The Ligurian coast has been grazed as far as new trails are concerned. Or so you would think. But then there was this video of stairs and Harald Philipp had a hunch: with a boat, there could be something east of Finale Ligure and Genoa.
Spending a whole winter in Finale like this is great fun. I spent months on these perfectly constructed trails. Rollercoaster curves on earth, rock and stone - as a mountain biker, you don't really need more paradise to get through the darker months of the year. But then I clicked on this Instagram clip and I suddenly realised: I'm missing the adventure. You won't find anything unknown or even unrideable in Finale Ligure. At least not such an exciting spot as in this video on social media.
The Italian took a boat to the east coast of Liguria, between Genoa and La Spezia. He and his mates got off at the rocky shore near Monesteroli to ride what is probably the steepest and most exposed flight of steps I have ever seen. Even as they climbed the steps, they stopped in bewilderment at one or two of the key points. Nevertheless, they eventually completed the descent on this staircase. This went well in many exposed places, but then the clip ends with washing machine images from the GoPro - and a hard cut: hospital.
The pilot had crashed hard and rammed a garden fence into his upper arm in the bushes. An unbelievably lucky accident, one can only say. It could have turned out very differently. But it was also a wake-up call for me: there's something out there, not so far away, that needs answers. So where exactly is this staircase? I need to take a closer look.
I travelled to Monesteroli by train. The stairs were even worse than in the video: Steps like walls, endless, absurdly steep. There was never a point where I thought: "This is going to be nice." Back in Finale, I learnt that the stairs were closed anyway due to some eroded steps. Even for hikers. But my explorer gene wouldn't let up. There must be more to the steep coast of the Cinque Terre...
And so it was that Davide Bassan, skipper and MTB guide from Molini di Triora, set off and organised a catamaran for us.
La Spezia: Seagulls and fender squeaks
Winter is shipyard time, many boats are moored. Our luck. So it's not difficult at all to charter a boat in La Spezia. We already have a skipper. Davide will steer us to Monesteroli, but we also want to take the opportunity to check out all the other question marks on the east Ligurian coast.
The harbour town welcomes us with seagulls, fender squeaks and the smell of diesel. On board with us: Tom Öhler, world trial champion and my partner for twenty years for endeavours where you don't know beforehand whether you're actually going to ride them. Enduro pro Louise Paulin also hands me her bike on the boat. The Swede has lived in Finale for fifteen years, but has never travelled along this stretch of coast. And then there's Ceppa - Davide's found dog, which he picked up while biking at some point. She immediately stands wide-legged at the front of the boat, as if to say: "Seasickness is only for landlubbers." She turned out to be right. She was proved right.
Portovenere, our planned destination for today, soon comes into view. But our skipper shakes his head: "With the offshore wind and this swell, we can't moor in the harbour." So we set off unexpectedly 50 nautical miles further to Lavagna, the northernmost point of the tour. The high waves gently lift the catamaran - and make the deck rattle every time we touch down. The icy winter wind cuts into our faces. It would certainly be warmer below deck, but you don't even want to think about that with the rocking.
It is only calm again in the safe harbour of Lavagna. We sleep like babies in our bunks. The first question we have to ask ourselves from now on: Which downhill trails down to the coast could also work uphill? After all, we first have to get up to the trail entrances. We try out the first one in Sestri Levante: a trail of compact earth, slickrock slabs and sandy bends. But then the first hairpin bends. Downhill, you simply shift the rear wheel, but uphill you now have to shift the front wheel.
So: look where you want to go, elbows up, lift the front, tap briefly, sit down, continue. "Without a motor, this would be pushing yoga," says Louise. With the e-bike, however, you can solve the puzzles of such passages: low gear, smooth pedalling, short, clean impulses, no force - and always that small, precise hop that opens up the line. We look for climbs on the trail map like others look for tiramisu on the dessert menu: there's another steep ramp with two tight hairpin bends! It's inconspicuous on the way down, but it should be a nice puzzle on the way up. Tom calls it "Trial on Trail". I call it "Why have I always had too much weight on the front in hairpin bends?"
But now I know the answer: because I didn't shift the front wheel often enough. One time, the rear wheel slips off unexpectedly. But it can be caught again with a little side-hop. A quick laugh and on we go. On this trail near Sestri, we quickly learn that riding skill is not just a combination of skilful movements, but also an attitude: breathe calmly, scan the line with foresight, accept that a failed attempt is not a failure, but at most a side note.
We make our next stop southwards in Levanto. We start east of the town, again with the same plan: trail up, trail down. The surprise: almost every trail that is fun downhill also goes uphill - amazingly well, in fact. Partly because pedestrians have already gently worn down the sandstone paths through Levanto's pine and olive tree slopes. This gives our tyres so much grip that we can crank up ramps that we will really respect later on downhill. The sea twinkles down to the left, the tyres sing, the hands become calmer, the brakes more open, the view wider. It feels as if the coast is literally breathing us in.
