June – September
Our backcountry package combines dedicated epic remote adventures combined with staying in the comfort of our main base with restaurant and pool. Your week finishes with a two day wilderness adventure with an overnight stop in a remote mountain Rifugio hut before riding down coastal singletrack to the beach. Spend your days riding endless ridgelines and natural trails in the untouched backcountry of Northern Tuscany.
Overnight Mountain Hut Adventure
A highlight of the week is our two-days wilderness tour, including a night in a remote and unique mountain hut. We start high in the Apennines and follow a stunning ridgeline into our valley before climbing to the summit of the Apuan Alps – the famous marble mountains above the coast of Massa-Carrara. From here we’ll descend towards to a remote mountain Rifugio where you’ll spend the night gazing at the stars over the Mediterranean.
The next morning, we drop into the Massa-Carrara valley on the legendary Via Vandelli, cool off in hidden river pools, before riding Massa’s coastal trails – packed with flowy descents, jumps, and berms, and finishing the experience with a swim and a cold beer by the beach.
Without a doubt, these are two of the best days we offer!
The Riding
With two incredible alpine mountain ranges on our doorstep, we’ve spent the last 10 years crafting the best routes into epic tours and multi-day trips, including hidden gems you won’t find on a map. Each morning, we’ll shuttle you from our base in the valley to the highest ridgeline or the end of the road, where your adventure begins.
Every day will be totally different. You’ll either be on a self-supported backcountry ride for the whole day or a more supported tour, where you’ll meet the van after lunch to take you to the next epic location.
The tour includes five riding days and a rest day to recharge. Expect pure wilderness, breath taking trails, and ending your ride with a cold beer by the pool at our base.
THE RIDING
Who’s it for?
Being on the bike out in the big mountains is your thing. You are a skilful rider with alpine experience. You have a good level of fitness that allows you to tackle some climbing throughout the day and to enjoy a long natural and technical descent afterwards. You don’t mind some pedalling and potentially a bit of hike-a-bike, to earn some of the longest most rewarding runs in Tuscany.
E-Bike?
All our trips are suitable for e-Bikes too. Find out more about our love and offer for e-Biking.
Accommodation
For our Backcountry Adventure trip, your evenings are split between our main summer Agriturismo in the main valley and an overnight stop in a remote mountain Rifugio. This gives you the best of both worlds, with the comfort of our main base and its pool and restaurant, to the adventure and stunning unique location of the remote mountain huts we collaborate with.
EXPERIENCE THE MOUNTAIN HUT ADVENTURE
You can get a taster of the mountain hut you’ll be staying at and the stunning scenery here in a video we did with EMBN. Although this video was done as an e-Bike tour, this tour can be done with either regular bikes or e-Bikes.
If you have any further questions regarding the tour or how to book with us, don’t hesitate to contact us on info@ridgeline.bike.
PACKAGE DEAL
€1.395 fully inclusive package*
- 6 nights at Agriturismo
- 1 night at remote mountain hut
- 5 days of fully guided riding
- 7 x breakfast and 2-course dinner including wine & beer
- Private shuttle & airport transfers (to and from Pisa airport)
- Access to full workshop, bike lock, and wash facilities
*This price is based on:
- A group size of 5-7 or 10-12 people.
- Two people of the same group sharing a spacious mezzanine room or a small apartment (always with separate beds). Single rooms are available at an extra fee. Contact us for more details.
Individuals and smaller groups
Our package prices are usually based on bookings from groups between 5-12 people. If you are a couple or you can’t get a group of minimum 5 riding buddies together, please check out or Open Invitation Weeks or get in touch to see if we can team you up with a group for your preferred dates.
FAQ
How much climbing is involved in a day?
The riding in the Apennines and Apuan Alps is incredibly diverse, from open fast flowing runs to steep rocky technical descents by the coast. You can expect to be climbing a minimum of 500m a day and to up to 2.000m if desired, but expect an average of about 1.000m per day. Hike a bike and some pushing to get you to the endless descents is always part of our backcountry adventure.
