The “Sentiero dei Ducati” by bicycle

The “Sentiero dei Ducati” by bicycle largely follows the same way as the hiking one . It consists of 6 stages, some alternative routes, and connections to places accessible by public transport: from Reggio E. Railway Station to Quattro Castella, from Comano (MS) to the Cerreto Pass from Luni to Sarzana Railway Station Stage 1: Quattro Castella (RE) – Canossa Castle (RE) Stage 2: Canossa Castle – Vetto d’Enza (RE) Stage 3: Vetto d’Enza – Succiso Nuovo (RE) Stage 4: New Succiso – Fivizzano (MS) Stage 5: Fivizzano – Fosdinovo (MS) Stage 6: Fosdinovo – Luni Scavi (SP) Everyone can choose other stopping places according to their abilities. There are several solutions to shorten and modify the mountain biking trail : • Up to Passo del Lagastrello it is possible to come back to the Starting point by bicycle: 62 km to Quattro Castella; 80 km to Reggio E. (paved road mainly downhill). • At the 4th stage it is possible to go down to Aulla Railway Station (from Passo del Lagastrello 28 km; from Comano 18 km), or continue to Passo del Cerreto (public bus). • In the 5th stage it is always possible to go down to Aulla with downhill paved road. • From Fosdinovo, it is possible to go down to Luni or Sarzana Railway stations.

Two diferent biking trails

The Sentiero dei Ducati crosses a territory of great environmental, historical and hiking value, It is a sparsely inhabited mountainous area with an excellent hiking network consisting of ancient roads, mule tracks and technical paths. During the winter the paths are not cleaned and in the spring they can still be “dirty” due to branches, fallen trees or small landslides. After Succiso, the ford of Liocca stream wading can be difficult in the periods of greates flows ( thaw or heavy rains). In the first three stages the main problem for MTB is represented by mud, because the clayey surfaces become impassable after heavy and repeated rains. For these environmental features and to ensure that the Ducati Path is a “mountain biking trip”, it was decided to create two different routes, called SD-MTB and SD-GRAVEL. The SD-GRAVEL avoids sections that could be muddy and allows you to complete the stage even in unfavorable weather. The two routes often cross, so it is possible to alternate them even on the same day, to change the difficulty of the stage as desired.

What about the E-BIKE?

There are no problems using the E-MTB, it is the ideal bike for those who are not well trained. For SD-MTB, short gears and “walk assist” mode are recommended. Most E-MTBs have enough range to complete the stages, as long as the e-bikes are used at the lowest power levels. The battery can be charged at the stopovers. The mains voltage is 220 v

Description of the Stages

Each stage is described in a summary report : altitude, length and difficulties, route, points of interest and recommended stopovers. Stopovers and POI are described in specific sections of the website, where it is possible to download the following: – gpx tracks with the way points (crossroads, difficulty, steep banks and push sections). For each stage, the .gps file contains all the tracks and WPs (MTB, GRAVEL, alternative routes). – road book to follow the route with km counter A cartographic gps is the best tool. The routes are mostly on marked trails and roads, but they are not specifically marked and tabulated for SD mountain biking trails.

Abbreviations

A Paved road C Bike path in its own place ; suitable for city bikes. F Unpaved road, accessible by car (gravel, country roads). P Tracks, farm roads; all forest rods, rural roads or mule tracks wide enough (generally more than 150 cm) to be traveled by off-road vehicles. S Path; all types of paths, generally less than 150 cm wide, not accessible by off-road vehicles. DX take right SX take left DIR proceed in the same direction QM maximum altitude Q altitude PP Starting point PA Arrival Point NCB Not recommended when wet

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