The Italian MTB veteran seized the opportunity to see what the Italian MTB stage race has got in store for its participants from September 27 to October 3, 2020. An electrifying mix of mountains, trails and stunning views on one of the most unspoiled areas in Italy
He has got an Italian National Championship and an Olympic race participation to his name over a long top-level career in cross country MTB, but calling Andrea Tiberi “just” a Pro rider would miss a significant part of the whole story.
Tiberi’s deep love for cycling and adventure is what brought him wandering around the Alps for the pure sake of discovery. Hence, when the call from Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano Stage Race came, the 34-year-old from Oulx (Piedmont, Northern Italy) could not resist to the lures of a new, unspoiled land to discover on two wheels: the Emilian Apennines.
In the late-July days when the 2020 edition was first supposed to take place, Tiberi traveled to the Apennines to discover what the exacting course of Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano Stage Race has got in store for the riders from September 27th to 3rd, 2020.
Tiberi’s trip, recorded by the Appenninica’s video crew, focused on two of the most anticipated stages of the race: the third, starting and finishing in Fanano, and the fourth, the Queen stage, with no less than 105 km and 4.200 mt of elevation gain from Fanano to Castelnovo ne’ Monti, just under the iconic Bismantova Rock.
“You don’t really know a land until you go and check it out yourself. That was definitely true for the Apennines,” Tiberi admitted. “As a person who hails from the Alps, we have the tendency of thinking of ours as the ‘real’ mountains in Italy. I was impressed to see how much I was missing here in the Apennines.”
“The peaks might not be as high as on the Alps, but the climbs, the unique mountain atmosphere, the stunning views, are a joy to behold. It’s a land of cycling and outdoor opportunities, waiting to be discovered.”
Andrea Tiberi’s experience covered it all: from the exchanges with the locals to the authentic taste of the mountain Parmigiano Reggiano, made right in the Apennines area. Obviously, though, the main course were the climbs and trails of one of the most challenging courses in the whole MTB stage races’ scenario: “Amazing course, really technical but offering plenty of fun all the times. Honestly, here I found some of the most beautiful and charming passages I can recall in my whole life,” Tiberi acknowledged.
The video is available for sharing and embedding through Youtube and Social Networks.