I know it's early as it's not arguably until next year.
But we're discussing 'family' holidays, so needs some inclusivity for Mrs Weeksy as well as me and the lad.
First then.
Bikes... He'll have a Privateer and a DH bike... I assume he wants to be on the Privateer for Finale ?
Uplifts... How/where are they booked ? I get the impression they're more van than anything else, which is cool, but would like to work out plan and costs in advance.
Catering, bars, etc... All the usual sort of stuff as it's right on the beach isn't it? If Mrs Weeksy has a pool or a beach, a balcony etc... she'll be happy as anything. Me and the lad would of course do a chunk of riding.
Have you seen my thread on this?
don't think so man.... link me up please 🙂
Bloody hell. How time flies. The kids look tiny in those photos....
I was chatting with a friend about exactly this last weekend. Great minds, etc 😉
Anyway, he visits and rides Liguria quite often and reckons that Pietra is a nicer place to stay if you had non bikers in your party.
He also doesn't really like Finale because in his opinion the trails are in a worse state than the ones in Pietra and San Remo. He did however understand and agree with our bucket list/ box ticking interest in Finale.
For me it's not really a bucket list thing, more something Mrs Weeksy can enjoy as much as me and the boy can. It's a break and a holiday but with MTB of course. She's been to Morzine a few times with us and whilst it was OK, it was no more than OK for her... It was of course ace for me and him 😀 Hence thinking of Finale.
Plan to Spring for a few days guided riding at least to make the most out of it … soooo many trails soooo many options . 50/80 a day but if two of you will only be a mixed group which can go both ways
been for last 6 riding years and still go back and ride new bits
we use a massive but well priced air b&b on the beach and 200/300 from train station with storage and parking which maybe good for mrs b happy to share
Dh is overkill - I found my ripmo perfect .
happy to point you towards a great guide or 2 . We usualy ride with Louise Paulin (vets ews champ few years ago) who is brilliant and possibly more attentive than some of the Italian guides .. but also ride with her exs allisandro firm who are great in a very different way
happy to help in any way including restaurants etc
The biking is great but the food can also be out of this world if you know where to go
I know it’s early as it’s not arguably until next year.
Are you thinking next summer, or spring/autumn? July and August are really hot, probably best avoided.
Are you thinking next summer, or spring/autumn?
There's the question.... Mmmmm. He'll finish school at end of June after GCSEs, so we could go earlier than usual. But he'll be starting 6th form in early Sept... It was a slight/concern that it may well be too hot.. So interesting that you'd point it out.
I was chatting with a friend about exactly this last weekend. Great minds, etc 😉
Anyway, he visits and rides Liguria quite often and reckons that Pietra is a nicer place to stay if you had non bikers in your party.
He also doesn’t really like Finale because in his opinion the trails are in a worse state than the ones in Pietra and San Remo.
I would agree with that. We ride Finale once a month or so (we live fairly close by). The Finale trails are getting busier and busier and many of them are getting pretty blown out/trashed. More uplift companies have sprung up and the original ones now have bigger vans so there are huge numbers of riders doing the trails that can be uplifted to. Not quite Morzine busy-ness yet... but it's getting that way!
Pietra is not as easy for the uplift vans to get to (I believe they have a maximum quota of vans there) so those trails are always quieter and in better shape than the Finale trails... but it does mean that it's harder to find uplifts there!
It's probably worth doing one of the 'backcountry' or 4wd tours as you can reach the trails that the usual uplifts don't go to.
And even though many of the 'classic' trails are in bad shape, they are still worth doing!
San Remo is quieter, but the trails are fairly full-on and nowhere near as much variety as in Finale.
Mmmmmm maybe we need to go back to plan A of Burgundy/Morzine.
We go most years at the end of September and will be going again this year assuming Kevin's injury is up to it.
First time we went was end of July beginning of August after a couple of weeks in Verbier. Although we biked every day it was way too hot.
We have done San Remo and Pietra before. The trails are good and a lot less bikes about but they didn't have the atmosphere or variety that Finale has.
We tend to have a couple of days of backcountry guided days and then uplifts from the campsite. Late afternoon is usually then ebike exploring further afield. Trail map is very good
After Verbier its probably my favourite place in Europe to go to ride
This has probablt been done already, but my 10p.
pros:
Nice beach resort, with a good beach and chilled vibe. Gelato. Food very good (Italy).
