When Reserve launched in 2017, we were on the hunt for the ultimate riding destination to organize a media event. We chose Molini, Italy at the time because it offered a bit of everything: traditional Italian local food, incredible views and epic days of mountain biking
If you asked us the choose the best riding destination today, we would still go with Molini. While the area around Molini has turned into a bit of a mountain bike tourist destination, Molini continues to offer all of the things which made us launch Reserve wheels to the world. One of those things is actually a person: Alberto Andreoli, or Albi as his friends call him.
Aside from being a great person, excellent guide and superb rider, Albi owns Molini MTB, the premier mountain bike expedition company in Molini. He would be your go-to guy if you're considering making a jaunt to Molini.
Albi
Albi is an affable guy, the perfect type of person to keep things chill when you are on a riding vacation. A local of the valley, with an extensive experience in mountain bike guiding and knowledge about the Maritime alps, when Albi is not guiding or trail building, he spends his time taking care of his olive trees so he can make olive oil.
There's not much down time though for Albi.
It hasn't been easy for Albi to run a tour company in Molini. For starters, having an extensive trail network in the high mountains means most of the hard work is done in the offseason, building and maintaining the trails that bring us so much enjoyment. Over the past three or four years, the area has seen some extreme weather, which has been wreaking havoc on the trails. Keeping the trails open has required near year-long rebuilding of existing trails.
The payoff is huge though. Unlike most riding destinations, Albi has made sure the trails around Molini are pristine, running great and ready to ride. We were there in late fall of 2022 and all of the trails felt like we were there first ones on them this year.
The Riding
Molini’s mountain bike trail network is incredibly varied, with everything from long winding tree-covered singletrack to trails that thread exposed alpine ridges. With an elevation progression from 400 to more than 2000 meters, you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for.
And the more you climb, the more you see changes in the terrain: different altitudes offer distinct kinds of forest, dirt, and landscape. From hard-packed and well-trodden fast and flowy trails, to big mountain paths that cross millenary loamy forests
Not surprisingly, the higher the trails ascend towards the peaks, the longer the descents. To maximize your ride time, we recommend using Molini MTB's shuttle service. This will ensure you get everything from short singletrack trails, to longer trails that cross entire valleys and take you to different towns. A side benefit: most of the tracks are either close to the road, cross the roads, or have multiple variants ,which increase trail accessibility and trail combinations as well.
The trails also have a historical element to them. The majority of the trails are part of a secular trail-network that was used by Italian villagers to move from their mountain homes to the fields. Albi says they are still discovering ancient medieval brides, age standing walls, and shepherds barracks deep in the mountains
The prime months to go to Molini are late spring through early fall. The good thing is that Molini MTB also does tours in San Remo when the local area begins to see colder temperatures and snowfall. Better start your planning.
https://www.molinimtb.com
