AN unforgettable, EXCLUSIVE EWS TRAVEL ADVENTURE IN THE ITALIAN RIVIERA
Finale Ligure in Italy is synonymous in the mountain bike world thanks to the Enduro World Series. So it was only natural that we should have an EWS Travel adventure in Finale, home of the Trophy of Nations.
Your local guide for this adventure is not only a professional mtb guide, but also 2019 EWS Master Champion. As well as showing you the best lines on Finale classics, she’ll also get you away from the crowds and share her favourite backcountry secrets and hidden lunch stops with local farm owners.
Ride high above the Mediterranean on pristine singletrack, backcountry trails and remote shuttles, to then finish at the beach with a cold beer in hand on this exclusive EWS Travel experience in Finale Ligure.
- Skill level: Intermediate+
- Fitness level: 5/7
- 8 days / 7 nights
- £2,150 / $2,903 / €2,580
- Max. group size: 7
Tour Dates 2023
- 11 – 18 June (TRIP FULL)
- 24 Sept – 1 Oct (3 PLACES)
Private groups
Travelling as a group of friends or family? Contact us to create your own private trip.
Trip Highlights
This EWS Travel adventure in Finale Ligure will take you beyond the usual Finale mtb experience.
You’ll leave the crowds behind to discover trails that even some locals have yet to ride, and soak up the contrasting cultures of mountain and beach life. Here are a few highlights to look forward to…
- Follow the lines of your local guide, an EWS Master Champion
- Discover remote trail gems, known only to a handful of locals
- Take a private 4×4 shuttle to access hidden gems
- Enjoy lunch at the hillside home of a local family
- Join one of the trail builders to ride one of his own creations
- Relax with a post-ride swim in the Med and beer on the beach
- Receive a jam packed EWS goodie bag
THE ICONIC ENDURO DESTINATION
“This area, and the community within it, has shaped the sport as we know it today. Since the EWS first visited Finale in 2013, the region’s trail network has continued to grow, and what has been raced is only the tip of the iceberg. A week in Finale exploring these trails amongst the people who have helped to build, maintain and expand them is an opportunity not to be missed.”
CHRIS BALLEWS DirectorEWS Travel Finale Ligure Itinerary
This ultimate mountain bike experience in Finale Ligure will take you to parts of the region where some locals have never ridden. You’ll crest ocean ridge lines and descend beech wood singletrack, sampling traditional food and produce as you go. Most of your climbing will be shuttle-assisted, from van and Land Rover to modified monster-truck so be prepared for a lot of downhill grinning on this tour. But don’t be fooled, there’s still some hard work involved!
- +Day 0 - Arrival in Nice - France
If you’re travelling a long way or across several time zones to Finale we advise arriving in Nice, France a day early to allow your body to adjust to local time and to make sure any flight or luggage delays don’t spoil your trip.
- +Day 1 - Transfer to Finale - refresh + prepare for your bike tour
Your guide will meet you at the H+I preferred hotel in Nice in the morning, transfer you to Finale, and enjoy a coffee with everyone whilst chatting through the all-important pre-trip briefing. She will set the tone of the week ahead, explain the trails to come and answer any questions that you may have.After your pre-trip briefing you’ll build bikes or set up rental bikes, before hitting the trails in this beautiful corner of Italy. Your guide will take you for a short warm-up ride to prepare the legs and the mind for the Finale style of riding, before returning back to your beach-front hotel for your first evening meal as a team.
Distance cycled: 10km (app. 3 hours)
Accommodation: Small 4* hotel Finale
Meals included: D
- +Day 2 - Backside Jeep Day
On your second day in Finale we will ride from your accommodation through the medieval old town, weaving through the high walls that protect you from the intense sun.Before loading our bikes on our final uplift vehicle of the week, an impressive 4×4 Landrover, we will grab a coffee and pastry in the morning light of the old town.
Our 4×4 shuttle will allow us to access a network of old and newly built trails on the backside of these coastal mountains. These trails have a very different feel to the front range – they are tighter and more natural feeling with some truly breathtaking chutes, berms and technical sections. We’ll ride to a mountain village where we settle down to a welcome lunch, topped off with home-made gelato!
