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Tours

For the more adventurous Rivierabike provides multi day point to point tours.

Starting from Molini di Triora we can provide 2, 3, 4 and even 6 day tours around the Italian Ligurian Alps and the French Maritime Alps.

Accommodation is based in mountain refuges and small gites / agriturismos and your luggage will be transported for you in our four wheel drive vehicles.

The riding will be double track climbs (with the odd hike) and most of the descending will be on singletrack. The tours mainly take in the French side of the mountains, skirting Mercantour National Park. Tours also finish at the coast in Monaco or Ventimiglia for a truly unique experience.

Rivierabike can organise a customised itinerary to suit your requirements.

A typical itinerary is below:

The Tour of the Forts

This is a classic XC four day tour and takes it's name by following Napoleon's old military trail which has various forts dotted along the route. The tour explores France and Italy on the long distance route known as the Alta Via that passes through terrain from high alpine and lush forests to the terraced hills of the Mediterranean.

The tour is fully guided with vehicle support. We stay in different types of accommodation from remote mountain refuges to comfortable agriturismos which are all catered.

Click here for costs and what's included.

Typical Itinerary

Tour Day 1. Passo Della Guardia to Col des Seigneurs. Approx 40km, 1100m Ascent, 400m Descent

The first day is mainly a climbing day, we take the minibus to the end of the asphalt near Passo della Guardia (1200m) above Molini. From here we will follow the military road up to Passo Tannerello (2040m), here we will have lunch or we can climb further to the highest point in Liguria, Mt Saccarello at 2200m. From here there is a stunning 360 degree view from the snowy peaks of the alps to the North and over the Mediterranean to the South. We will then descend and traverse along the Val Tanaro ridge to Col des Seigneurs (2115) where we will reach Rifugio (Refuge) Barbera - our destination for the evening.

Tour Day 2. Col des Seigneurs to Tende Approx 55km, 600m Ascent, 1400m descent

After waking up to the sound of marmottes we traverse along the French/Italian border on singletrack and dirt roads that are littered with old Napoleonic forts and battlements. We will have lunch at Forte Centrale / Colla di Tende (1900m). We continue along the military road until we arrive at a mountain hamlet called Casterino (1700). We then take a fast 15km singletrack descent to Tende (800m) a bustling French town with many bars and restaurants. Tende is our base for the evening staying in a French gite.

Tour Day 3. Tende - Passo della Gouta, Approx 55km, 1300m Ascent, 700m Descent

From Tende we start with a gentle climb and a singletrack descent to La Brigue (800m) for a warm up. From here we start the big climb of the day to Colle Sanson (1700m) where we will have lunch. The climb continues until we reach Mt Grai (1950m). From here we will traverse to Mt Torragio (1850m) along a spectacular path which was cut into the cliffs during the first world war. From here we descend on singletrack to Passo della Gouta (1500m) where we will stay at a comfortable agriturismo.

Tour Day 4. Passo della Gouta - Ventigmilia, Approx 40km, 200m Ascent, 1700m Descent

Today is the final day of the tour and it's all downhill from here...nearly! From Gouta we follow the ridge all the way down to Ventigmilia (sea level) - a coastal resort town. With very little climbing the descent is a mixture of singletrack and double track following the Alta Via and takes about 4 hours to descend!!! When we reach Ventimiglia you can enjoy a well earned beer or gelato on the beach before the van takes us back to Molini.