Please note that most of the days can be modified with the amount of climbing and level of shuttle support. However, be prepared to put in the climbs to be rewarded of being in some of the most beautiful remote peaks that hardly anyone ventures to.
How much support will be provided during these backcountry days?
Our Mercedes Vito Tourer vans and Bergtec trailers will shuttle you from our base in the valley every morning, and bring you back to base at the end of the day. Although some tours allow you to ride directly back to base and no van is needed after the first drop-off in the morning. However, the van and trailer will be on hand every day to help out with any carrying of kit or emergency help, and we keep a full mobile workshop and mechanical spares kit where ever we go.
The remote mountain hut is only accessible by foot or bike, so we will be self-sufficient for this part of the week. But we use the vans and trailer to help with carrying your equipment until the final climb to the mountain hut, so you can ride light and enjoy the descents to the max. The van will be there in the morning after the main descent, so you don’t need to carry your beach gear and spare riding clothes up to the mountain hut.
How does the accommodation look like?
Ridgeline’s guests are all based together in the beautiful Agriturismo Venturo for most of the nights, situated in the heart of the Garfagnana Valley. The Agriturismo comes with three guesthouses, a restaurant, and a big outdoor pool. You will stay in spacious mezzanine rooms (with separate beds), that are equipped with a living and kitchen area and en-suite bathroom.
The night at the mountain hut is a unique and incredible experience. Overlooking the Mediterranean and only accessible by foot or bike, it really is a remote location. However the Rifugio does have a small kitchen that the owners will use to cook up dinner for you and can cater for all dietary requirements. There is also an integrated bar stocking the essential beers and refreshments.
The sleeping is basic and contained to one large room with bunkbeds that sleeps around 30 people. Sheets and bed covers are provided free of charge. There is the option of a slightly smaller room if people prefer a bit more privacy that sleeps 6. Showers and wash rooms are available with showers costing an extra €5. Charging for phones and e-Bikes are also available.
You can find more details and images about the Agriturismo and mountain hut here on our Accommodation page.
What kind of food is offered and included in the package?
The restaurant of the Agriturismo is locally famed for its traditional food. In the morning you can enjoy a full continental breakfast, including the famous Italian coffee to kick start your day. Back after riding in the evening, a typical Tuscan and locally sourced two-course dinner with wine and water, will be served, all included in your package.
Even in the remote mountain hut you’ll get served a warm and traditional two course meal.
For lunch we usually stop at one of the local restaurants where you can expect to pay around €15-20 for a midday meal (not included in your package).
What about bike storage and tools for maintenance of bikes?
Incorporated into the Agriturismo we have built a fully private, lockable professional bike storage and maintenance garage. Everything you need to build and maintain your bike is available to you 24/7 with our full Park Tool set-up, air compressor and jet wash area. The garage is located directly next to your private guesthouse, which means you are never more than a few metres away from your loved one!
Can I do this trip also on an e-bike?
Absolutely. We offer the same package also specifically for e-Bikes. Please read more here on our e-Bike page.
Can the riding be customised to fit the skills and fitness of our group/riders?
Yes. We have the option to customise your tour to meet your fitness, preferred riding and amount of uplift support you wish for the trip. Due to our vast and diverse playground, we have the option to either focus on ensuring you spend the whole day in the backcountry with only pedal power to get you through, or the van and trailer can support during the day.
We normally plan on one overnight stop as part of this tour, but we have the flexibility to add another overnight stop in another mountain hut, or to add an extra day of riding to maximise your time on the bike for your trip with us. Just get in touch and we can plan your week together: info@ridgeline.bike
Do you offer alpine riding coaching?
Definitely. Everyone should have the chance to hone their Alpine skills whilst on a riding holiday and in this unique environment. Our guides provide free tutorials to coach and improve techniques like switchbacks, manuals, vision and trail awareness, but also basic suspension and bike set-up advice.