After lunch we will shuttle back up to the top of the mountain where we will ride a new local trail that will criss-cross an access road, giving us a chance to shake our hands off and laugh at how awesome it is. Then we will head higher again to pick off our last run of the week. We will come down the front face all the way to the sea, taking in some trails we have been on earlier in the week, and mixing up with new ones to give us the best run of the week to finish.
As we reach the road we’ll weave through the lower parts of the valley, and back to hotel through singletrack lined with bright and colourful flowers, gardens and alleyways all the way to the sea and a swim with a beer on the beach!
Distance cycled: 25km (app. 7 hours)
Accommodation: Small 4* hotel Finale
Meals included: B
- +Day 3 - Time to climb - coastal ridge lines + rocky descents
Today is your pedalling day. We will meet along the road from the hotel in the now familiar ‘Piazza’ in the middle of Finale. And when in a piazza you must have a coffee, so we start our climbing day with an espresso and a chat about today’s rides.As we pedal out of town we will gradually leave behind the traffic and humid air, as we start climbing up and away from the seashore. Our climbs are not too difficult, but are sustained at 30-40 minutes each today, so plenty of water and suncream are essential.
The descents on this part of the mountain range are fun, flowing and at a perfect gradient for mountain biking, but every so often there are committing and technical rock features that will require brains to be in gear and ready for action.
As the day progresses and we are deep into our second climb, we will start a hike-a-bike portion that will take us to a rocky outcrop with 360° views over the surrounding valleys.
From the top of this descent we will take on a new trail that was opened up for the 2018 EWS race, flowing and swooping with an impressive chalk cliff dominating a large part of the trail that will lead us to an almost jungle environment.
For lunch today we will be in a cave/grotto restaurant that is also at the top of a wonderful descent – a descent that has featured in every EWS race in Finale, and a must do for any rider who visits this area, if you can find it.
The afternoon trails will drop us directly to Finale and the piazza, and a waiting ice cold beer and snacks. Life is pretty special in this corner of Italy.
Distance cycled: 40km (app. 8 hours)
Accommodation: Small 4* hotel Finale
Meals included: B
- +Day 4 - That's Karma!
We start the day with a shuttle up the flanks of Mount Carmo and into Europe’s largest beech forest. We finish the climb by pedal power and a short section of hike-a-bike, until we reach a mountain ridge at almost 1,400m that will give us tremendous views all the way to the coast and beyond.From the ridge this trail has it all; loose and dusty at the top, tight and swooping in the middle and rocky technical at the bottom, then leading onto village singletracks that will have us laughing and popping the bike over slab rock all the way to the beach and a seafood lunch.
As we finish off with a coffee and pull on our knee pads again, your shuttle for the afternoon will arrive – a 4×4 that will take us back up to 1300m on rough dirt roads that will take nearly an hour, just enough time for lunch to digest.
From here we will drop onto a newly built trail with the trail builder himself. This trail is full of loam and rocky corners, that will have grinning from ear-to-ear in what seems like a never ending trail made specifically for us. As the gradient gives way, we will ride along centuries old farming singletrack, made by the trail builders ancestors to take produce to and from the sea.
When we reach the beach we’ll hang a left on the promenade and head back to Finale for that post-ride swim and beer.
Distance cycled: 24km (app. 7 hours)
Accommodation: Small 4* hotel Finale
Meals included: B
- +Day 5 - Half day single shuttle + afternoon at the beach
With such a packed week of mountain biking and descending, we are having a half day today. In the morning we will hit some Nato Base runs, picking off your preferred trails, sampling some new guide favourites and dialling those features you have had your eye on all week.Then we will retire to the beach for a relaxed Italian lunch, long coffees and sample some ice cold white wine while watching the world go by in Finale.
In the evening we’ll saunter up to Finalborgo, the old town, to a favourite dinner location of ours, and continue eating and drinking Italian style into the warm evening hours.
Distance cycled: 23km (app. 4 hours)
Accommodation: Small 4* hotel Finale
Meals included: B
- +Day 6 - Remote singletrack adventure
Today we head into the backcountry, where locals who have biked in this region for the past ten years haven’t even ridden these trails!Setting off early morning from the piazza we will travel around an hour and half along the coast and inland to our secret trail network near the village of Nava. These trails are all uplift assisted by a converted 4×4 9 seater bus, with a monster truck appearance and trailer to match.
