousand metres, meaning nearly every morning cloud builds fast on the high-altitude interior of the island. On this morning, the cloud is too much when we eventually make it to the south of the island, and the barren landscape surrounding the Piton de la Fournaise with guide Raymond. After returning to base for a quick lunchtime nap, I force German Enduro World Series racer Max Schumann to drive (I’m in no fit state)
