BikingLiguria

BikingLiguria organizes road bicycle clinics in the mountains of Liguria.
We coach your biking experience and organize retreats at Prati Piani .

Prati Piani used to be the wintertraining camp of Inter Milan in the 70’s and is now the place to be for roadcyclist who want to prepare themselves for classics like the Mont Ventoux or the Alpes d’Huez for instance.

BikingLiguria is an initiative of Andre & Monica Smit owners of Prati Piani and Madeleine Devenyi.
Madeleine is a specialist in roadbiking in the Ligurian mountains and would like to coach and train you and your friends during an exclusive biking clinic. This can be as a personal trainer or during a special biking retreat at Prati Piani.
Monica is an excellent cook and as former body builder specilized in healthy food. She has a foodblog in the Netherlands called http://bordjegezond.nl. She will give a food workshop for our byciclist.
Andre started roadbiking in the Ligurian Alpes just two years ago but is already totally addicted.
Our next retreat will be 2×4 days starting the 4th of may, price for early birds 499 for a shared room and 599 for a single room(4 days) sleeping, dining & wining and bike coaching and training included

Roadbiking in the mountains of Liguria, 2 x 4 days starting at 4th of May

Program Biking Liguria Retreat 4-8-12 May

Day 1

• Breakfast
• Backyard Bike 35km 873m (youtube)
• Lunch
• Mountain hike
• Dinner
• Cozy evening with a nice Italian wine.

Day 2

• Breakfast
• Imperia Bike, 65 km, 842 m
• Lunch
• Freetime, extra bikerides, walking or visiting historical sites
• Dinner
• Biking and food workshop

Day 3

• Breakfast
• Bike Molini 44 km 1405 m (youtube)
• Lunch
• Freetime, extra bikerides, walking or visiting historical sites
• Dinner

Day 4

• Breakfast
• Biking a part of Milan – San Remo (Poggio/Cipressa)
• Lunch
• Freetime, extra bikerides, walking or visiting historical sites
• Dinner
• Transfer to the airport (20.00 Nice Airport)

ROADBICYCLE RETREAT PRATI PIANI

• 4 nights;
• 3x breakfast; 4x lunch;
• 3x 3-course meal
• Welkom package;
• Consumpties included (fair use policy)
• Arrangement does not include flight
• Bring your own bike or rent one of ours(80 euro 4 days/ 120 euro 8 days)
• Pick-up Drop off Nice-Cote d’Azure with/without Bike

Price:
€ 599 per adult for a 4-day arrangement (based on double room, single room € 100 extra), , € 1099 per adult for an 8-day arrangement.

Special offer: Early-bird discount: for the first 5 bookings pay only €499 (4 days) or €999 (8 days).

Take the first step and book today! For more information, please contact us a info@pratipiani.com.

Introducing your guide, coach and lifesaver Madelaine Devenyi

I’m Madeleine, 51 years old and swedish, from Gothenburg.
I live here in this valley since more than 15 years by now. I settled down with intention to ‘calm down, at age 34 after a long working period in different countries i.e. Denmark, France and latest an almost 7 year period on luxury american cruise liners …
spending 8 out of 12 months on board and the other 4 in continuos traveling and experiencing cultures and people …
Started off fairly well, living in Bordighera, a picturesque smaller coats town not far from the french border, working ashore in Montecarlo in still in the field of tourism.
Now married and mother to a daughter of 12, after meeting my husband who is an ‘original Badalucchese’ in the valley that will take you to Prati Piani from the coast.

I’ve always been a long distance runner since age of 6. I kept on running until about 3 years ago when my heel was almost totally consumed and i had no option but to stop.
A couple of months passed …and as of today Ii can’t believe I haven’t ‘ discovered the beauty and satisfaction one gets out of road-biking. Biking in these mountains means always new views, an infinity of different rides and even at occasion repeating a climb or a valley …it’s always a new experience, a new pleasure.
To me biking gives, a part from being fit, always a sense of freedom and a ‘well being-feeling’ …you might even say it’s easy to get an addict, but I think it’s a borderline …and as long as I can’t wait to get out …I’m on the road mostly every day, chewing from 300-500km’s a week. This region is a kind of paradise for this sport, I can still after almost 3 years, discover new roads in the mountains & I’m that will remain a fact for many years yet.

Road racing is a large sport and the traffic, even though intense down the coast, are very ‘used’ to us, even though they might not be always happy …but as soon as you leave the coast and get up the mountain, the feeling of silence will touch you and you will meet few cars even during the hottest months …July and August.
I started ( in January) with an older mountain bike, my running shoes and some of my down hill skiing clothes,
(temperatures rarely goes under zero, but once up a climb,one has to get down with the wind cooling down very well…) ,
and only a few months later I ended up with an borrowed roadbike and my feet tightened to the pedals. I had a few crazy falls before ‘getting it’ ..some lol’s, I guess :-D!!
Putting in 20hrs/week on the road, all year around with a Grandfondo season that starts in February ending up in beginning of October .
I did my first race on a bike doing the 290km Milano-Sanremo last year and after that season I had done another 7 Granfondo’s around all north of Italy. In my luggage during 2014 I reached 1500km.
For this season I started out really good in late February and until now this year we’re up to 4 races. There are at least 20 more in the planning …ending up with the Enduro Alpen Traum in September & the final in Rome in October.

I live in Badalucco, 195 mt. a. sea level, which is the first village you meet when going up to Prati Piani …it’s situated 10km’ s from the coast. Prati Piani is at 1100mt. above sea level and ca.15 km’s later so you can imagine this wonderful climb …among olive trees and the cultivated teracesses …peace for the mind!

When I go for a ride I always have to choose if starting up or going down …. and that’s a very charming fact as the most difficult challenge one can get is to do a flat ride …more or less not existing …even just doing a piece of the coast in any direction…as minimum you will have a little random.
My absolutely best moments on the bike is going fro a longer climb …few cars & when you are at 1200-1400mt altitude you get almost deafth of the silent mountains …there is where you stop, put an extra k-way on, eat a piece of energy and take a deep breath and a long 360° s view, maybe a photo, before ‘flying’ down.
My working experience in the tourism field has also given me a solid platform to guiding as well , I enjoy a lot the ‘meeting and sharing’ with persons and as I believe I can show you a lot of this region and obviously tell you about culture & some history …I’m also enthusiastic to hear about you and your experiences …all f this along the road .

Well I hope to see you around and i’m sure we will get both;
– beautiful rides with awesome sceneries and
– excellent training and if desired with and planned …or just a fitness maintaining the proper level.

See you on the road,
madeleine