FOR TRAIL BUILDING BULLETIN
#7| July 2024

In the spring and summer of 2024, the trail builders of the Finale Outdoor Region, as always, took great care of the territory. Significant work was required between April and May to prepare the course for the UCI Enduro World Cup, and in the following months, they carried out maintenance and regular upkeep. The early months of 2024 also saw an organizational change within the Trail Building Committee- Know more about it in our Trail Building Bulletin. 

Happy reading!

TRAIL BUILDING AND SPORTING EVENTS

 From May 10 to 12, the UCI Enduro World Cup, promoted by Warner Bros Discovery, returned to the Finale Outdoor Region, officially opening the 2024 season of the mountain bike Enduro World Cup. Our region has a long history linked to enduro events. With five editions of the national Superenduro circuit from 2008 to 2012, the Enduro World Series from 2013 to 2022, two Trophy of Nations, and the World Cup races in Pietra Ligure in 2023 and Finale Ligure in 2024, we have become a point of reference for athletes and bikers.

Over these 17 consecutive years, course design has always played a fundamental role in the development of both the destination and the discipline, with the clear objective of showcasing the variety of our territory to the world.

This includes diverse environments, terrains, and breathtaking landscapes, highlighting its potential for both traditional mountain biking and e-MTB, making Finale one of the favorite destinations for riders.

In 2024, the two race courses included nine trails: Base Nato, Ingegnere, Supergroppo, Rocche Gianche, DH Men, Cà Bianca, Legnino, Borderline, and Andrassa. All these trails underwent pre- and post-race maintenance. Notably, the 2024 race offered the opportunity to work on two of the most iconic trails in the area.

Rocche Gianche, used as a special stage in the EWS 2018 and officially closed for some time, was recovered for the occasion. This trail, besides being an icon, is strategically important for the use of the territory as it serves as the gateway to the Spotorno area and the Vado Valley. The access to the start, heavily compromised by rain, was completely redone, and a line for e-MTB use, used in the race, is now available to bikers.

Additionally, extensive clearing and restoration work were carried out, and in the intermediate section damaged by logging, a new line was designed leading to the final part of the trail. This significant restoration work has returned a technically demanding trail of great importance to the region.

Monte Alto saw substantial work that made the long version of Supergroppo, a 7 km trail and one of the longest in Finale, accessible again. Characterized by pedaled sections, making it a truly complete trail, Supergroppo was presented in the race 10 years ago, but starting lower than the current one.

Here, a new line was created due to the logging that allowed the connection to the lower sections. A track has been identified and designed that provides a smoother and more enjoyable access to the top of Monte Alto.

This year's course was particularly appreciated by athletes, media, and Warner Bros Discovery, allowing us once again to offer a high-level event while investing resources not only for the race but also to implement and improve our trail network with a view to sustainability.

A huge thanks goes to the Race Direction, led by Francesco Gozio, for the course design, and to all the trail builders who did an outstanding job for the race and all the bikers: Marco Richeri, Ivo Camilli, Marco Del Maschio, Giorgio Paderno, Massimiliano Marenco, Cristian Tintori. And of course, to Simone Lammardo and Riccardo Serrato for coordinating the work and the team.

FOR TRAIL BUILDING BOARD: New Organizational Structure

Photo: Gabriele Canu

In 2024, the organizational structure of the trail building board within the Finale Outdoor Region underwent an internal reorganization. Fabrizio Valenti, a veteran trail builder and founder of Finale Ligure's first shuttle company, after more than a year of dedicated work as the supervisor of the working group, has handed over the role to two new figures. Both with extensive experience in trail building, they have been complementarily coordinating the working group, planning interventions, and managing resources for several months now. 

We extend our sincere gratitude to Fabrizio for his demonstrated commitment and the great expertise he will continue to bring to the Osiglia area as the Area Manager.

Riccardo Serrato, already the Area Manager of Caprazoppa, has assumed a technical responsibility role, conducting necessary inspections to monitor the condition of the trails and assessing where interventions are needed, particularly for extraordinary maintenance.

Simone Lammardo, already part of the working group active in the Pietrese and Val Maremola areas, has taken on an organizational responsibility. He organizes the daily work of the trail builders based on needs, particularly regarding routine maintenance and restoration work, coordinating available resources.

Resource allocation and strategic decisions are made in collaboration with the Consortium, represented by President Gianluca Viglizzo, and the Area Managers, whose structure remains unchanged, each tasked with evaluating and proposing interventions in their respective areas of competence.

In this year and a half of activity, the trail building committee, despite numerous difficulties related to the complexity of the project, has proven crucial for territory management. Without this structure and considering the current tourist flows in the Region, it would not be possible to preserve the territory nor the tourist product that attracts so many tourists to Finale in every season of the year, significantly impacting tourist presence.

The organizational structure of the Trail Building Board is supported by the FOR YOU CARD project. Thanks to the resources generated by transactions in participating activities, we can now ensure continuity in maintenance work. Introduced almost three years ago, this tool has been adopted by many operators in the area. However, the majority of funds still come from transportation companies. The real breakthrough will occur when all operator categories, especially in the hospitality and ffod&beverage sectors, actively embrace the project, contributing more significantly to maintenance, thus allowing more resources to be allocated to climbing cliffs and hiking trails as well.

