Livigno (ITA), September 27th , 2011 – Every biking season is packed full of action at the Mottolino Bikepark Livigno and 2011 was no exception. Due to the alpine climate, Livigno’s summer season is not very long, so the bike park knows how to make the most off every biking day. With plenty of innovations, this riding spot has become one of Europe’s most renowned locations for mountain biking. Among many professional riders of all gravity disciplines, word got out that Mottolino Fun Mountain is the ideal spot to prepare for big biking challenges. To mention just a few: The Australian and Polish National Downhill Team, or the Red Bull District Ride 2011 winner, Sam Pilgrim.
Short but sweet – that is the motto of the bike park’s approx. four-month-long season. And Livigno really put their motto to work, as anyone can tell by looking at the significant increased number of visitors in 2011.
One of the numerous highlights of 2011 in Mottolino, beside a typical Livigno-style opening weekend with lots of partying until the break of dawn, was the Oakley Women Camp at the end of July. Under the competent supervision of the German trail expert Karen Eller and her Belgian colleague, the three times 4X World Cup Champion Anneke Beerten, 16 participants had the chance to rock Livigno’s trails for three days. So, who is to say that emancipation can’t take place on a bike?
This year, the main focus was put on the improvement of the infrastructure. Throughout the whole season, the trails were renewed and improved. By now, the Mottolino Bikepark can proudly present one of the biggest and best-kept trail nets in all of Europe. Especially the north shore section has seen some renovation. Fans of the wooden structures enjoyed numerous new elements among the trails. There’s a reason the Mottolino Bikepark Livigno ranges among only eleven parks that fulfill the high quality criteria of the GravityCard bikeparks.
Moreover, Mottolino is on the way to being a bike park 2.0: Not only you can you check out the actual riding conditions via live stream on the web; with the launch of the Mottolino app in 2011, the Kona Bikepark is also attractive to all the digital natives who prefer planning online. The Mottolino app (free download under: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewFeature?id=440027055&affId=792212 ) tells you about all relevant information about events, weather conditions, trail maps, the best bike hotels or other news from the shopping paradise Livigno. Anyone who prefers other media input should go online on the exclusive bike park radio station: The Mottolino Fun Radio (www.mottolinofunradio.com) is the right channel to breath some bike park atmosphere while you are at home or in the office.
Professional riders from all over the world have discovered the Bikepark Livigno as the ideal place for training camps or event preparation. In July the Australian and the Polish Downhill National Team already came to Livigno to train on the Mottolino trails. Italian freeride star Elisa Canepa was also really exalted about the variety of trails the bike park offers. Italian DH pro and World Cup rider Marco Millivinti is so convinced of the Mottolino trails that he not only rides and trains there regularly but has also become the official testimonial for the bike park.
Towards the end of the season, FMB World Tour riders Sam Pilgrim, Sam Reynolds (both GBR) and Yannick Granieri (FRA) chose Livigno as the location for their preparations for the biggest urban freeride event in the world, the Red Bull District Ride. Anyone even remotely interested in the freeride sport should already know the result of this: Sam Pilgrim left Nuremberg, after perfect preparations, as winner. Check out the clip of their visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWqwITd5KUA
Livigno is set on proving once again that when it comes to partying, no wishes will be left unfulfilled; especially during the closing weekend at the end of September, where the visitors enjoyed a Best Whip contest in the jump area and a spectacular Best Trick contest on the Swatch Air Cushion. Afterwards, people disperse in the countless pubs and bars to join in Livigno’s very active nightlife.
For now, the slopes of the Mottolino Fun Mountain are about to swap bikes for skis or snowboards, which means: The slopes of the Mottolino Snowpark are waiting for you! The Mottolino Bikepark and its associates are already looking forward to numerous visitors that can already respond to some really big improvements for the next season. More to come in 2012…
General Information about the bike destination Livigno:
Livigno is famous for a great range of winter sport activities and its breathtaking nature earning it the nickname “Little Tibet”. Its unique mountain scenery is also perfect for a variety of biking sports in summer. The spectrum of trails around Livigno features something for everyone: cross-country, all mountain and downhill riders can choose the perfect sportive challenges. Road cycling athletes also choose Livigno for altitude training (1816 m a.s.l.) and a total of 3,200 km of mapped trails and GPS-tracks can be discovered in the surrounding area. 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 large range of different freeride tracks. Down in the valley, the town centre of Livigno offers 250 tax-free shops. Located right in the heart of Europe, Livigno can easily be reached by car or train and bike hotels provide individual services for all bike fans and vacationers.
