5 Quick Loop Rides from Downtown Finale Ligure

On the surface, Finale Ligure is just another small Italian village on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea with a few beautiful beaches, restaurants, some historic buildings… and not much else to write home about. But if you're a mountain biker, you know that Finale Ligure's beauty is more than skin deep. During the spring and fall riding seasons, Finale Ligure transforms into one of the best—and most popular—mountain bike destinations in all of Europe!

The hills and mountains above Finale are laced with a massive web of singletrack mountain bike trails. While some of these trails are historic routes, others have been upgraded, modified, or built specifically by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers. In total, Finale boasts "close to 90 distinct trails, totaling over 400km in length," according to local mountain bike journalist Brian Gerow.

While most of the best mountain bike trails in Finale are accessed via shuttle vans, like any good mountain bike destination worth its salt, there's tons of pedal-driven riding to be done as well. While of course, you could choose to pedal to the top of the mountains and ride the main trails all the way back to the sea, if you're opting to head for a pedal, why not tackle some of the trails that aren't often served by the shuttles?

This guidebook features a selection of superb singletrack that's all rideable from downtown Finale that doesn't receive much shuttle traffic due to the location further down the mountain and on isolated ridges. While sure, you can sometimes access these trails from a shuttle, pedaling is often just as efficient.

If you're looking for a brutally-technical test piece, then head to the Caprazoppa Loop. Looking for unbelievably-beautiful views of the Mediterranean? The DH Donne Loop is the route you should tackle. And in between, you'll discover hidden gems that you'll soon regard as must-ride trails. As always, the routes here are simply a highlights reel—if you have time to delve deep into Finale's massive network of singletrack, you'll undoubtedly discover even more trails that will keep you coming back year after year!