Pure riding indulgence.

Food and mountain biking find their heavenly match in Liguria, Italy

 By Vince Shuley.

“Buon giorno!” Antonio greets me heartily as he looks up from watering his plants, smiling. Our host and chef at the agriturismo "A ca Vegia" doesn't speak a word of English — the norm for most people of the older generations in Italy — but I can tell by his gestures towards the green valley bathed in sun that he is admiring another perfect-weather day in Liguria.

Downtown Finale Lirure is beautiful.

 Our hilltop retreat at A ca Vegia overlooks the township of Finale de Ligure, one of the many towns along the Italian Riviera. Finale is the first stop on Big Mountain Bike Adventures' Bella Rivera DH, a week-long downhill mountain bike tour of the Ligurian coast shuttling some of the country's finest trails, and gorging on arguably the best home cooking in the world.

Mountain biking has existed here since the early '90s with many of Italy's cross-country racers using the hills surrounding Finale as a training ground. But after Canadian freeride pioneers Brett Tippie, Wade Simmons and Richie Schley (namesake for Whistler Mountain Bike Park's "Schleyer" trail) visited Finale to film for the Kranked film series in 1999, the local mountain bikers began to put shovels in the dirt to build their own downhill-centric descents.

Guide extraordinaire Louise. There's no one better to show you the trails, and more.

"(The Kranked crew) rode XC trails jumping from one side of the trail to the other, playing around and having so much fun with their bikes," said Allesandro Molini, a born and raised Finale local and guide for Big Mountain Adventures.

"It was an explosion. After that (the locals) started to build trails just for fun."

Finale de Ligure has since become a popular destination for British and European mountain bikers looking for easily accessed trails and reliable, sunny weather. Trails range from berm-filled downhill descents, jumps and stunts to the 2013 Super Enduro course, all with views stretching along the beaches of the Ligurian Sea.

With as many shuttles as our group can handle, for two days we sample trails that finish either in the town or on the beach, the locals barely noticing trains of riders donning full face helmets and body armour. Bikers are welcome here, providing much needed tourism after years of declining mainstream tourist visits to Italy.

Mid-descent. Yes, that's Finale Ligure way way down there on the Med.

A new destination is on the cards tomorrow, requiring a send off from the hospitable folks at A ca Vegia. Glasses of Prosecco clink as another gargantuan four course meal emerges from Antonio's kitchen.

Good thing we don't have to pedal uphill tomorrow.

The Witching Hour

Driving west along the coast and turning up the steep Valle Argentina, we soon arrive at the tiny crow's nest village of Triora. A dark history permeates the alleys and cobblestone streets, testament to the brutal witch trials held by the Holy Inquisition in the late 16th Century. Today the locals celebrate the morbid legacy of putting the witches on trial and burning witches by selling wart-nosed witch dolls and Halloween decorations year round, as well as celebrating several witch-themed festivals throughout the year.

The steep walls of the valley meant most paths were originally built to traverse the hillsides, used by hunters stalking game and peasants harvesting the numerous chestnut plantations. But the trails are not without their challenging sections; rocks and roots protrude out of the soil and the exposure off to the side requires disciplined braking and line choice. Ancient medieval bridges and simple stone shrines honouring the Virgin Mary are just a few of the historic treasures we pass by as we descend towards the valley floor.

Nice spot to be at the end of the day.

We break for lunch in Triora's town square, the iron sculpture of a hooded witch – complete with cauldron and broomstick – overseeing our four courses of bruschetta, meats and cheeses, pasta and tiramisu. I order a double espresso to shake off the afternoon fatigue, but our first ride after lunch turns out to be a spectacular wake up call.

We descend directly from the restaurant in Triora to the satellite village of Molini, bikes buzzing down the vacant stone walkways. Riding through the town's deserted cobble-stoned alleys with cats scattering into the shadows, you can't help but feel that the souls of those "witches" haunt the place several centuries later.

The hills have their share of history as well. During World War II the area was a staging ground for the guerrilla attacks against Italy's fascist rule, the roads that provide such convenience for shuttling mountain bikers were refined by Nazi Germany to move troops and armour faster inland from the Mediterranean. Now the majority of traffic is relatively peaceful with shuttle vans and motorcycle groups.

