Doug McDonald visited the Basque Country a few years back and discovered on a mountain bike this stretch of land flanked by sea and mountains. It’s also a phenomenal place for food and drink.

Doug met a Basque girl in a bar and so began a new stage of his life, which he tells us about in this video. The vid is nominally about promoting the new Orbea Occam but we like it because it makes us stare out of our rainy British windows and have a daydream.

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Doug: “Losing and finding yourself. Heading out without knowing when you’ll return. Discovering incredible trails that will make the mountain your home. Experiencing things that can change your life, making the mountain your home.”

Tell us a bit about the bike then

Oh go on then. The Orbea Occam is actually available in two guides – the Occam TR is the 120mm travel 29er, the Occam AM is the 140mm 27.5 bike. Both are aimed at trail riding. Carbon fibre frame available as well as alloy. Boost 148 rear axle. Occam AM comes in sizes Small to Large while the Occam TR comes in Medium to Extra Large.