I speak to Sina via Skype. He grew up in Canada and seems to be the only Iranian biker who speaks fluent English. I want to know from him: Are there any flowy freeride trails in Iran? "Yeah, sure, come over and I'll show you," he says, grinning into the computer camera. But can I trust an Iranian? No, that's not what I mean - about the axis of evil, the nuclear bomb, Sharia law, etc. But I don't know what they mean by freeride in Iran or how they define "flowy". In any case, I'm sceptical. Shortly afterwards, Sina's mate Hossein sends me some photos - they look good! So let's go: I venture into the land of the mullahs in search of the Iranian Epic Trail.
Four weeks later: landing approach to Tehran. In the belly of the plane: my bike. The stewardess urges me to finish the can of beer and ties a scarf around my head. Before landing, every drop of alcohol has to disappear into lockable compartments, because possession and consumption of alcohol is a serious offence in Iran. My plane dives into the haze over Tehran. 13 million of Iran's 81 million inhabitants crowd into the megacity at the foot of the mighty Elburs Mountains. The country itself is four times the size of Germany.
Sina picks me up at the airport and we plunge into the maelstrom that is Tehran: traffic jams at all times of the day and night. The smog from hundreds of thousands of cars without catalytic converters bites into our lungs. For the people of Tehran, there seems to be only full throttle and full brake. The bold have the right of way - anyone who hesitates is pushed aside. We pick up Christoph Benkert. Christoph had read the story about Hossein Zanjanian, Iran's fastest downhiller, in FREERIDE, got curious and now wants to explore Iran with me. "Is our hotel nearby?" Christoph wants to know. "You're not sleeping in the hotel - you're my guests!" says Sina solemnly. Oh no! But no amount of protesting will help, we submit to Iranian hospitality. In the afternoon, Hossein gets in touch; he wants to go biking with us.
The meeting point is Hossein's bike shop. "It's not far. Take the bike, otherwise you'll just get stuck in a traffic jam!" says Sina. Unfortunately, he has to work, so we set off on our own. A mistake! After an hour of wandering around and near-death experiences in the traffic chaos, we give up. One phone call later, Hossein is there. Unfortunately, he only speaks a few words of English, but with sign language and patience it works. He drags us to his shop on his motorbike. The shop is the first port of call for all serious bikers in Iran. Despite the recently concluded nuclear deal and the theoretical end of sanctions against Iran, imports are still difficult and expensive. But thanks to many friends abroad, Hossein can even get Reverb seatposts, FiveTen shoes, Renthal handlebars and Conti tyres.
Hossein wants to go to Mount Darabad in the north-east of the city, his favourite training spot. Tehran is already around 1500 metres high, but 3000 metre peaks rise into the sky directly behind the houses. We crank up our enduro bikes and look down from above. A spooky panorama: skyscrapers rise out of the sulphur-yellow haze. The trails are short and quite nice, but flowing is different. Lots of loose scree! If you want to ride fast here, you need courage. We struggle up three times, then hunger drives us back into the smog soup. Hossein invites us to his favourite snack at a roadside shop: Majun, a calorie bomb of ice cream, cream, chocolate sauce, nuts and banana. "That's what we eat in Iran after good sex - to have good sex again," Hossein reveals, "or after biking!" We nod, grin politely and spoon up the natural Iranian Viagra.
Our road trip starts the next day. Sina has found a VW bus. "The only one with a bike rack on the roof," he says proudly, but the rack turns out to be a metal bracket to which the driver straps the bikes with cable ties. Will that hold? The rider just laughs and shows his brown teeth. Inshallah!
Our destination is Qazvin. The small town lies 180 kilometres northwest of Tehran. Hossein was born here and promises us an enduro trail with a very special shuttle service. Sure enough, after half an hour's uphill ride through barren, brown mountains, a chairlift suddenly appears in front of us - in the middle of nowhere! Hossein has announced our arrival and the lift has been specially opened for Iran's best downhill rider and his visit from Germany. It ends at 2630 metres. Wind sweeps across the plateau, endless grey-brown mountain ridges around us. We destroy the first 500 metres in altitude on rough gravel tracks. Oh dear, is this the Iranian flow? But then the path narrows and a stony single track leads us into a small, green paradise: In the middle of the grim mountain world, a stream bubbles and lets lush greenery grow. We follow the course of the river - fast passages over hard-packed earth alternate with technical sections, steep and rocky. Hossein looks at our faces and realises: we need more! On the way back, we pass the mosque. An old man hurries past us. At first we think he's going to throw us out of the forecourt because of our shorts and bikes. But he manoeuvres us straight into the prayer room. We feel a little out of place among the grey-clad devout Muslims.