Good riding, mixture of trails, scenery ace. Iconic EWS stages etc.
cons:
Getting there.
No ski lifts so all uplifts by van, so pricey and changes (limits?) how you ride. Certainly more 'all mountain' than 'lift assist DH'
Trails are harder to find DIY. Not impossible but you'll need to navigate/think. Hiring a guide is a good idea but, again, this isn't cheap.
It's a lovely part of the world, and worth trying but you need to be ready to spend some money if you're there for a week. Not done Pietra.
Okay well seeing as we went in May for the first time I'll contribute my thoughts.
If I was going as a non biker I think I'd rather go somewhere else, especially if I was going to end up solo. Unless your Mrs is into hiking as there's plenty of walking routes around there and its really stunning.
It's a really popular area for MTBing, there's a constant flow on the uplifts and if you're going in the season you really need to book your uplifts the day/night before by whatsapping the company in question to ask to reserve a space (you dont have to pay upfront, you pay before you get in the minibus). We went mid May and some times we'd turn up in the morning and have to wait say an hour to get an uplift. As busy as it was once you got uplifted to wherever it isn't like you have to queue to get down the trails or that people get in your way. With multiple drop off spots and then routes down it didn't get busy. Sure going down rollercoaster we would overtake people but it wasn't like queueing your way down.
Cost wise if you're doing at least two uplifts a day its going to add up very quickly, we did a days back country uplift where really you're paying for the landrover to drive you around because the guide didnt really contribute anything to the experience and I much preferred doing our own thing and using trailforks. If you get car sick like me you wont enjoy the landrover experience, at the bottom of every run I'd just about settle the travel sickness and then have to get back in that landrover.
Food wise in the evenings I wasn't all that impressed but I'm a very conventional eater, I like burger and I like pizza. I'd go as far to say we cooked better food ourselves than what we got eating out but that wont be everybodies opinion I'm sure. Again these places can get busy so have a plan before the evenings arrives, don't think you can just wing it every night.
We want to go again, it's the perfect place for my OH, not super tight or technical constantly, the right amount of challenge to keep both him happy and myself.
What about Madeira? I’ve never been but read good things about the biking and it is a non biking holiday destination.
Just back from a week there at the start of the month, still very hot, 28-32 everyday, very dusty but highly recommended.
We had a local Italian guide & driver for the week for our group, took us to all over, we ate lunch up in the hills with the locals every day, great variety of riding, loved it.
Agree with the above, not sure its the place to leave the missus for 5+ days... not that much there.
I'd do it the way that Tim describes, or the way my mates do it with just an uplift or two per day and pedaling about a bit.
Not interested getting on and off minibuses with strangers all day, riding what the unqualified guide decides and paying £70 for the privilege though.
I'd suggest going elsewhere in the Alps.
I'm out here at the moment. It's our 8th visit and I know most of the trails without a map.
It's the first time with no Enduro racing going on so no one about who I know to ride with. We are the only Brits on the campsite
Here's the dilemma. Kevin is still injured from Verbier and as such if I can't find anyone to tag along with for a few hours I'm not sure it's a good idea to ride alone. Other alternative is to book a couple of days guided tours or pedal up to some of the nearer stuff and risk riding alone.
@Tracey Riding alone is fine, as long as you don't need help. Even the popular trails can be quiet for a few hours. And most the closer pedal access trails are less busy.
Finding someone to tag along with isn't too hard. I have often extended an invitation to a loner, and I have occasionally asked to join others too.
A guided tour is the best bet for day one. You might meet someone to ride with for the rest of the week. But the guides do tend to ride from the front, which isn't much better for looking after your safety.
Finding someone to tag along with has been an impossibility, so I'm on a guided tour today with Finale Freeride. 😎
Bike is ready and so am I. Will be good to get out on the trails. Haven't riden in over two months since Verbier
you'll get back in the swing quickly don't worry..
Had a great day out with Finale Freeride. Felt good to be back out on the bike
Have you considered Saalbach/Leogang?
Your lad would love the riding there (probably you too). All ski lifts, open from May to October.
Plenty to do off the bike for Mrs Weeksy. Lots of walking, outdoor Lidos, lake/beaches/beach clubs at Zell Am See, 1hr bus ride to Salzburg.