SPRING-SUMMER 2024 MAINTENANCE

In addition to the extensive work required to prepare the UCI Enduro World Cup race course between April and May, our trail builders were engaged throughout the spring and summer in various areas of the Region, from Vado Ligure to Bardineto and Osiglia, including Finale and its highlands, Pietrese, Valmaremola, and Monte Carmo.

The interventions primarily involved maintenance tasks such as general cleaning, drainage maintenance, leaf blowing, vegetation trimming, removal of gravel and hazardous rocks, tree cutting and stump removal, elimination of braking bumps and ruts, and restoration of existing berms and jumps. Additionally, routine maintenance was performed, including pothole management, tree cutting, and the reconstruction of dry stone walls.

In May, the trail builders worked on the race course trails as well as on Zak, Avioai, Appendaun, Pianfieno, Supercanaletta, Tobogazzo, Trail Foglia, New Super Canaletta, Base Nato, H Veloce, Ingegnere, Partigiano, Madonna della Guardia, Cacciatore, Toboga di Canova Lower, Fast & Furious, Revenant, DH Men, Armuin, Scoglio di Venso, Foresto, Ruggetta, and Oltrefinale.

June saw maintenance on Rocca di Corvi and Domiciliari, Briga Sinistra and Destra, Ponti Romani, Hell Boy 1, Rocknrolla, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Dog Eat Dog, Bric Merizzo, Cà Bianca, Isallo Ecstasy, Rollercoaster, San Pantaleo, Il Conte, H, Ingegnere. Continued work on Ruggetta, Fast & Furious, and Revenant was also carried out.

In July, the trails that underwent maintenance included Pianmarino Top and Pianmarino Cia, H Veloce, Cravarezza, Pianfieno, Appendaun, Mulino e Dondella, Tobogazzo, Dolcenera and Blu Pervinca, Cà del Vacchè, Rocche Gianche, Euforia, Roaldo DH, Andrassa pt 1 and 2, Roll Up, as well as hiking trails like Via del Purchin and Anello di San Bernardino.

SIMONE LAMMARDO

Simone Lammardo grew up in Giustenice, where he still resides and manages the family restaurant business. He has been a part of the Finale Outdoor Region trail building crew for some time, primarily working in the Pietrese and Val Maremola areas.

Since 2024, alongside Riccardo Serrato, he has been coordinating the work group, managing resources and personnel, and overseeing routine maintenance interventions. Despite his responsibilities, he never misses the chance to spend hours in the woods, the environment he loves and cares for with passion.

Hello Simone, when did your passion for trail building begin?

I started biking relatively late, in adulthood. It was just at that time that Pietra Ligure Outdoor was being established. I have always been passionate about the area where I live and know it well. This led to my involvement in the work group, certainly because I am passionate about mountain biking but also due to my knowledge of the area. Initially, I assisted more experienced trail builders like Alessandro Massa, and today, after a few years, I co-coordinate the group with Riccardo Serrato.

Is your passion for mountain biking and the territory your main motivation for this role?

I see trail building as an activity that allows you to spend time in the places you love and that make you feel good. It involves a lot of hard work, but it is done to improve something that you, along with many others, will be able to enjoy and have fun on. For me, it is essential to personally test the trails we work on or that we work on with the team. Sometimes, I am even a bit possessive and want to be the first to test a trail after maintenance

Could you describe your role within the work group?

The trail building table consists of the people who work on the trails daily, the area managers, and a coordination done by the FOR Consortium, represented by Gianluca Viglizzo, who handles the political aspect (relations with municipalities, associations, and private entities). Riccardo Serrato manages extraordinary maintenance, and I handle the daily organization of the trail builders' work based on priorities, seasons, weather conditions, and of course, economic resources. However, I do not give up working on the trails, which for me remains essential to be able to manage everything else.

As far as I am concerned, it is about learning to imagine things before they happen, to prevent problems and ensure the territory does not suffer excessive damage. Secondly, it is crucial to make the area as accessible as possible by managing resources effectively, i.e., the time dedicated to each trail.

Coordinating a vast area, from Vado Ligure to Carmo, from Bardineto to Osiglia and Mallare, also means dealing with very different realities and problems. This allows us to learn a lot and understand and manage situations very different from those in the purely Finale context.

In your opinion, how important is it to work as an organized structure? What approach are you taking?

Given the importance and complexity of the issue, an organized structure is now essential. Our organization is growing, and we now have the experience needed to plan work according to nature's timings and assess how to carry out tasks. Both Riccardo Serrato and I go out into the field weekly to conduct inspections, and this, along with the exchange with the area managers, gives us a clear picture of needs and priorities.

Methodologically, I am setting up the work with a biweekly agenda based on needs and priorities. We have also set up a kind of management system to keep track of who has worked where and for how long. This tool is useful for us and, we hope, will be helpful in the future for others managing maintenance work.

We are always looking for improvements and new solutions with the means we have to make our territory a safe and enjoyable place for all bikers. Collaboration and respect for the environment are the foundation of our work, and we are proud to see the fruits of our efforts every time a biker rides our trails and appreciates our work.

Thank you, Simone, and good luck with your work!

See you in the next issue of the Trail Building Bulletin.