About us

Bali Trailblazers is a young company consisting of 2 guides, a driver and a back-up truck. Together, we have put together over 400 km’s of fantastic trails over a huge variety of terrain and scenery. We believe that the pursuit of a perfect trail is never ending and we are always improving and extending our knowledge.

We are currently the only mountain biking company on Bali who offer cross-country biking at an intermediate level, and rather than attracting tourists who are already out here, our aim is to attract mountain bike enthusiasts from other parts of the world.

Our holidays offer you the chance to ride through the remotest corners of this Island on singletrack that rarely, if ever sees a mountain biker, whilst also offering you the luxury of staying in well established western standard accommodation – something which is rare in SE Asia.

We believe that a holiday should send you home feeling refreshed and inspired, not knackered and in need of another holiday and whilst some of our trails are challenging we try to balance it with plenty of opportunity to relax and soak up the culture (however, if you prefer the former I’m sure we can oblige!).

We are a small and flexible company so if none of our schedules suit you, or you want to put together a tailor-made holiday, just get in touch with us.

Whilst we are first and foremost mountain bikers and so our emphasis is on good biking, we hope you will return home, not only with a stack of ‘memorable mountain bike moments’ but also with an understanding of the Balinese people, and a vivid impression of a totally different way of life.

Our team consists of Clare (founder and mountain bike guide), Ketut  (mountain bike guide) and Made (back-up truck driver)

Clare

I am a geologist by profession, but after a number of years in the oil business I decided that when it came to climbing I preferred mountains to corporate ladders.

My illustrious cycling career got off to a bumpy start when at the age of 7 I failed my cycling proficiency test. Apparently it was something to do with not stopping at a red traffic light. This was a skill I nurtured in later life on the streets of Manchester, and later still when I became a cycle courier in London.

I started mountain biking regularly in 1999 in the hills just outside Jakarta on the island of Java, whilst I was on a 4 year job posting. It was a stunning introduction to the sport and a privilege to be able to do Sunday rides in such beautiful terrain. It was there that I gained a reputation for leading unsuspecting characters on mountain biking adventures into the wilds of Java. After making the decision to change my profession, I thought I’d better re-qualify so spent an extremely enjoyable (but cold and wet) couple of weekends in Lancashire gaining my MIAS level 2 Mountain Bike leadership qualification*.

My inspiration for setting up Bali Trailblazers wasn’t only a question of wanting to share a relatively new mountain biking domain, and under-explored part of the world with like-minded individuals, but also stemmed from a couple of pretty crappy holiday experiences with big companies, and thinking I could do better. I think that people get the most satisfaction out of doing something that challenges them and whilst the idea of climbing 2000 metres for 3 days in a row is not my idea of a holiday, neither is sitting in a minibus for half a day followed by cycling down some mediocre jeep track. So if you occupy ‘middle earth’ a Trailblazers holiday could be the one for you!

Ketut 

My name is I Ketut , I am 24 years old and I was born in a small village close to Bangli which is one of 9 regencies in Bali. Cycling has been my favorite sport since I was 5 years old and in 1994 I decided to join one of the cycling clubs in Denpasar (capital of Bali). In 1996 the local government gave me a road racing bike to use. From then on I started racing in many local and national cycling championships, from small competitions until finally in 2003 I took part in the Tour d’Indonesia. When I finished the tour championship I decided to retire as an athlete, and continued to study for my national commissaire certificate and commissaire license. Since then I have used my qualification to help organize national and international cycling and mountain biking events in Bali. Since I joined Bali Trailblazers in 2005, I have been involved in recceing new trails as well as trail maintenance and creation in the forests above Bedugul.

Made

Before joining Bali Trailblazers Made worked for a 4-wheel drive touring company on Bali. His knowledge of the back roads and skill at manouvering the back-up truck in difficult situations makes him a very valuable member of the team.

*The Mountain Bike Instructor Award Scheme (MIAS) qualifications are accredited by the CTC and are recognized by the AALA (Adventure Activities Licensing Authority). For more details see Mountain Bike Instruction.