Description

The Roller Coaster Trail is now one of the most famous trails in the internationally-renowned mountain bike destination of Finale Ligure.

It also happens to be one of the longest single trails in the region and an all-out downhill rip, which guarantees a fun time! "Every mountain bike town has a trail called Rollercoaster, but few are this good," writes Flow Mountain Bike.

The Roller Coaster trail here in Finale Ligure lives up to its name with flowy banked turns, optional kickers providing sweet airtime, and rollers that can be popped off of as well.

Along with the flow comes the guaranteed rocks, roots, and drops to remind you that you're still mountain biking.

That said, overall this trail is accessible by upper intermediate riders.

The high-speed descent and great blend of terrain made the Roller Coaster trail an obvious choice for an Enduro World Series stage when the race series stops here in Finale Ligure, but it's by no means the most technical trail in the region.

Other trails are drastically more challenging, which helps make Rollercoaster a true crowd pleaser. While of course you can pedal to the top, the route shown here is a shuttle run that drops from the top of Monte Settepani all the way down to the coast of the Mediterranean Ocean far, far below—a shuttle run of truly epic proportions! Despite the massive shuttle uplift, there are still a few climbs later on in the route mapped here.

These climbs deliver riders to some of the best trails close to Finale Ligure: Bondi and Xmen. The Bondi trail can be quite difficult to follow, as it bobs and weaves through the complex trail system atop Monte Caprazoppa.

Trails branch every which way in this trail system, and there are almost no trail signs or blazes to speak of.

If you do happen on a trail blazed with a red diamond, congratulations—you're on the right track! As for the track itself, Bondi has a curious sort of flow, punctuated by techy slow speed rock maneuvers.

When wet, the limestone in this area is supremely slick! The purpose of following Bondi doggedly is to bring you to the Finale Ligure side of Monte Caprazoppa.

If you drop straight down the mountainside after the climb over the Torre di Bastia is finished, you'll drop down to Borgio Verezzi and won't be able to access the Xmen trail.

And accessing Xmen is well-worth the effort! The upper section of Xmen flows down the steep mountainside through a series of tight, old school berms.

As the trail drops lower and lower it gets more and more technical, eventually turning into sharp, exposed switchbacks, oftentimes with rock drops halfway through the turn.

The lower section of Xmen is by far the most technical portion of this route, but even if you don't enjoy the gnar the gorgeous views of Finale Ligure are worth the effort alone. Finally, this route finishes on the shores of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, with a delightful beach for a soak and a swim.

It doesn't get much more epic than this—mountaintop to seashore on singletrack.