The origin of the toponym Garda is indicated in the evolution of the Germanic voice warda, which ment "place of guard" or "place of observation". The southern part of the lake is basically flat, but going up north, immediately after Bardolino, everything changes and the reason of the name becomes clear: the Rocca and the Monte Luppia overlook the city of Garda and its gulf, which ends with the spectacular Punta San Vigilio

Just turn the corner and there we are, the magnificent and quiet Baia delle Sirene appears.

We will therefore start our tour in Garda, reaching some of these “observation” points which are some of the most scenic of the lake.

We could easily spend hours just staring at the landscape: only the nightfall will make us return, although that would not be a sufficient reason.

In fact, if started in the late afternoon, this tour could become a thrilling nightride, hunting falling stars or the full moon mirroring in the water of the Lake.

MY FIRST TIME ON MOUNT LUPPIA

Among my memories of young MTB explorer of Lake Garda territory, one of the most vivid is related to the first time I rode on Monte Luppia.

This cliff dives into the lake in the place called Punta San Vigilio, the promontory that embraces Baia delle Sirene, and at my debut here, I walked almost all the time. The uphill part was too heavy for my legs which were already fatigued by several hundreds of climb, whereas the downhill sections were rather tricky, often on the edge of the mount overlooking the lake from around 200 meters height.

The funny thing is that I also walked the flat sections!

DISCOVERING THE TWO BAYS

The reason why is soon said, and perhaps you can understand it by looking at some of my photos: Monte Luppia is the watershed between southern and northern part (the one I call "the fjord") of lake Garda, and overlooks the two bays, or rather the Gulf of Garda and Baia delle Sirene.

In the middle of that, after a short walk in a pinewood, between two cypress trees appears the beautiful view of Punta San Vigilio, as nowhere else is possible.

AN INNER JOURNEY, NOT JUST A BICYCLE RIDE

Proposing this E-MTB tour makes me feel a privileged.

I am a person who has always believed in sharing the knowledge, in the transmission of deep values that are those of humanity and team spirit, a group of people that is not in competition, but in evolution.

Few years ago such views could only be achieved by a limited number of persons through a long and difficult trekking/bike ride, whereas nowadays E-bikes can be pedaled up there by almost anyone with basic skills on off-road cycling.

Would you like to join me?

E-MTB Half day tour for well trained riders, best suitable at sunset

Starting from Garda, the ride will bring us to Albisano and Mount Luppia through Val dei Mulini and Val Longa dirt roads, we will climb around 500m before arriving to a technical single trail, where the least skilled riders will walk the bike for few minutes. Experts, on the other hand, will enjoy a natural rocky and roooty surface ride. In the end, this is a ride for all tastes which cannot be missed by anyone!

20km Tour

Difficulty level: easy for beginners, pure fun for experts, simply because this is a tour you cannot miss!

- The rental service of the full-suspended E-bike (Focus Jam2 LTD Plus)

- Certified MTB Guide

- Helmet

EXCLUSIONS

- Food and beverages

- Anything not listed above

GROUPS

- Max 5 people

- All rides are done with full suspended E-MTBs Focus Jam2 LTD Plus: it’s possible to use an own bike (subject to prior agreement of the details)

- Wearing a helmet is compulsory, if you don’t have one, we’ll be glad to provide it.

- We strongly suggest:

o Bike pants and Gloves

o Bike/trekking shoes (avoid running/gym sneakers and road/spinning shoes)

o Backpack

o Water

PHOTOGRAPHS

During the tour, I normally take photos of the riders and the landscape.

Shots will be normally published on my instagram account and are available as file (free of charge) or prints (subject to prior agreement on delivery details)

If you don’t agree to be portrayed let me know and I will avoid to include you as a subject.