• Cycling in Rimini •
Needless to deny: Rimini is the most populated and most important city on the Romagna Riviera, stretching over some 15 kilometres of Adriatic coast.
Offering a rich selection of hotels, nightlife, beaches and sports facilities, Rimini represents the very nerve centre of the Riviera in terms of tourism.
Vacationers have been enjoying the many facilities offered by the city for over 160 years, with 230 seaside resorts, 1200 hotels and many amusement parks. Here, the sea is part of the way of life, scenography beautifully captured in Fellini’s films. However, Rimini has even more to offer.
At a historical and cultural level, no cities rival it in the Emilia Romagna region. The much-desired city, once the capital of the famous Malatesta Seigniory, has seen a great deal of fame as well as turmoil throughout its history and today continues to house a rich collection of historical treasures.
• Rimini bike hotels •
• Where to ride in Rimini •
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Monte Ventoso
A distance of 90 km for a tour that takes us from Rimini to the ancient Republic of San Marino.
Two difficult climbs that put less trained legs to the test and that are also sure to challenge even well-trained cyclists.
From Rimini, we set off towards the hill of Covignano, following the winding Sgrigna coastline, a road full of curves and climbs that leads to Verucchio, along which cyclists can admire the vineyards where Verucchio Sangiovese Doc is produced.
Before reaching Verucchio, a worthwhile stop in Santarcangelo, the village of Tonino Guerra. From here, another 10 km of ups and downs before taking on the climb to Verucchio and its Malatesta Fortress. A difficult 4 km ascent to be tacked at an easy pace, without exaggeration.
The route continues to the junction for San Marino and follows the signs for Mount Ventoso. A challenging 4 km climb, with steep 18% inclines.
A climb that fans surely remember for Pantani’s memorable time clocked during the 1997 Giro d’Italia. After arriving in Borgo Maggiore, the 6 km ascent to Faetano continues with gentler slopes at an average gradient of 6%. Once we reach the top, 15 km surrounded by the green hills that take us from San Marino to Rimini, perfect for loosening the legs.
Given the slope of some sections of the itinerary, we recommend a 39×25.
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Valconca and its medieval villages
For this challenge we set off from Misano Adriatico, famous for the circuit which every year hosts the MotoGP. A distance of 68 km climbing towards the medieval villages located in the hinterland.
The first 8 km are for warming up and take us towards San Giovanni in Marignano with the first ascent of the day at Santa Maria del Monte, to then continue towards Saludecio and Mondaino.
Approximately 12 km of continuous and mostly regular slopes at a gradient of around 6%.
The effort, however, is softened by the presence of villages rich in charm and history which, in some cases, preserve their original medieval traces intact. After Mondaino, a relaxing 8 km before taking on the most difficult challenge, with a first 3 km to San Giovanni, giving a taste of what’s to come, followed by the next 3 km, a very challenging climb to Mount Osteriacciadal, offering some of the most complete and impressive views of the Montefeltro region and of the Duchy of Urbino.
Finally, we descend towards Monte Altavelliopoi, first moderately with a more pronounced slope at Fratte. From km 42 onward, the route offers a flat stretch up to Santa Maria del Piano and the final descent to Misano.
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In the “Jungle of Chestnut Trees” (MTB)
A distance of 32 km, very challenging yet equally evocative. Approximately 19 kilometres of the total itinerary are covered on dirt roads, with a significant change in altitude of 1,870 m and which, with some of the ascents, will test even the most expert climbers.
The route departs from Ponte Verucchio, heading towards Madonna di Saiano. The ascent along Via Poggiolo, leading to Torriana, makes it apparent right off the start that today’s itinerary is no joking matter, with an average gradient of 8.3% and 25% peaks.
We leave behind the paved road and tackle a steep descent along a trail to the river Uso. After a few km, another ascent will lead us to Ginestreto, which, once crossed, will bring us to the most evocative stretch of the itinerary, the “Jungle of Chestnut Trees”. This is the best known chestnut forest in Valmarecchia, where once stood, on a stone buttress, the ancient castle known as “castellaccio”. We descend along a narrow ridge, taking the road that leads to the Montebello fortress, known throughout Italy for the legend of the ghost of Azzurrina, which takes place in the rooms of the Castle. At Torriana we descend towards Madonna di Saiano, making our way back to the starting point of the itinerary in Ponte Verucchio.
Moderation is recommended for less experienced bikers in tackling the ascents, given the challenging slopes of the 4 climbs, and moderation is also prescribed for everyone during the steep and fast descents on dirt or gravel roads.
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The “Gozzi Riminesi” (MTB)
The itinerary in question covers a distance of 42 km with a total altitude difference of 520 m, and retraces the route of the “Gozzi Riminesi” mountain biking event, in other words those climbs in succession, of short length, steep enough to challenge the legs of even the best trained cyclists.
We set off from Rimini towards Villa Francolini, making our way through Calorè, Sao Paulo, Casalecchio, Il Fondo and later returning back to Rimini.
The itinerary follows numerous horse trains and skirts several farms.
Evaluating it on paper, the route does not seem impossible, yet we count at least ten uphill stretches, with gradients up to 20%, covering distances from a few hundred metres to approximately 1 km and half. The short and steep descents do not allow cyclists to fully recover the energy expanded.
However, the effort is rewarded by the wonderful panorama that opens up, with views stretching all the way to San Marino, Verucchio, Santarcangelo and Rimini.
We advise that cyclists bring along large water bottles, due to the absence of drinking points along the route. In addition, we recommend avoiding the route after rainfall, as the clay soil tends to stick to tires.
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• Best tours nearby Rimini •
