Mountain Biking in the Riviera Borderlands

A network of over 200 km of dry, dusty trails wind their way down from the Maritime Alps on both sides of the French-Italian border. Spanning the Bévéra, Roya valleys in France and the Nervia Valley and San Remo backcountry in Italy, this is Alpine enduro mountain biking at its very best.

You can expect steep, technical singletrack reminiscent of Finale Ligure, and to blast the trails at pace here you’ll need an enduro bike with at least 150 mm of travel. Fortunately, Roya Evasion based in Breil-sur-Roya provide an uplift and guiding service, for which you can expect to pay around 70 euros for a full day. During a full day of shuttle uplifts you can ride up to 3000 m of arm pumping vertical descent. For a hassle free day, equip your bike with a chain guide, a new set of brake pads, dual ply tyres and freeride or downhill specific inner tubes.

Cross-country riders can have a blast here too. The climbs are brutal, especially in the heat of the summer months, but there’s plenty of sweeping singletrack perfect for a smaller XC machine.

Although you can ride here year round, there can be snow on higher ground during January and February, and August can be stiflingly hot, so is best avoided.