Of course, Ticino trails tend to be steep and interspersed with sharp rocks. But above all, there are countless winding paths in wooded mountain flanks that are simply awesome. A glance at the Map of the Maggia Valley gave us hope for pearls. The fact that the Maggia Valley does not appear in the tour database could have made us suspicious, but as is so often the case, wishful thinking left no room for doubt.

The first tour was decided days before we arrived. From the picturesque rustico village of Moghegno up the forest road to a good 1100 meters and from there down again on the path that rides down the Falllnie. The 870 vertical meters on a good 7 kilometers of forest road are nourishing, but easy to ride. The anticipation gives you wings.

To roll in, my route begins on a gently sloping path, which is so rough that I have to heave my bike over a step every 20 meters. Of course, you can't roll over such steps without a gradient and speed, and unfortunately I don't know how to trial hop. Then it gets steep. And really steep.

The view into the abyss

I like the feeling of only having contact with the ground on the front wheel and finding the line in an imaginary handstand. However, the steps here are a little too steep. Not crashing is my top priority when going it alone like this and in this terrain anyway, where a crash would almost certainly end on a cliff edge. Dismounting is a sign of maturity, I tell myself, the rideable terrain will come.

With the rear wheel still on the last step, I roll off, only to realize after a few metres that I won't make it over the next blocked switchback with a view into the abyss. With a bit of speed, some of the series of steps would be easy to manage; if in doubt, push off slightly and skip the whole thing. But there is no approach or run-out here. The path is a mixture of natural steps, piles of scree and rocky ridges. But the forest is very beautiful.

A hiker who overtakes me as I hurry downhill proves that you can also move dynamically here. I accept it with humility. I have not reached my limit on this day, because the difficulty of this trail is far beyond that. I would go so far as to say that you need a riding technique like Ludo May to keep your feet on the pedals here.

Blue light roulette

New day, new opportunity. The day before, I had already noticed a hand-painted sign for a bike route. According to the map, it rides along a traverse into a side valley called Valle di Lareccio. That's how it works, I think to myself. The narrow route nestles along the steep slope, with rocky ledges to negotiate in between. With a little momentum and controlled braking afterwards, I clear one key section after another. My confidence is back. A minute later, however, I find myself in pure rock. Riding on would certainly be great fun for riding technique extremists, but for experienced mountain bikers it's blue-light roulette - maybe it'll go well, but probably not.

After crossing a river, I carry my bike up 100 meters in altitude and then hope to get onto rolling terrain, which is what the map promises. The start is a root traverse and as there is hardly any downhill, I get stuck on the first wooden handle and lie down immediately. More roots, boulders, ledges and loose scree follow. As soon as I've climbed up and clicked both feet in, the next boulder follows, which is impossible to get over at this speed. Can you call a trail blocked if it only consists of boulders? When I do start rolling, my handlebars shake like a jackhammer. Flow feels different to me.

Later, I ask Locarno Turismo and several bikers from Ticino. No one knows who put up these signs. According to the tourist office, the route is definitely not official. The signage will be removed immediately. It also makes sense that this route is not in the tour database.

Descend before I get knocked over

I now read the map differently. No matter how elegantly the dotted line meanders along the side of a mountain on paper. In reality, it will be a collection of boulders, rock bands, boulders and rock steps. This is also the case on the third and final exploratory tour on the opposite side of the valley, above the village of Maggia. At least I don't ride up here to carry my bike down afterwards. I buckle right from the start and can get an impression of how much is rideable here and which rocky steps I won't be rattling down. The terrain is spectacularly beautiful. There are alpine meadows, rustic farms and several hundred meters of rolling terrain on a hill. What a treat!

All too soon, the good-natured sections are over and the endless steps are back. Here and there, I try to gain a few meters of speed on the mountain trail. After a few seconds, I get off my bike again and remind myself that my goal is to get to the bottom in one piece and not to play Rampage. At least I'm successful in the "get off before I roll over" discipline.

Finally, I take on the Cimetta, Locarno's local mountain. Unfortunately, the ride route has several prohibition signs. Finally, an official route has been built for mountain bikers. It's nice and rough, but is likely to make members of the high-speed faction in particular go into raptures. I take the first junction to head for Locarno on an original single trail, which is a promising 600 meters lower down. Getting off the bike is hardly ever an issue here either. The flat tire hardly diminishes my good mood. The sun on my face, the glistening Lake Maggiore below me, fun downhill meters galore - life can be so beautiful! I can warmly recommend the Valle Maggia for hiking, collecting chestnuts and swimming in the river.

Ride tour database: Maggia