Finale Ligure Mountain Bike Tour

Overview:

  • Accommodations: Our apartments overlook Finalborgo, a small walking village founded in the 1200’s by the Romans. Finalborgo is connected to the seaside town of Finale Ligure. Descents are powered by shuttle vehicles. We have 1-2 on-road shuttle vans with trailers and one off-road vehicle with a trailer for each trip. Vans hold 7 riders, a driver and our guide. Trips go from Saturday to Saturday.

  • Airport: We fly in and out of Nice, France. Airport pickup is included on the first Saturday of the trip. Custom shuttles from the airport are available other days at the expense of the rider. Rental cars are also available, but not at all necessary for your trip. Check-in time at the hotel is 4pm on the Saturday your trip begins. Check-out time is 10am the Saturday your trip ends. This works well with most flights into and out of Nice.

  • Location: Riding takes place in the great Leguria area near Finale Ligure. SHUTTLES CAN NOT RUN WHEN THE TRAILS ARE REALLY WET. THESE DAYS WILL BE OPTIONAL PEDAL DAYS. Our guides will keep you in the loop in the event of inclement weather.

  • Descent-Based: We do mostly enduro-style descending each day, with very little climbing on most days. It’s possible to log more than 15k of descending in a day. Getting tired? You can sit one out in the van, or if we are near town, simply descend back into Finalborgo. All rides are within 30-45 minutes of Finalborgo by van.

What’s Included?

  • Airport pickup and dropoff on the first and last days of the tour.

  • Daily ride transport in our luxury vans with bike trailers. Two or three separate van groups per day allow us to split riders according to ability and trail preference. There are great places to eat and relax if you only want to ride part of the day.

  • Daily ride leading from Wayne Coates and Thomas Aubin - our incredibly talented guides from Chamonix!

  • Breakfast supplies and coffee supplied in your room prior to arrival. Riders will be responsible for their lunch and dinner, but our guides will sort out where we eat as a group, unless you want a night on the town solo.

  • Fruit and other ride snacks

  • Local knowledge. Get the most from your experience in the area with the help of our guides. Want to travel before or after? They are happy to help with ideas!

What are my options for bike transport or rentals?

Flying: We highly recommend checking your airline's policy before booking your flight! We've seen this as low as $100-$150 each way (and have had good luck on Delta). If you are packing extra items in your bike bag, make sure this extra weight can be easily removed (perhaps put within bags inside the bike bag) in case you run into weight limits at the airport.

Rentals: We recommend a couple bike shops in Finale Ligure: Ultimate (https://www.theultimatebikeshop.it/) and Evolve (https://www.facebook.com/evolveshopfinale/). Please contact them directly to arrange your rental.

Shipping: (Not recommended.) It takes at least a week to ship a bike, and the cost is around $600 each way. If you aren't traveling with your bike, we highly recommend renting.

What are the skill and fitness requirements?

Riders should have advaned skills and good basic fitness. Even though we are mostly descending, the days are long and physical. In addition to bringing good skills and fitness, riders should bring a good attitude. We recommend taking classes with Fluidride in preparation for the trip unless you are already a very strong rider. ALL riders will be screened to be sure they are ready to take on the challenges of this riding.

How hard is the riding?

The trails in the valley are generally quite technical and vary from tough ‘Blue Square’ runs to double black diamonds. In Europe the trails are rated blue, red (US black) and black (US double black). During most trips we descend 60,000-90,000 vertical feet in the week with less than 2,000 feet of climbing in that time. Riders should be able to ride blue runs easily and get through black diamond trails in a reasonable fashion. If you are from Seattle, a good example is that you should be comfortable on Off the Grid at Tiger Mountain to be in the less advanced group, and if you want to be in the more advanced group, you should be comfortable with trails such as Predator. Questions about your ability and if you are prepared? Contact Simon. Fluidride reserves the right to refund money after payment to those not ready for the riding. We have lots of great programs in place to help you prepare as well, so be sure to ask about those!

What is the best bike for me?

