Sixteen Polish cyclists discovered the race on YouTube, booked their flights and in June 2025 made their way to the Emilia-Romagna Apennines to ride the Appenninica MTB Stage Race course – a multi-stage event crossing the mountains between Bologna, Modena, and Reggio Emilia since 2019. A year later, the story is repeating itself in German: from June 7–13, 2026, Unique Bike Rides – founded by former Appenninica competitor Holger Schaarschmidt – will bring a group of enthusiasts to those same trails, a full week before the official race start.
Since 2023, Belgian tour operator Transactief has been working with the organizers to bring competitors from Belgium. Out of that partnership grew a dedicated travel package: “Italia Coast to Coast,” a cycling tour from Rimini to Lido di Camaiore, taking in Bologna, the Via degli Dei, and Florence along the way.
The race, launched in 2019 by ASD Happy Trail MTB, has started generating more than a leaderboard: a tourist economy that now moves under its own steam. Every year, athletes from over twenty countries carry images, stories, and word-of-mouth back home – translating into cycling packages conceived abroad and summer months that are filling Apennine accommodation once again.
“It’s one of the most demanding and technical routes I’ve ever ridden, but also one of the most beautiful. We found Appenninica on YouTube and thought – why not turn this into a trip? Accommodation, restaurants: everything was easy, everything was wonderful,” said one of the Polish cyclists in Castelnovo ne’ Monti, at the end of the 2025 edition.
TWO WHEELS AND OUTDOOR TOURISM AS A RESPONSE TO DEPOPULATION
The growth of summer outdoor tourism in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines represents a new opportunity for a region that has struggled in recent years with a sharp decline in winter visitors. Cycling and trekking are giving local hospitality businesses the chance to welcome guests outside the traditional ski season, building a product rooted in the green season instead.
The backdrop is a demographic story that stretches back decades: depopulation that began after World War II and has never fully turned around. The inland areas of Emilia-Romagna have shrunk from 700,000 residents in 1951 to roughly 420,000 in 2021, with projections suggesting a further 8.5% drop by 2043 (ISTAT and Regione Emilia-Romagna). Yet the picture is not uniformly bleak – municipalities in the Apennines around Bologna actually recorded a migration balance five times the national average between 2019 and 2023, a shift that breaks with decades of outflow (Città Metropolitana di Bologna). Summer outdoor tourism is now seen as one of the most promising ways to build on that momentum, and Appenninica is among its most visible standard-bearers.
“Appenninica MTB Stage Race is a concrete example of how sport can become an effective tool for tourism promotion and territorial development,” says Roberta Frisoni, Emilia-Romagna’s Regional Councillor for Sport and Tourism. “Bringing athletes and enthusiasts from around the world to ride through the Apennines means shining a spotlight on an extraordinary natural and scenic heritage, and strengthening its position as a destination for active and outdoor holidays. Events like this tap into a growing demand – experiential, sustainable tourism – and bring visitors who support local economies and create new opportunities for Apennine communities. The Apennines are a strategic asset for our Region: investing in them with high-quality initiatives means strengthening territorial identity and supporting balanced, widespread development.”
SOLD OUT: APPENNINICA 2026 IS ALREADY FULL
Set to take place June 22–26, starting in Lizzano in Belvedere (Bologna) and finishing in Castelnovo ne’ Monti (Reggio Emilia) after passing through Riolunato (Modena) across five stages, the 2026 edition of Appenninica sold out well ahead of schedule.
Dubbed the “Italian Cape Epic,” Appenninica is the most important multi-stage MTB event in Italy – and unlike similar races, it runs as an individual competition rather than a pairs format. Organized by ASD Happy Trail MTB, it is a fully serviced race: the entry fee covers not just a race number but also accommodation, aid stations, meals, medical assistance, bike washing, transfers between stages, and more.
All of it adds up to something that can’t be scripted: the atmosphere the MTB world knows as the “Appenninica Family” – warmth, authenticity, and the kind of human connections that outlast the race itself. It’s what keeps people coming back, and what keeps drawing new ones in, long after the chequered flag and the finisher’s medal.
For more information: www.appenninica-mtb.com.