A SUPER fun trail deep in Europe's largest beach forest.

 The Santo Spirito Hotel is our dinner and bed for the next two nights, and its chefs have been hard at work to give our hungry group of mountain bikers the meals of our lives, which after Antonio's magic will not be easy.

Two more days of riding and eating lay ahead of me. Without a single hill to climb on this mountain bike vacation, I'll be needing an endurance of a different kind.

For more information on this trip and more, head to the Big Mountain BikeAdventures

Click here for Bella Riviera DH trip details, and here for Dolce Vita all-mountain trip details.

Trail X. Riding Costa Rica.

Trail X.
Riding Costa Rica with guide Paulo Valle.

Photos: Anthony Smith, 4color.com
Words: Chris Winter
Seen on bikemag.com 

One thing that makes our sport unique is the different natural landscapes that we traverse on our bikes. Some of us ride the ancient Appalachians and its mixed forests, others spend weekends pedaling the sub-alpine of the Rocky Mountains while flowy Arizona singletrack starts on the end of some of our streets. In certain regions the land changes dramatically from one town to the next and a single ride can offer staggering diversity.
Paulo Valle (trail builder and riding guide) is just like the rest of us, he loves to ride trails and hunt for new zones. His backyard is different than anything that we have in North America. Valle, you see, lives in San Jose, Costa Rica.

For most of us, Costa Rica conjures up images of lounging half naked in the sun on a sandy beach sipping on a cold cerveza after a surf session. Up from the hot coastlines of the Pacific and Caribbean are vast and rugged rainforest-clad mountains and active volcanoes make up one of the most biodiverse places in the world. It’s not uncommon to hear a noisy Mantled howler monkey in the forest canopy, or see a red-eyed tree frog on a giant leaf, or a colorful Scarlet Macaw parrot in the sky above. What people don’t know, along with the amazing biodiversity lies an amazing web of nearly unknown hand-built trails.

As it is for most mountain bikers, land use is a challenge, and it’s no exception in this Central American country where every inch of the land is privately owned or protected and people’s idea of mountain biking consists of dirt roads. To ride good singletrack Valle has had to build his own, and to do this he’s had to network with landowners to earn their trust. Sculpting singletrack in the remote, steep and dense rainforest is no easy task. Maintaining these trails is a whole other matter in a place where tremendous buckets of water fall during the rainy season, and plants grow like they’re on steroids. After the rains stop, Valle and his team of machete-wielding locals disappear into the forest to clear the new growth and shape the newly eroded sections so that bikes can flow down the mountains. Considering the great effort that has gone into building and the lack of bikes that the trails see, one feels privileged to ride good singletrack in Costa Rica.

In his proud and understated manner, Valle has designed and diligently built an impressive web of fun and technical trails over the years. His creations reflect the way that he rides; strong like an ox on the climbs and equally so on the descents. Don’t expect to find a map or to drop into a San Jose to lead you to the goods, Valle’s had to keep his bounty under the radar to satisfy the landowners and keep the masses from schralping it. There is an exception however; you can explore the unique landscape of Costa Rica on Valle’s trails with the man himself by contacting Whistler-based guiding company Big Mountain Adventures who offer downhill and all-mountain trips exclusively with Valle.
From your backyard trail to Valle’s, we are all inherent explorers and we long to ride our bikes in new terrain.

A bit from the guide, Paulo Valle:
I’m a bit perennial rider, I been biking since I was a kid. I started riding BMX and then mountain bikes in the early 90’s. Having gears on my bike really opened a whole new world to me.
Thanks to mountain biking, I have met some great friends and travelled to many unreal places. As a former racer, what I’m most proud of is to be able to ride as much as I want without having a number plate on my bike or aiming for a finish line.
Geographically Costa Rica is a small but very intense country, you can drive coast to coast in four hours and in between there is nothing but mountains, some as high as 3,800 meters (12,400 feet). Most people come to Costa Rica for the beaches, but there are many unexplored gems higher up.
There a lot land access issues in Costa Rica. Basically, public land doesn’t exist. I wish that we had as much public land as other bigger countries, but somehow I also think that our shortage of public land makes trail riding here more special.