We will spend the day shuttling and riding on a number of mountain ridges that resemble the fingers on a massive rock and tree lined hand. Your guide will weave from one side of the valley to the next, linking trails and valleys in such a way that you will feel you have been in multiple regions in one day.
As we pull up to a small village early afternoon you will be welcomed into the locals’ restaurant, where all walks of life come together to enjoy a three course lunch and down tools for an hour of chatting and relaxation.
As we finish up with a coffee and grab our bikes, we’ll take a shuttle to the highest trail of the day. You’ll enjoy around 1,300m of descent from this trail, that will see us above the tree line and dropping into ancient singletrack back to the valley floor, where towering cliffs reach high above your heads as we ride along the river back to the waiting van. A day to remember!
Distance cycled: 25km (app. 6 hours)
Accommodation: Small 4* hotel Finale
Meals included: B
- +Day 7 - Shuttle day - finale classics
On our final day in Finale you’ll have a calm start, watching people head for the beach and a day of sun-bathing, as you sip your cappuccino and enjoy a pastry.After breakfast we’ll head to the bike room to collect your bikes and load them onto the trailer outside your hotel. From here we will head up into the mountains that surround Finale, around 1,100m in altitude. We have a very short climb to the start point of our day of ‘Finale Classics’. We will build you up slowly to understand the terrain and riding style of Finale, but in the process we will tackle stages from the 2013, 2015 and 2016 EWS races.
As our stomachs start to rumble we will peel off the well-known trails and onto a more natural favourite of our guides. This will lead us to the home of a local family (friends of your guide) who have set up a table for us under some vines in their front garden, with a view over the valley below.
We’ll enjoy delicious home-made Ligurian food and wine under the shade of the vines. After our late lunch, we will ride a short uphill to the shuttle that will take us back to the tops of the mountain, where we will ride a varied selection of trails that will lead us all the way back to the beach bar for a post-ride beer and last chance to swim in the Mediterranean.
Distance cycled: 30km (app.7 hours)
Accommodation: Small 4* hotel Finale
Meals included: B, D
- +Day 8 - Departure day
Sadly this is the end of your EWS Travel experience in Finale. It’s time to pack your bike and head for home. Your guide will arrange pick up times from your hotel and deliver you to the airport at around 12 noon to catch your flight home. Arrivederci!Meals included: Breakfast
Please note: Your EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale is a living thing, being influenced by multiple factors such as changing weather conditions, group riding abilities, trail damage, to name a few. Your local guides are experts in guiding mountain bikers in Finale, Italy and will be continually assessing these factors and making tweaks to the itinerary where necessary to ensure that every member of the group has the best possible experience on our EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale.
- +Tour price
EWS Travel Mountain Bike Tour of Finale Price
£2,150 GBP / $2,903 USD / €2,580 EUR per person (ex. flights, based on two sharing a room)
Price includes:
- Services of fully-qualified, English, French, Italian and Swedish speaking expert mountain bike guide(s) for the duration of the trip
- All breakfasts, first and last evening meals.
- All shuttles during the course of your tour
- 7 nights’ accommodation in 4* hotel
- Support driver
- Meet and ride with EWS trail builder
- All ground costs
- Transfers between Nice and Finale on day 1 and day 8
- EWS goodie bags
- All group safety equipment
- Global Rescue medical and evacuation services
Price excludes:
- International/ domestic flights
- Lunches and five evening meals
- Bike rental – we can arrange bike rental at a cost of £540/ $729/ €648. A fee of 140€ (or a refundable 1000€ deposit) must also be paid direct to the bike shop to cover any potential damages
- Travel and activity insurance
- Tips in restaurants and hotels
- Single supplement:* £360 / $486 / €432
- Alcoholic/ non-alcoholic beverages
- Personal safety and cycling equipment
- Any other items not mentioned as included
*Single supplement is only applicable if you are travelling solo and do not wish to share a room with another rider of the same sex. If you’re happy to do that, you need not add the supplement.
Please note: A single room may not be available at time of booking.
H+I Adventures is bonded by the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT), so you can be sure that when you book with us your money will be safe.
