“All Day Turbo” is the motto of this new accommodation for cyclists in Magliolo, a small village 500 metres above Finale Ligure. Here, Betty and Tom Janas have built a passive house in nine months to offer their future guests a “mountain bike holiday without compromise”. In detail, this means:
The sophisticated service concept
- Rental e-MTBs from cult brand Nicolai
- A cycling app with maps, all the Finale routes and battery charging points
- Replaceable batteries distributed across the Finales Trail network
- Free e-scooter hire (for trips along the coast, e.g. to the beach)
- Price per person per night: from 157 euros
The idea behind this is that guests at the Vertical Lodge should be able to experience Finale’s trails without worrying about their battery life. They will no longer be reliant on shuttles, can power up the climbs in turbo mode, and can make the most of the extra range for longer tours into the hinterland. This is made possible by numerous battery-swap stations in bars, restaurants and cafés, which are spread widely across Finale’s trail network.
So you no longer have to stop for ages just to top up your battery by a few per cent; instead, you simply swap your flat battery for a fully charged one – and off you go in turbo mode. You can find out where the swap stations are via the in-house “All Day Turbo” app, which guests can download to their mobile phones for free.
Even after the tour, guests at the lodge are encouraged to leave their cars behind where possible and make use of the lodge’s fleet of electric scooters. Not only does this get them around more quickly, it also saves them the hassle of finding a parking space on the beach, whilst at the same time helping to ease the already heavy traffic along the Ligurian coast.
Rental bikes from the iconic Nicolai brand
Leaving your own e-MTB at home? For some, that might be the biggest problem. But of course, the battery-swap system only works with compatible, removable batteries. And who would want to leave their own battery behind in a mountain restaurant out in the countryside?
That said, who wouldn’t want to experience Finales Trails on an e-enduro bike costing over 11,000 euros from the iconic Nicolai brand? Every guest will have a Nicolai S16 MGU at their disposal throughout their stay. The Pinion drivetrain combines the motor and gearbox; the Gates Belt Drive replaces the chain, so there’s no need for a traditional rear derailleur. There really are more boring hire bikes out there.
The electricity required for this in-house mobility scheme is to be sourced from the lodge’s surplus solar power. This should also be sufficient to power guests’ electric cars.
The two hosts are no strangers to the industry
Betty and Tom Janas came up with this accommodation concept in Liguria and, after nine months of hard work, finally opened it on 1 October. Tom Jonas is the founder of the sports photography agency Sportograf. After 20 years in the business, he has now stepped down to fulfil this dream in Liguria.
His wife Betty is the reigning German XCM champion and, together with Tom as part of a mixed team, has already won stages of the Cape Epic in South Africa. Both are from Freiburg and, from there, have explored cycling spots and mobility concepts all over the world.
All the information: vertical-lodge.com
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