A great trail should be a mix of vertical drop, flow and challenge. Put it in a jungle rainforest in the middle of nowhere and it makes it even better. That’s what we ride here.
Ride in Costa Rica and you feel like the trail was built exclusively for you, on areas that even the Lonely Planet doesn’t know exists. You’ll feel the country’s real vibe from the land and the locals that helped give Costa Rica the title of the “happiest place on earth.” Pura Vida!
It’s always warm here. If you are from the northern hemisphere, it doesn’t sound too bad to take a break from freezing temperatures during the winter and go biking where the sun is shining.
Cross-country riding is actually quite popular in Costa Rica. To most of the local riders, cross country means dirt roads. Road riding is also a very big scene here.

Trail X.

We can't stop laughing because we're having so much fun! Check out this super fine photo essay on bikemag.com from Bike Magazine Assistant Photo Editor Anthony Smith who went on our legendary tropical downhill mountain bike trip in Costa Rica, dubbed Pura Vida. Did he have a good time?

Not a DH rider but still want to ride Costa Rica with Paulo Valle? We've got a new cross-country trip called Peaks and Beaches that's suitable for a strong intermediate mountain bikers, and higher. Come and ride Costa Rica with us!

Update from our Swiss DH trip.

Guide Stephen Matthews tells us how it's going from the Swiss Alps:

We’ve had an incredible week in the Alps for our first Alpenrock DH trip of the year. Non-stop sunshine, big descents, and later afternoon lake swims! Everyday has been a huge success of vertical breaking numbers and extremely happy people!

Looking out from Verbier towards Chamonix, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Verbier and area has been incredible this season! Lots of work has gone into the trails, and the tracks are all as exciting as ever. Some overnight rain this week has kept the dirt in primo condition! The trail crew (I believe there are only 2) have done an incredible job building the new technical black trail, Wooooah, a trail full of technical rock features and gnarly steeps! I was first shown this trail in early August by local rider, Ludo May, and who’s currently racing for Norco bikes. Ludo is a great teacher, you follow his lines and his speed, and things generally work out...

 The guys having some fun on the La Vallee Express, one of the more daunting descents of the whole valley!

Bike parks are great for banging out laps, but the backcountry epics are what draw me back to Switzerland. Big Mountain has plotted out some of the biggest backcountry descents accessible by shuttle for the Alpenrock DH trips, and they are all combined to make one of my favourite days on the trip. I won’t give you the locations, but see what your mind stirs up with names like “Rolling Orgy and Pet Cemetary”

The trail ends at the Lake, 1500m below! Some call the trail “Racine”, I call it “Awesome”

The Val de Bagnes has become my home away from home. The Hotel La Vallee in Lourtier is one of the most hospitable and comfortable places I’ve ever been. Every morning is an array of delicious breakfasts, and every evening I’m presented with various traditional Swiss entrees. I love sharing the riding experiences we have in Switzerland with everyone, so stay tuned for more updates this month!

Here’s a quick edit from the week I put together. It’s all done on the new Contour HD helmet cam! I’m not much for editing, but who is after a week of this much riding!?
 

MBUK mag: Inca DH trip, "the ultimate MTB holiday?"

Mountain Biking UK has published a sweet piece on our Inca DH trip in Peru, one of the only big bike specific guided trips in South America. "The huge Andes mountain range divides the country into three areas of coast, highland and jungle, which make it a veritable Crystal Maze of a freeriding experience," says MBUK. Click here to find out more about Inca DH holiday.

Culture, big mountains, ripping trails - Peru has it all!

Lorraine Blancher to co-guide Costa DH trip

We're pumped. Just confirmed: Professional mountain biker and coach Lorraine Blancher will be co-guiding our Pura Vida DH trips this winter in Costa Rica with local legend Paulo Valle. Lorraine is one of the most talented ladies on a big bike, has an infectious passion for riding and is a top coach. Want to improve your riding while exploring Costa Rica with new friends? Check out some great images and more details on PINKBIKE.

After a long ride in the desert there wasn't much left of her bike. Photo: STUND

Pic of the Day: Costa Rica DH

photographer and all-round design shinobe Anthony Smith from the4color went on our recent Pura Vida DH trip in Costa Rica and captured some truly stylee images. this particular one made photo of the day on Bikerumor.com. check out Anthony's slideshow here...sit back and enjoy....