- +Skill + fitness levels required
Does this sound like you? Your vacation time is precious and we want to be absolutely sure that you’re making the most of it, by finding the perfect mountain bike tour for you. Be honest with yourself, if this adventure isn’t right for you, we have other mountain bike tours that may well be a better fit for your mountain biking experience and ability.Please note: The skill level required reflects an overall rating for the trails on the trip but you should expect to find sections and obstacles that push your ability levels.
SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE+
- You are generally comfortable riding most types of terrain in different conditions: singletrack, double track, muddy, dry, loose, bedrock…
- You can brake, use gears and corner instinctively
- You’ll have a go on moderate technical features, such as small rock gardens, small drops and steeper sections, but may get off and walk certain technical features
- You ride more than once a week throughout your biking season
- And the ‘+’ part of ‘Intermediate+’ means that you will be aiming to tackle more of those moderate technical features
Fitness level: 5
- You have a good level of bike fitness, exercising at least three times every week throughout the year, for an hour at a time
- You can ride a mountain bike for up to six hours a day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for three or more consecutive days
- You can tackle two or three fairly significant climbs a day, up to 600 metres each
Typical trails you’ll be riding
- Much of the riding you’ll do on our EWS Travel MTB tour of Finale will be done on EWS racing trails, on a variety of different terrain
- Double track: undulating forest roads made up of hard-packed dirt and small rocks
- Singletrack: mainly forested and ridgeline trails with roots crossing the trails; steep descents, some very flowing, others more technical; golf ball-sized rock gardens; dusty loose trails and purpose built MTB trails
- Some of the trail sections are hundreds of years old, so are not always buff purpose built trails, they are natural walking trails that link villages across the region and surfaces may be soft and/or muddy at times
- +Arrival + departure details
Your EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale will start and end in Nice, France.We advise you arrive the day prior to your tour start date and spend one night in Nice, allowing for any delays to flights to luggage and being ready for your guide to meet you there the following morning. Your guide will meet you in the foyer of your hotel and he/she will be holding an H+I Adventures sign and wearing an H+I ride top.
On the last day of the tour, your guide will ensure you are dropped off at Nice airport in time to catch your flight home. We kindly request that you do not book your flights home any earlier than 2pm on your day of departure. Should you need to leave earlier, we can assist you with arranging a private transfer.
If your departure flights differ from this, we would be happy to help book you into an airport hotel overnight, if needed.
- +Travelling to Nice
Your EWS Travel adventure in Finale with start in France, in the Côte d’Azur city of Nice. Nice airport is well-served by many major airlines from all over the world.For up-to-date timetables and booking visit:
Here are some tips and video on how to pack your bike for travel.
Visas
Citizens of most countries do not require a visa to visit Italy. For more information on visa requirements visit the Schengen visa site.
- +Preparing yourself + your bike for your adventure
Please read the full kit list before you start packing for your EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale, so that you have everything you need!Our mountain bike tour of Finale is for Intermediate+ riders with level 5 fitness. The ideal bike for the Finale trails is a good quality full-suspension bike with around 150-170mm of front travel.
To get the most out of your mountain bike tour in Finale you should plan some training in advance of your tour.
If you are travelling with your own bike, you must ensure that it has been properly serviced before the trip.
We have some handy tips on how to do this, however if this isn’t possible for you we can arrange rental of a high quality full suspension mountain bike for the duration of your EWS Travel adventure in Finale.
- +Your mountain bike guides in Italy
Our mountain bike guides in Finale, Italy are of the highest level.They are qualified in first-aid and they have the knowledge and experience to lead a group safely in these remote, wild and beautiful parts of Finale, Italy.
Your head guide Louise is also 2019 Enduro World Series Master Champion – so she knows her way around a bike!
Our guides have years of experience in the saddle on the trails of the Finale area and will be able to enhance your holiday with facts and fables on local history, flora and fauna. They’re also genuinely nice people and will do their best to make sure that everyone in the group has a great time.
- +Accommodation + food
We aim to use the best, locally-run accommodation in each country, and that which is traditional to that specific area, whether it be city or mountain.On this EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale you’ll be staying in one hotel for the duration of your visit. The reason for this is that the region is small enough that we can reach all four corners within one-and-a-half hours of Finale, allowing us to work with the weather to deliver the best trail experience each day.
We will enjoy a wide array of food on our EWS Travel Finale tour, all of which is prepared with the greatest of care and skill, using local ingredients.
