Monte Maniglia

Monte Maniglia, a 3,000-meter mountain bike peak, lies at the transition from the Varaita Valley to the Maira Valley. The varied trail descent heading north belongs on every mountain biker’s list of 3,000-meter peaks.

Description

The tour begins at the end of Val Bellino near Rifugio Melezé. The route starts on asphalt, then becomes very steep on coarse gravel, passing several Vallo Alpino installations and following the U27 long-distance hiking trail steadily uphill toward the south. Maintenance work is currently underway in the lower section, which is why the trail has been made less challenging there. You’ll continue uphill—pushing your bike or pedaling in sections—until you reach Grange dell’Autaret. In the wide basin, the view of Monte Maniglia already opens up. After that, you’ll carry your mountain bike on your back and climb the steep slope to the saddle opposite Monte Bellino. From there, you’ll already be treated to impressive panoramic views of the Maira Valley, the Ubaye Valley, and the Varaita Valley. There are still a few meters of elevation gain to the summit before reaching the tour’s highest point at 3,177 meters above sea level. In terms of panoramic views, the Cottian Alps have a lot to offer here. On a clear day, the sweeping vistas extend over Monviso into the Maira Valley and deep into France—they feel endless.

Then the descent begins. Through a mix of S2 and S3 sections, the route leads down the ridge from the summit—a spine-tingling, speechless experience. This is followed by a short climb with a section where you’ll need to push your bike to the saddle, and then a fairly rocky hairpin trail—where hairpin technique is essential—back toward Grange dell’Autaret. There, the trail becomes smoother again and leads back to the starting point with a few short climbs rated S2, and occasionally S3.

To view the detailed tour description, the topo map, the altitude profile and to download the GPX track, you need a user account on Ride-mtb.com with a subscription. Log in now or become a subscriber.