But even the imam is enthusiastic about our visit and points to us during the sermon and says: "Even unbelievers can be good people if they lead a righteous life" - and find flowing trails, we add in our minds. Hossein gives us hope: "The Milady family lives in a small village on the Caspian Sea. They have established the sport of biking in northern Iran. If there's a perfect trail, they know it." So that very evening, we cross the mighty Elburs Mountains - from the dry, brown Tehran plateau to the green coast of the Caspian Sea. We are overwhelmed by the friendliness with which Sha'ban Milady and his sons Pouya and Pourya welcome us. The kebab grill is already heated up and we pick pomegranates fresh from the tree. We eat traditionally on the living room carpet and without women. We only get to see Mrs Milady and her daughter when we are served. A shy smile and they disappear back into the kitchen. We are irritated: On the one hand this openness, on the other the strange image of women. Later, Sina explains that the Miladys are a modern family but live in a small village. If anyone were to notice that the Milady women appear to strangers without their headscarves and sit down to eat with the men, the family would quickly be put out of favour.
The super trail is said to be located in the mountains behind the coastal town of Ramsar: a 17 kilometre long single trail. On the way there, we see mountain bikers at the side of the road. "Stop! Can we stop?" I shout and curse my words the next moment, because our driver puts the car in reverse and reverses onto the motorway. We survive and meet the Iranian KTM women's mountain bike team! Our surprised faces amuse the ladies. They explain to us that there really are female bikers in Iran. As long as the hijab hides the hair under the helmet and a short skirt, long sleeves and trousers cover the view of bare skin and female charms, there are no problems. And in 30 degree heat? "Well", they reveal with a wink, "in the mountains, nobody cares what we're wearing". We say goodbye with a friendly nod, because shaking hands with a woman in public is taboo for men - even if she's on a mountain bike.
From Ramsar, our bus struggles up the mountain on a gravel track. We break through the cloud cover and enjoy the lush green panorama. The perfect setting for the Iranian dream trail. Indeed: moderately steep, it winds its way downhill through the sparse deciduous forest, playful and flowing. We plunge into the clouds, the ground becomes softer, but the flow remains. The grip soon returns and numerous jumps in the terrain provide variety. After an incredible 15 kilometres and 1900 metres in altitude, we reach a gravel road that leads us through picturesque villages back to Ramsar.
On the beach we realise: mission accomplished. We've found it - the Iranian Epic Trail! It has everything we spoilt Westerners want from a nature trail. But we also realise that it wasn't just this super trail that made the trip so special. The mixture was magical: the car breakdowns, the strange food, the people, their helpfulness and all the obstacles, ups and downs made the trip a real adventure. And the certainty that for a while we will appreciate everything that we seem to take for granted a little more.
INTERVIEW WITH GREGOR MAHRINGER, FREERIDE ADVENTURE - "
Is everything that's fun forbidden in Iran?"
Iran is the country with the highest execution rate. People are still stoned and crucified there, women have hardly any rights, the religious police can arbitrarily arrest anyone - do you really want to go freeriding in the land of nuclear bomb makers?
Yes, this is the image we have of Iran in the West. But Iranians are very friendly, hospitable people, usually without reservations. The country is rough, but exciting. And biking is a great way to get to know Iran. What's more, there are no limits on fun in the mountains. Almost everything is allowed, which makes freeriders happy.
Can women also go biking in Iran? That's no problem, but women have to keep their hair and skin covered. However, as a foreign woman, it is definitely easier with a male companion than alone.
What is different in Iran?
There is hardly any tourism, so you are not hassled like in other countries in the Middle East. People treat you with respect and curiosity, but also a little distance.
Can you travel around Iran on your own? Yes, you can. But communication is difficult as hardly anyone speaks English.
What surprised you in Iran?
How few prejudices people have, how good the infrastructure of hotels and good restaurants is and that there is not only desert, but also subtropical and humid areas.
Are the sanctions making themselves felt?
Yes, especially on the cars. Most of them are old cars without catalytic converters. They stink terribly. Hence the heavy pollution. But you can buy almost anything. And hopefully things will soon change for the better here.
What was the biggest challenge during the trip?
trails. That's because the guys there rattle down some mountain slopes on their downhill bikes or ride XC on gravel tracks. But they don't know any enduro trails or even entire freeride tours. So we had to find all the trails ourselves.
And found what you were looking for?
Yes, we found super trails that are over 15 kilometres long and really flowy. You definitely won't find such long, lonely trails in the Alps. But of course it's the exoticism that makes biking in Iran so special. Everyone flies to La Palma, but certainly not to Iran.
The Fahrtwind agency now also offers guided bike tours to Iran in which you are involved. What is on offer?
We are on the road for 10 days, covering around 1000 kilometres on the way to four main spots. There we experience Iranian culture up close and ride endless single trails. The special thing: One of the guides is Hossein Zanjanian, the Iranian downhill champion.