- +Health + safety
No vaccinations are required for visiting Finale.We recommend you check before drinking tap water, but 99% of this is safe for consumption. Bottled or filtered water will be readily available throughout the trip.
Also, please let us know if you have any special food requirements, allergies or pre-existing conditions your guides should know about.
You should always consult your own doctor or physician before travelling to new countries to seek their advice on matters concerning your health abroad.
Your health and safety is on our EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale is our top priority so when you travel with us you also have the peace of mind knowing that you will be covered by Global Rescue emergency medical and evacuation services.
- +Currency + foreign exchange
The official currency of Italy is the Euro. ATM machines are readily available throughout Italy.Tipping
It is not compulsory to tip your guides or drivers in Finale, but if you feel that you have had a good service or experience on your mountain bike tour of Finale, you can tip at your discretion.
It is not compulsory to tip in restaurants, however should you wish to tip your servers, 10% of your meal cost would be acceptable.
- +Travel insurance
You are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. In this policy you must include cover for mountain biking and we recommend that you take out a policy which covers cancellation and baggage.We work closely with WorldNomads who specialise in adventure travel. You can arrange your insurance cover directly with them and we ask that you send us your policy details.
Please note: our EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale is a living thing, being influenced by multiple factors such as changing weather conditions, group riding abilities, trail damage, to name a few. Your local guides are experts in guiding mountain bikers in Fianle and will be continually assessing these factors and making tweaks to the itinerary where necessary to ensure that every member of the group has the best possible experience.
Submit your review | |
My husband and I have biked many places around the world, and this trip was one of the best we have ever been on!
The riding in Finale is second to none. The trails are world class and the scenery stunning (think beautiful mountains, the crystal blue Mediterranean, and Italian villages with small streets, castles, and churches). The food was incredible, the people were wonderful, the accommodations were fantastic, and every little detail was taken care of, so we could just ride, eat, sleep, repeat.
While we didn't get to ride with Lou, she had arranged for us to ride with Manuel who we had an absolute blast with! He was fun, knowledgable, and a great rider.
Lou went out of her way to book great restaurants and make sure everything went smoothly. She even booked a special Michelin Star restaurant for my husband and I on our anniversary.
This place has small town charm with a hip mountain biking scene. We will absolutely be back!
This was truly a trip of a lifetime. The week was absolutely packed with riding adventures and extremely well-planned start to finish to ensure that we experienced as much as possible of this massively extensive trail system. Meals were fabulous and having reservations nightly at locals' favorites made Italian dining a huge part of the trip experience. The riding was incredible and it is easy to understand why Finale is a world-class mtb destination. Booking through H+I ensured that no time was wasted figuring out where to go or making any decisions, because there is SO much biking in this town, you wouldn't want to waste a moment. Having the logistics dialed in by trusted and discerning locals made everything so easy. Ending the day oceanfront on the Mediterranean was the icing on the cake. My bike rental was smooth and stress-free and the Santa Cruz Nomad was the perfect bike for these trails (more travel, more fun!). All our guides and drivers were fabulous and fun to be with. Riding was fast, lots of techy, flow, steep and always exciting. And some of the most scenic bits were just biking back to the shuttle through the Italian mountainside villages at the end of the day. I just can't believe how much we packed into a week. What a treat. HIGHLY recommend.
We decided to do a private mountain bike tour for our honeymoon. Couldn’t have asked for a better trip! During the first 5 days, we explored so many rowdy enduro trails of Finale Ligure. Lou showed us some of the coolest trails we’ve ever ridden. She coordinated private shuttles and drivers (this was a major plus for me since I’m not the biggest fan of uphills), delicious mid ride lunches and coffee breaks, and pushed our riding to another level with her amazing coaching. We spent 5 additional days in Finale not biking and Lou went out of her way to help us book dinner reservations, taxis, massages, and even an unforgettable sunset sailing tour with dinner. She was so helpful the entire trip and make everything easy!
Overall, Finale had it all: world class enduro trails, beautiful beaches over looking the Mediterranean, amazing (and cheap!) Italian food, and a fun local vibe. Not many people spoke English and we did not run into any Americans. It was refreshing to visit a place that was not overrun by tourists and had such a passionate mountain biking community.
We will definitely be back, hopefully with some more Italian vocabulary, suspension on our bikes, and some adventure loving friends!
