Elba Ovest Bike Land - Masso alla Guata

Departure / Arrival:Sant'Ilario
Technical difficulty: very difficult
Total distance:14520 m
Maximum height: 738m
Minimum height 24 m
Total difference in height 1056 m
Total descent -1238 m

The first part of this route is exactly the same as the blue -nbsp; Pieve di San Giovanni>.

The black route starts off in the hamlet of Sant'Ilario and goes up a far as the "Castagnone" spring along the main road to Monte Perone; once at the spring (where you can top up some drinking water) you leave the tarred road and start to go along a path as far as Masso alla Guata.

The route is cool and in the shade and ends up in a small clearing just off Masso alla Guata, from where you have a breathtaking view. If the weather is good you can see the islands of Pianosa, Montecristo and Corsica.

The downhill track is very technical. and steep in some points and it goes over granite stones and rocks. You must be very careful because falling off your bike could be serious.

Once you've gone through the first part you get to a forest route that leads on to a short, easy route across a pine wood. It is "flow" and includes several technical partsthat have some humps, the downhill parts are moderate but the roots and stones may prove difficult at times.

Here the path goes down through chestnut and pine trees until you get to a stony area approximately 300 metres long with several difficult parts; near the football pitch in San Piero you go uphill for about 15 minutes along along a beautiful single track that isn't particularly difficult and that leads on to Mulino del Moncione.

Now you start heading downwards until you are near the beach resort of Cavoli. This final part is very challenging with some earth covered areas while others have huge granite stones; the route goes past the "Grotta di Marco" (a small,shepherd's hut built in granite chips used in the early 1900s to protect the shepherds from the bad weather) and the "Cava Antica" (antique quarry) where you can see several columns dating back to the Romanic times).

We advise you wear a full face helmet and protetive clothing. The best bike would be an enduro Full Suspended with a seatpillar.

Photograìphs by Alessandro Beneforti