Just come back from four days in the Italian Alps with Rivierabike. Went last year and again fantastic. Great rural village and great rural hotel with beautiful fresh food. Superb weather helped but autumnal alpine colours were good and riding varied with some new trails. Did Agrofoglio again and has to be the best trail I have ever ridden anywhere. Finished on the last day with more of an epic ride, climbing into the freshly fallen snow at height in the Alps followed by a long ride down to the coast and finished with a swim in the Mediterranean.Had a big crash on the first day but managed to keep going with medication but now hurting. X ray and may have chipped a bone in my shoulder.

Glad you had a good time, we were there a few weeks ago and it was great. Sorry about the injury though, hope it heals soon.

I'm sure shoulder will be fine. A friend has just had a much worse shoulder injury from a road bike accident. Mine was on the last run of the day when big crashes always seem to happen. As usual a triumph of ambition over ability. Getting carried away following Ray, just thought that I was teavelling to fast without a fullface when my pedal clipped a tree and I was over.

Did you ride Dan's Brown Pants?

Not that I recall. Dan's Brown Pants may have to be a treat for next year!

I got back a couple of weeks ago – properly epic riding. Stacked it following Manuel (?) on one of the runs. Did you ride Faceplant? Techy as…

Photo from the long ride to the sea:

Did you guys do the uplift week or normal. Thinking of going next year, how tech are the trails compared to say Les Arcs etc?

Not sure what we 'did'. We paid for the normal week, but it was largely uplifts with one day doing a long ride that had a few (small) climbs in it. The longest climb we did was on that day and took 45 minutes and was pretty easy. The only other climbing we did generally lasted 2/3 minutes to get to the trail head proper – you'd have to do that even on an all uplift holiday.

As far as the trails go, they're def the best I've ridden. Whilst I loved les arcs (2 weeks there) they are def more tech and super super steep in places. I suspect we ended up on the more techy trails they had as we'd all done the alps quite a few times before, but even so Faceplant was almost like a cliff in places! Awesomely good tho. I've also ridden champery, chatel, morizine etc, and they're very different to those – less 'alpine' and more like the best bit of singletrack you've ever ridden in the UK but 10 times better, longer, and more tech. The trails are less beaten up as well, as you need an uplift to ride them (unless you're willing to ride up the hills (mountains by UK standards)).

Properly epic.

Ewan, thanks for the info – sounds right up my street. I like the odd climb anyway! how big are the groups?

Trails are pretty fresh and not beaten up because relatively few people riding them, no braking bumps anywhere. Some flowy and fast, some steep and tight.
Group size varies. We had 5 in our group and sometimes just us with the guide. Other times we had 9 of us and a guide. The uplift van is the limit.
Mix of XC and downhill shuttle runs but the choice is yours when you are there.
Not met Manuel Ewan, a local guide?

less 'alpine' and more like the best bit of singletrack you've ever ridden in the UK but 10 times better, longer, and more tech.

That's a great description.

If you take a look here there are our pics from this year's trip so you can see what it's like.

As above. They have the best trails I've ever ridden. Like UK trails but on steroids and downhill for miles and miles 🙂

I'd rather do a day with Rivierabike than a week in Les Gets or Morzine

Yes thats looks brill. What town on the coast was it your rode down to?

Check out the end of the valley in Les Arc. Sainte Foy, much preferred it to the Riveirabike stuff. More techy trails, just about everything with no disjointed uplifts. Better guides and atmosphere.

Anyone can operate in Italy…. Riveirabike is often all about one person…

Did the guide slag off your bikes/components? Go to the pub at the end of a ride when one of your party had split her chin open?

How's the uber-cool Ray?

some real polarizing opinions!!

Well this is a public consumer forum so everyone is allowed an opinion. We don't all live in the world of the gingerflash's.

not complaining just interested to hear all…

We had a good time – riding, lanscape, area & locals were AMAZING.

We just thought one of the guides was a bit off, but we didn't let it spoil things.

I hear there are some other people starting up soon in that area, so hopefully that would be another option if people want to ride down that way.

I've ridden all over the Alps, I love Les Arcs and the Haute Tarentaise and have been out with Trail Addiction a couple of times (and would highly recommend them to anyone) but I'd have to say I think Riviera have got the best trails I've ridden anywhere. The van uplift isn't as convenient as having the ski-lifts on your doorstep but the unridden nature of the trails and the sheer length and quality of them more than makes up for it.

Chunky MTB – some of the trails we rode out there (particularly FacePlant and Oranges) are the techiest I've ridden anywhere but I don't think they normally take their average guests down them due to their inaccessibility and potential to f*ck you up if it all goes wrong.

