Trans Ligurian Odyssey

We’re delighted to be offering a new trip for 2024 in the beautiful backcountry of the Ligurian Alps, home to wild valleys and mountains, crazy trails rarely travelled by many other riders, and wonderful Italian food and hospitality. Expect a week of true adventure riding, wild trails that descend into beautiful valleys and small villages where it seems like time has stood still, great food and cosy traditional accommodation, including two nights in remote mountain refuges nestled high in the hills.

The diversity of trails in this region is incredible, from high alpine singletrack with views down to the ocean on clear days, wild open and seemingly endless ridgelines, dense forest trails of loam, technical rocky challenges and everything in between.

But it’s not just about the riding on a point-to-point journey such as this. The memories created on the best trips come from the whole experience, combining fantastic riding with the local culture, food, and hospitality of the people and places you visit on the way. With this in mind we’ve ensured you’ll be experiencing all of these things in abundance.

On this tour you’ll stay in everything from beachside apartments, to cosy family-run rural hotels, and even high mountain refuges. You’ll eat locally sourced and home-cooked food, in quantities fitting for the long days you’ll be spending in the hills. and you’ll meet local hotel and restaurant owners who’s pride for their home region is evident in their hospitality and eagerness to welcome us and ensure we sleep and eat well.

This trip has been put together in collaboration with our friends at Backcountry Finale. These guys live and work year round in this amazing area, and their passion for exploring, maintaining, and sharing the trails and landscapes found here is unrivalled.

You’ll be accompanied by a Backcountry Finale guide and driver during the week, as well as local guides in several of the areas we travel through, all of whom are professional and fully qualified.

Uplifts in an off-road vehicle will ensure maximal descending and minimal climbing to access the trails. There will be times where it’s necessary to do some climbing, but we guarantee it’ll be well worth the effort (and we need to do something to earn that extra helping of homemade pasta right?!). In all cases the balance will be heavily tipped towards descending.

where will we be riding?

After a transfer from Nice airport on the Saturday you arrive, you’ll be staying the first couple of nights of the trip in the coastal town of Finale Ligure. This justifiably popular spot has been home to multiple rounds of the Enduro World Series, and has become a year-round mecca for mountain bikers. With a huge number of trails, rides that end with gelato at the beach, and a great vibe in the beautiful town, it’s the perfect place to start a holiday.

The first day of riding will be a warm up in Finale. Even for those who have ridden in the area before, there will be new trails to explore, and for those who are visiting for the first time, a chance to see why it’s a place riders return to year on year. The riding here is mostly shuttle-accessed and the number of runs depends on the energy levels of the group! It’s a great place to start the trip, with easy access to bike shops for those who have forgotten anything, and trails which are perfect for a shakedown and to get everyone relaxed and ready for the adventure ahead.

Our next day will be a backcountry day as we leave Finale and head towards the small village of Bardineto. This area is a natural paradise, with it’s hills covered in dense woodlands of chestnut, beech and birch trees, maple, fir and Scots pine. Trails are again mostly accessed by shuttle and we could ride anything between 3-6000 vertical metres of descent. Our accommodation and dinner is in a cozy traditional family-run Albergo, with amazing food as reward for a big day of riding!

On our third day of riding we are in the backcountry again, but we move towards the next valley. We will be riding around the unspoilt and fantastic singletrack trails of Castelvecchio and Val Neva. Magnificent panoramas, flowy trails through beautiful beech forests and a stunning medieval village are some of today’s highlights, with the day topped off by a night in a beautiful mountain hut.

From here we are joined by the crew from Nava. A great day of riding is in store, with the trails feeling more alpine and natural. These are wild places and no one is around. Our night and dinner is in the highest hut in Liguria (2200m). The refuge is in a fantastic spot and the owners are pasta producers, need we say more!

Day five starts with a descent down from the hut towards Molini di Triora - we’ll be riding the next couple of days with the guys from Molini. This area is just fantastic. A world away from the hustle and bustle of busier riding areas, this place has somehow maintained the quintessential essence and charm of a rural Italian village. A centuries old network of trails, maintained by the thriving local mountain bike community, means we have endless opportunities for unbeliveably good riding here, all finished with aperitivos in friendly bars and cosy traditional accommodation.

After a final day of riding and night of soaking up and enjoying the Italian Bella Vita here, you’ll be transferred back to Nice airport on Saturday for your onward travel home, and a chance to start processing the memories of an epic week in a magical part of Italy.

As always, the trip itinerary is flexible and we may change the trails or the time spent in a certain area during the week due to external influences such as weather and trail conditions, or the ability and aspirations of the group. This is only to ensure you have the best possible experience!

TRIP INFORMATION

On-Bike Statistics:
250km, 2000m climbing, 25000m descending

Start Point: Nice - arriving on Saturday
Finish Point: Nice - departing on Saturday

Length:
6 Days, 7 Nights

Ability Level:
- Advanced. You should be an advanced and confident rider, very experienced in riding natural technical terrain in mountainous areas. Black graded trails should pose little or no problems for you.

Fitness Level:
- Good. You should expect long days out in the hills. While there is minimal climbing each day, there is a significant amount of descending on physical trails, for 6 days in a row. Do not underestimate the fitness needed to be able to enjoy this.

There are 6 days of guided riding, so no day off, on this trip, but obviously you are always welcome to stay in the van should you need a rest.

If you are interested in joining the trip but unsure about your fitness or experience level, please contact us to discuss before booking.

Dates Available:

25th May - 1st June 2024 (provisionally unavailable)

28th Sept - 5th Oct 2024 (7 places available)

Price:

EUR €1835
Deposit of EUR €599 required at time of booking.

What’s included?

• 5 Nights of Hotel Accommodation or apartments in twin shared rooms, 2 nights in mountain refuges

• 7 Home cooked delicious Evening Meals

• Breakfast each day

• Lunch each day + Trail Snacks

• 6 days of Guided Riding

• Van Support – Your kit bag is moved each day and any uplifts are included

What’s not included?

• Transport to and from our start point: Nice

• Alcoholic and Soft Drinks in the Evenings and at rifugios/cafes

PEACE OF MIND

Booking an expensive holiday such as the one we are offering can often come with many questions beforehand. Your safety and enjoyment are our ultimate priorities, and as such, you can rest assured that we are a professional operation, holding comprehensive Tour Operator Liability Insurance, as well as financial failure protection to ensure our clients’ money is protected, and to comply with the UK Government Package Tour Regulations Act. Backcountry Finale is a highly respected and professional mountain bike operation, who also carry all the necessary insurances and licenses to organise and legally carry out mountain bike tours.

All guides on these trips are qualified, experienced, first-aid trained, insured, and licensed to guide in Italy. Our trips are fully risk-assessed and have robust bail-out plans and emergency procedures.

ANY QUESTIONS?

We are happy to answer any further questions you might have on this trips, and you can also find a section on overseas holidays on our FAQs page. The best way to contact us for any other questions is via the form on our contact page.

HOW DO I BOOK A PLACE?

Bookings are being taken now and are limited to 7 people per trip.

Please contact us via clicking on the button below (which will link to our contact page), indicating which date you are interested in, and we will send you our booking form, terms and conditions, and deposit details.