Finale is an amazing place to mountain bike.The terrain has so many differences that run the gambit of options, often times during the same downhill trail. Classic EWS routes were the highlight of my trip, such as Ingegnere and Rollacosta. Beyond the great riding was the amazing support. Louise was a tremendous guide and even better coach - I can honestly say I'm a better rider after the trip due to her help. If that wasn't enough, the local vibe for riders and amazing locations for meals from the H+I team created the perfect Italian holiday where I happened to bring my bike:) Not only that, the local shops were amazing and speedy to fix my bike not once, but twice, that saved the trip, all while I enjoyed a beer during the wait.
First of all the Finale area got an insane amount of fantastic trails and many of them with fantastic views towards the sea. The guiding was superb, Louise had just finished racing EWS in Tweed Valley and started off with giving us good riding tips to improve our skills. Finale is also a biking town, bikers everywhere, lots of bikestores which is like candystores for bikers, bike renthal with top notch carbon bikes as well as workshops with topskilled and hands-on mechanics that fix close to anything on the spot. Also the beer is great and flows in the many bars where the bikes hangs outside in the afternoon. When it comes to food the H+I team took us to a great variety of fantastic restaurants, many of them we would never have found on our own, typically family run restaurants in the hillsides. Finally I must also say that all organizing with transfers, shuttling etc was working like a clock. A great experience and will definitely sign up for a new H+I trip in 2023!
Finale was an absolute dream. Louise and Nico are both incredible, and it was so, so special getting such a personalized experience. We went to Louise's best friend's pizza restaurant, her family's hilltop restaurant, and it felt SO un-touristy and it was brilliant. And the riding was AMAZING. Mindblowing how much fun downhill single track there is to explore around Finale - wow.
I'm so blown away by the thoughtful approach to programming, and the authentic, professional, kind, super cool people that you have running these trips. Truly, THANK YOU. I will 1000% be doing another adventure with you - appreciate all you're building!
Wow, what a destination for biking. An amazing local biking vibe and a dense network of quality trails. This is all knitted together seamlessly by Louise who is a terrific guide. Throw in the great accommodation, local culture and cuisine and it is the total package.
As Steve says in his review, you MUST ride a mountain bike in Finale!
My first trip with H+I and it was absolutely fantastic, you couldn’t get a better location - or guide for that matter. I will travel with this company again, the problem is deciding which destination. If your wondering whether it’s worth it I can definitely say it is, book it and you won’t regret it.
I want to say what an amazing holiday I have just had in Finale Ligure. The location is fantastic and I have never ridden anything so great before. Louise’s guiding is excellent, and she created a fantastic experience as well as introducing us to good local restaurants. Thank you for a wonderful week.
Another belter from H+I!
Not only is the Italian Riviera a beautiful part of the world, the riding is absolutely world class. 7 days with a bit of everything; steep, tech, fast, flow. Bring your A-game though! this is an intense place to ride an MTB! The uplift day in Nava is a day on the bike I'll never forget.
As always, H+I sweat the details. Everything is taken care of and every aspect of the trip is top notch; the accommodation, the food and the little details that make the difference. Louise is a superb guide, a rather handy rider! and a great host.
You MUST ride a mountain bike in Finale! Amazing.
Another super fun trip by H+I!
As an old downhiller, I was excited to get some good shuttling runs in at Finale. The trails do not disappoint - flowy, challenging, steep, fun... even better, Louise is a great guide whose attitude and skills make the riding even more enjoyable!
Be prepared for a memorable time if you book this trip!
This was my second trip with H+I and it fulfilled every expectation I had. Amazing trails, food, and guide. Louise is not only a champion on the field, but also an informative and intuitive guide who knows the surrounding trails like the back of her hand. Being able on shuttle most days, but still have some pedal action let's you earn a fabulous meal at the end of the journey. And it is almost impossible to have a bad meal in Italy. You will not be disappointed!
What an adventure! This trip has everything from fast flowy singletrack to challenging rocky sections and lots of "baby drops" to play on.
Louise is the best guide I've ever had. She's extremely skilled on a bike and is very attentive and friendly to the various needs of the group both on and off the bike, such as making sure I had gluten free meals (which isn't the easiest thing to do in Italy).