The town on the coast at the end of the ride that Ewan's picture is from is called Taggia – if he pulls his finger out I expect he's got a lot more awesome photos he could share?

Went to Riviera last year and TrailAddiction the year before. Both were excellent, but Riviera edged it for the more natural untouched trails and they probably felt longer descents. Fast and furious riding. I don't think we did the most technical stuff out there but it was the most fun riding I've done.

Why do people get upset if someone doesn't like their bike or component choice? Unless its badly maintained and you're getting slated for poor maintenance then just accept, not everyone will love your bike as much as you do 😉 And just cos Ray didn't hold your hand…(well, why do people post these semi-mysterious comments without being prepared to tell the whole story???)

And my girlfriend has just looked over my shoulder, read the posts and gone "oh my god, its more bitchy than a bunch of women"….

mtbtomo – Member
Went to Riviera last year and TrailAddiction the year before. Both were excellent, but Riviera edged it for the more natural untouched trails and they probably felt longer descents. Fast and furious riding. I don't think we did the most technical stuff out there but it was the most fun riding I've done.

Why do people get upset if someone doesn't like their bike or component choice? Unless its badly maintained and you're getting slated for poor maintenance then just accept, not everyone will love your bike as much as you do And just cos Ray didn't hold your hand…(well, why do people post these semi-mysterious comments without being prepared to tell the whole story???)

And my girlfriend has just looked over my shoulder, read the posts and gone "oh my god, its more bitchy than a bunch of women"….

So, someone who has a different opinion and experience to your own it's classed as bitchy? Did your girlfriend really say that?….. Really?.. Oooo my girlfriend has just looked over my shoulder and said "oh my god (you know, girls always say that), someone has a different opinion – how bitchy!" etc etc..

People don't have to go into lots of detail to justify an opinion.

I'll politely say that I didn't like the guide. I've come across the same opinion not only from the group I rode with but with other groups too. So everyone is different and guides obviously make or break a holiday.

You liked the holiday, others didn't. Get over it.

So what is the mysterious hand holding comment about Ray? Where did the hand hold thing come from? I'm interested. You seem to know something?

What was the weather like? I was going to book a trip with them for the end of October. Communication seemed to fail so didn't go. It would be interesting to know what the Rivera is like this time of year if I try to do it again.

Better than Morzine & Les Get for the more natural type of trails[url=http://www.youtube.com/user/Lorneplumber#p/u/21/PUyBITFPRoM]Just get it booked[/url]

mtbtomo – Member

Why do people get upset if someone doesn't like their bike or component choice

I don't want to pay a guide to come out with that kind of chat. I just don't want to hear it, whatever you and your boyfriend think.

Obviously I can only talk from my own experience, but I didn't have a problem with the guides. We were mainly with Ray and he's seemed to be the most chilled bloke on the planet – I can't see how he could offend anyone. Adrian lent me the rear brake off his own bike for the week, so no complaints there either!

Haven't ridden with trail addiction for a couple of years, so they'll doubtless have a bunch of new stuff! Note to self… go back!

I do have some more photos… all in good time! I've only been back two weeks, normally takes 6 months!

Manuel is a pro rider who drives the van sometimes IIRC.

I liked em and the guides.

It was more some of the other riders attitudes that ruined it for me…

Ray was an absolute legend and a true gent. He saved the holiday for me.

I think it was the 'tit for tat' comments she picked up on, not people having a different opinion.

I didn't mean to offend, Cynical, but it sounded like you were annoyed people went to the pub rather than fussing round whoever had injured themselves.

love that first one ewan 8)

I wanted to go this year but the non-riding girlfriend pulled rank 🙄 and we had to go to a swanky hotel in Palma….however when does Rivierabike's 'season' end? (or does it continue through the winter? Ewan, on the first pic- your ass is back over the saddle- is it steep?

Not my ass. That's Adrian from Riviera Bike, i'm behind the camera! I don't recall it being particulary steep, probably a result of a combination XC saddle height and me instructing people to stick there elbows out like they're on the front cover of MBR. Jaunty.

We don't all live in the world of the gingerflash's.

Eh?
wassatmeanthen?

We don't all live in the world of the gingerflash's.
Eh?
wassatmeanthen?

We are not all attractive, in good shape and have good jobs like the gingerflashes (is how I'd read it) 8)

Hi Eddie!

Glad to hear you're back in one piece, and hopefully your shoulder mends fast…I got x-rayed when we got home and bruising, staved wrist and cracked helmet seems to be the order of the day. 🙂

As for Rivierra, I'm not ususally much of a one for going on guided mtb holidays but I rated them highly – the location, the riding, and the company.

Defo worth giving them a try I reckon. 😀