Livigno: the place to be for the international mountain bike elite

Livigno, Italy, August 18th, 2010 – What makes a mountain bike destination so special? Pro riders know it: a great variety of trails and a whole bunch of different options to have a good time out there on the slopes. Livigno unites all kind of trails in one unique mountain scenery: from easy going natural single trails with great panoramic views to technically challenging bike park trails that feature a lot of obstacles and pure fun specials. Some of the biggest names in the mountain bike sport enjoy spending their time in the Northern Italian bike resort. During one week in July, a whole crowd of them met in Livigno to hit the local trails: Brandon Semenuk, Martin Soderstrom, Graham Agassiz, Paul Basagoitia, Trond Hansen and Hans “No Way” Rey. Get a deep insight of the great time the athletes from all over the globe had in sunny Livigno.

An almost 9 minutes Bike destination highlight clip is waiting for you on:
http://watch26.tv/video/3525 or http://www.pinkbike.com/video/154686/

As well as only the best Swatch Bikepark Mottolino action can be seen on:
http://watch26.tv/video/3524 or http://www.pinkbike.com/video/154664/

The pros’ days in Livigno were packed with countless descents in the Mottolino bike park, sessions on the Swatch air cushion, easy going enduro rides, unique panoramic views, a lot of fresh air, spa visits, shopping sessions, delicious Italian food or just some relaxing time.

The freeride and dirt jump loving crew, which means Martin, Brandon, Graham and Paul concentrated on the bike park trails – they love fast turns and a lot of airtime. The trails in the Swatch Bikepark Mottolino feature a whole bunch of different obstacles: wooden wallrides, northshore drops of all sizes, or stuff like a step up to roller to fruit bowl step down combination. But sometimes even those world class slopestyle athletes had to take a break from all the pimped freeride trails and enjoyed pure downhill racing on the official track of the 2005 World Championships. Take a look on it to get a glimpse.

Sometimes Hans Rey and Trond Hansen joined the young guns that were taking one run after the other in the bike park. But Hans and Trond were more into all mountain riding and therefore focused on that. Hans knows all the best singletrails in the area, since he’s been an ambassador for Livigno for years. So he was the best guide you can think of to show Trond the one of its kind spots and views. Some special highlights of the numerous rides were the upper panoramic trail that offers a great view onto Livigno and the mountain scenery. Also the Flow Country Trail and the Passo del Bernina to Poschiavo route are a must when visiting Livigno. Hans and Trond even met Karl Platt and Ralph Naef, well known World Cup cross country and marathon racers, in Livigno’s backcountry. Ralph and Karl are often seen guests in Livigno. Get an impression of the diversified trail options you have around Livigno:

Doesn’t matter if it was Brandon, Martin, Graham, Trond or Paul, they all enjoyed their time in Livigno so much that they decided to come back for sure. They also gave a big THANK YOU to Hans, who had invited them and have been showing the guys what Livigno is all about: having a lot of fun while riding and chilling in a unique surrounding in the heart of Europe.

In order to know more about the destination Livigno, please visit: http://www.livigno.eu

For all the details about the Swatch Bikepark Livigno operated by Mottolino, its trails, opening times, conditions and events, please take a look at http://www.mottolino.com/

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General Information about the bike destination Livigno:
Livigno is famous for a great range of winter sport activities and provides a breathtaking nature that can also be discovered by bike in the summertime. Its unique mountain scenery is often nicknamed as “Little Tibet”. Down in the valley, the town centre of Livigno offers 250 tax free shops. Located right in the heart of Europe, Livigno can be easily reached by car or train. The specialized AR Bikehotels provide customized services for all bike fans and vacationers. The spectrum of trails around Livigno features a broad variety: cross country, all mountain and downhill riders can choose perfectly fitting sportive challenges. Also road cycling athletes choose Livigno (1816 m a.s.l.) for altitude training. Overall 3,200 kilometers trail-maps and GPS-tracks around Livigno are available. The Swatch Bikepark Livigno Mottolino is not only well-known among the gravity sport fans, because of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 2005, but also for a big range of different freeride tracks. This Kona Groove Approved Bike Park combines progression in building new trails and obstacles with respecting the environment at the same time – a project supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). All cross country fans might also know Livigno as an official tour stop of the Transalp stage race or as host of the La Pedaleda Marathon ( http://www.lapedaleda.it/en/ ). Both competitions are again part of Livigno’s event schedule for 2010.