The trip overall was the perfect combination of great riding, fun comradery with the guide and group, delicious food, refreshing post-ride dips in the Mediterranean, and so much culture and history to enjoy. This was definitely a trip to remember, and hopefully to do again soon!
Normally I prefer touring as a mountain biker but accepted the challenge to ride in Finale Ligure, the home of downhill biking.
Now, I'm so happy I did!!
Louise, our guide, helped me leave my comfort zone and become a more confident rider. What an inspiration she is!
Also we got to enjoy delicious local food and some after ride beers in Finalborgo, a beautiful place. A quick jump in the ocean right in front of our hotel was the perfect finish to another great trail day.
Pure Joy!!
Had a wonderful trip in a beautiful environment, excellent guide, & lovely food. Learned a lot on my first Enduro trails, being used to Dutch flatlands. Looking forward to the next trip!
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale, Italy.
- Q. How many people will be in the group?
We only run small group mountain bike tours to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible, and there will generally groups of 7 people on this experience. We can stretch to a maximum of ten if it’s a group of friends. The minimum number of people we require to run this mountain bike tour of Finale is four.
- Q. What’s the age range of people who come on this holiday?
Our EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Finale caters for a wide age range; typically between 30- and 55-years-old.
- Q. What style of mountain bike tour is it?
This EWS Travel Finale adventure is a guided mountain bike vacation, ideal for Intermediate+ mountain bikers. The terrain you’ll be riding consists of double track and singletrack through thick forests, villages and coastal mountain ridges. You’ll encounter some steep descents and rooty sections, as well as fabulous, swooping descents. These trails are part of the EWS racing series, so can be technical. Altitude is not a factor here.
- Q. How far will we be mountain biking each day?
The distances we cover each day range from 30km to 40km, in accordance with the altitude and height gain/ loss on each stage. We will gain a lot of your height via shuttle, but you will still need to ride and climb. Each evening your guides will chat with you about the following day’s mountain biking and give you an idea of the sorts of trails you can look forward to. If there’s anything you feel anxious about, your guides will be happy to discuss it with you.
- Q. Do we have to carry all our gear with us?
No, you only need to carry a day pack with you whilst riding with all of your spares and repairs, warm and waterproof clothing. Your main bags will stay at your centre based accommodation throughout the tour.
- Q. What if I come across a section of trail I can’t ride?
Your guide will be very happy to give you some bike skills help during your trip to help improve your confidence and your enjoyment of your EWS Travel Finale tour. If there is a section that you would prefer not to ride, then you can simply hop off your bike and walk. You won’t be the only one to walk certain sections and it’s not a competition in biking ability; it’s a mountain bike holiday!
- Q. Who will be guiding us?
Your mountain bike guides are local to Finale and experienced professionals who have a real passion for mountain biking and for the culture and landscape of Finale. They are also EWS racers and trail builders, who get involved in every aspect of the EWS races when they are in town.
Your safety is their number one priority, closely followed by your enjoyment of your mountain bike tour of Finale. They will always be on-hand to answer any questions or requests you may have throughout your trip.
- Q. What sort of accommodation will we be staying in?
On this mountain bike tour in Liguria, Italy you will be staying in one hotel in the main town of Finale Ligure. The reason for this, is each corner of our riding area can be reached within an hour-and-a half.
- Q. Which meals are included in the tour price?
All breakfasts, and dinner on the first and last nights.
- Q. What type of mountain bike is best for the trip?
A good quality full suspension with 150-170mm front travel would be ideal for this EWS Travel mountain bike tour of Fianle.
- Q. What clothes and kit should I bring?
You should bring cycling shorts/trousers, gloves, padded undershorts, specific shoes for cycling, sun cream, insect spray, and Advil or Ibuprofen. Read the full kit list to find out what you need to pack for your mountain bike adventure.
- Q. Will there be a chance to get laundry done?
Yes, you will have the chance to have laundry done each evening.
- Q. Can I bring a drone with me?
Unfortunately not. We are working hard to provide each and every customer who rides with us an unparalleled mountain bike experience in every destination we ride. This takes years of experience, riding and planning to get right, and a drone adds a very real danger to the group’s riding experience and health & safety.
OTHER EWS TRAVEL ADVENTURES YOU'LL LOVE: VAL DI FASSA, ITALY