We recommend bringing a long travel trail bike with 150mm-170mm travel (140r/150-160f works too). Very experienced higher level riders can get away with less travel. Downhill bikes should not be used. We do require that riders set bikes up with tubeless, 2-ply cased tires for the trip. There are lots of rocks, so having heavy tires really improves the control you will have on rough ground, while reducing tire-related mechanicals. We recommend 150mm or more travel for all but the most skilled riders.

What should I bring?

  • A well-tuned long-travel trail bike. (Or arrange a rental with a local shop.) We ask that your bike be brought clean in ready-to-ride condition.

  • Dual-ply tires with tubeless setup. You don't need to let all the air out of your tires to fly, so leave your tire bead set on the rim.

  • Layered clothing for changing conditions – expect to ride in 50-100 degree weather.

  • Full-faced helmet. This can be a full downhill or lighter enduro-style helmet. Neck braces are welcome if you have one.

  • Electrical outlet adapter for your computer and phone. A simple two-prong European-style adapter fits most outlets best. The big clunky ones often aren’t compatible with the round-style outlets in most places.

  • Phone. Having communication is helpful to you and to us. Consider a SIM card for European travel or add to your plan to prevent surprises on your bill. We have used T-Mobile around the world and have been very impressed with what they offer. They also have no-contract plans, so you can get set up with a separate travel phone just for the month.

  • A spare set of brake pads; you'll go through these surprisingly fast!

  • Spare tube in case of a puncture.

How are allergies and food preferences handled?

We will set your room up with good breakfast options and ride snacks. We will send out a form prior to the trip to asses any allergies you may have. The Italians are getting pretty good with Gluten Free cooking which is now fairly widely available. There are plenty of veggie option for vegetarians. The food in the area is next level, and inexpensive by US and European standards.

What are the additional costs?

  • Airfare – Typically around $1,200

  • Bike transport or rental ($200-$300 for transport of your bike round-trip. Varies by airline)

  • Lunch and Dinner each day ($25-35)

What if I want to bring a non-rider with me?

Totally fine! Non-riders pay $500 to join a rider (shared room only). Lodging and Breakfast is included and non-riders are welcome to join the group during non-riding time.

Do I need to rent a car?

No. We do the shopping and all the ride transport for you. Public transit is also much more accessible than in the US. Of course if you want to rent a car, you are welcome to. Parking is free in town.

Accommodation

We have six apartments rented above town overlooking Finalborgo. We also have one apartment in Finalborgo proper. Both are very comfortable and clean. Getting to our morning meet-up location is just a 5 minute pedal from either place. All lodging has secure bike storage. Keep in mind that Fluidride is not responsible for the safety of your bike, but we always do our best to ensure your are well taken care of. Checking to see that your bike is on your renters insurance is always a solid bet.

Never been to Europe?

Rest assured we’ll make it about as easy as possible! You will be taken care of from the moment you arrive. The Italians are very friendly in the countryside. We have always been treated with respect during our trips.

What’s a normal day like?

Our ride leaders show up around 9 to load the trailers. We depart at 9:30am each day. We are typically home around 6pm. While some rides require riders to be 'all in,' there will be plenty of days where riders can control the amount of riding they do, or even ride back into town to cut the day short.

Are there days off of the bike?

While we don't have formal 'off days', riders are welcome to take one at any point. There is a lot to do in the area other than riding. The trips feel long in terms of riding. Six days might not sound like much, but everyone is pretty knackered by the last day.

Language Tip:,

Download Google Translate. It’s an amazing tool for communication, as well as for reading foreign languages. Simply point your phone at text in any language and you will see it in English. (Amazing and a little eerie!) This helps for everything from doing laundry to reading road signs to knowing what’s in the food you are buying in the store or off a menu. It’s also a great tool for learning some Spanish.

Travel Insurance:

Trip protection is required through World Nomads to protect your investment. Insurance is inexpensive and covers you for more than just the purchase of your trip. We’ve had students use their insurance due to legitimate reasons for cancellation and were able to recover the cost of their trip. Please help us (and yourself!) by taking this step.

COVID-19 Travel Guidelines:

International travelers returning to the United States by air are required to take a negative COVID test within 72 hours of your departure from France and show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight. For more information, please visit the CDC website.