The sea determines the schedule
After dinner, skipper Davide announces that we will be leaving today due to a forecast low-pressure system. The sky is clear, but the wind is already getting stronger and colder. If it also turns, we won't be able to moor in Portovenere again. We'd better try today. The crossing is very rough again. Two days ago, we would have been clinging to the railing. But now we're standing in the boat like old sea dogs. Ceppa curls up in the cockpit like he usually does at home on the sofa.
It's midnight by the time we arrive in the harbour of Portovenere. Illuminated, colourful houses are piled up on the hillside, with a castle above and fishing boats in front. We hang our wet gloves below deck to dry, warm up with a hot cup of tea and then crawl tiredly into bed. The gentle rocking of the boat and the tak-tak of the mast traps does what no app can do - it switches our heads to sleep mode.
Sounds fantastic: Sentiero No. 1...
In the morning, I discover a path on the map that looks promising, almost dreamlike, after the experiences of the last few days: "Sentiero no. 1" first climbs steeply up to the castle of Portovenere and then, still steep, runs along a kind of ridgeline up to a fort. And if we still haven't had enough, we can follow it further north over various peaks of the coastal mountains. So not only should it be fun to ride, but the views should also be gigantic. Unfortunately, the reality is quite different.
After a few metres, we experience karst with built-in nastiness. Holes and cracks in the slippery rock, blistering stones and large edges - the latter, of course, always where you would need a quick pedal stroke. It doesn't take long before we have to shoulder the heavy e-bikes. Even Tom gets off because the stop-and-go in this stony waterfall of steps is getting on his nerves. A clear 10 out of 10 in terms of scenery, but in terms of riding, the route is a real letdown.
By the time we get back to the boat in the late afternoon, the wind and waves have built up so much that we can't leave the sheltered harbour. So we stay here for another night before heading back to La Spezia. Time to review our bike & boat trip in the middle of winter: Between the harbours, the sea really is a beautiful place to take a break. In the morning it smells of salt and coffee, at lunchtime of seaweed and chain, in the evening of diesel and pasta. Now, in January, we have been freezing more often than we would have liked. But without this cold, riding the trails would not have been possible.
The cliffs of the Cinque Terre have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. As soon as the temperatures rise, there are so many tourists on these paths that you can't get through on a bike. You just have to accept it: Eastern Liguria is bike-friendly, but some spots on this side of the coast are off-limits to bikers.
By the way, we actually avoided the Monesteroli steps. Officially, it remains closed - and that's a good thing. But at least it made us curious enough to tackle this trip across the sea. With rocking beds in harbours, folding paper maps, tracking down paths and thinking about trails in both directions. Sometimes you find your Levanto that way, sometimes you find your Sentiero No. 1. And sometimes it might just be a story that sounds better in the harbour over an after-ride beer than it actually did.
You need to know that...
The precinct
Liguria's east coast stretches from Genoa to La Spezia. A large part of it belongs to the Cinque Terre: five centuries-old coastal communities clinging to a cliff face, which is why they have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. In summer, the alleyways and trails are packed with tourists. If you come here by bike in winter, you need good to very good riding technique for the steep and mostly rocky trails.
How to get there
You don't necessarily need a boat to reach the towns on the east coast and their trails. Regional trains with spacious bike compartments commute between the coastal towns at frequent intervals. Advantage: The train is also a great place to recharge your bike batteries.
The best time
As mentioned, it makes no sense to tackle the trails in summer. The trails are so technical anyway that you have to keep stopping at key points. Add to that the caravans of hikers for whom you have to keep stopping, and there's probably no flow or fun to be had. Best time: December to February.
The best spots
After all the trails we tried along the east coast, we can recommend the following spots:
- Sestri Levante: Slickrock slabs, compact soil offer good grip, hairpin bend technique required uphill and downhill.
- Levanto: Predominantly smooth, grippy sandstone; surprisingly many downhills here are also nice to ride uphill on an E-MTB.
- Lerici: It is the home territory of E-Enduro world champion Andrea Garibbo. The trails are very playful, but also quite slippery.
Unfortunately, the Sentiero no. 1 above Portovenere is definitely not worth doing, as it is gruellingly unrideable. There are also spots that are clearly off-limits and forbidden: the accident staircase from the video in Monesteroli, but also the trails around the harbour town of Portofino. There is a clear ban on bikes here.
The Monesteroli video
Italian freerider and slopestyler Torquato Testa attempted the spectacular Monesteroli staircase monument. You can watch his descent and fall on YouTube. But please don't attempt it, the stairs are officially closed to pedestrians.
Bike & Sail video
Filmmaker Fabian Spindler has also made a video of our trip along the east coast of Liguria. It will be available on YouTube from 22 September.
Info Cinque Terre
All information about the trains, accommodation and restaurants: cinqueterre.eu.com
