Together with the Genoa low pressure towards Finale

So it should rain now. I could have spent one or two days being lazy. But since the forecast for the whole week was unsettled and increasingly worse with continuous rain, I had to bite the bullet. After all, a reunion with a whole horde of friends and acquaintances from Munich was waiting for me in Finale Ligure, which was three days away. And after such a long time on the road, socializing with people like me definitely ranked high on the priority list.

At the start in Molini di Triora, it was dry again after a rainy night, and a glimmer of hope awakened in me. However, this was quickly drowned out by the huge torrential rain that poured down from the heavens. Right above me, a nasty thunderstorm cell had settled in, so I was soaked to the bone within minutes. The rain eventually stopped, but since my mountain bike naturally doesn't have mudguards, it gave me the opportunity to make unpleasant acquaintances with the contents of every puddle, at least medium-sized.

When I finally reached a mountain pass with a small bar, I was almost afraid to enter it after the extensive mud treatment and being in a currently quite liquid state. However, some warming up was definitely needed, and I was more than glad to be allowed to do so when I deliberately headed for the most remote table in the farthest corner away from the other guests.

The second part of the day became drier. When I arrived at the campsite in Nava, the rain had pretty much stopped, and I could even set up my tent in the dry. However, later in the evening, a few showers did return, making it clear that from now on, in addition to my clothes, my dwelling also belonged to the wet inventory that wouldn't dry out anytime soon.

Furthermore, more rain was forecasted for the next day. Accordingly, in a good mood, I packed my things in the morning and looked forward to the upcoming endless monster stage with numerous altimeters and several cross-country trail sections. I was prepared for the worst and hurried to make progress. But today, Fortuna was much kinder to me. Not only did it stay dry the whole time, but just as I reached the highest point of the day by pushing my bike, the clouds briefly cleared, and I was rewarded with a great view all the way to Imperia and the nearby coast. I even had the chance to ride a bonus trail before I barely made it to Bardineto just as the first raindrops fell.

Since the somewhat moody weather forecast now predicted another eerie day, I checked into the small town for two nights to dry out. The last stage to Finale Ligure turned out to be a piece of cake. I went downhill almost exclusively on beautiful trails to the sea in Pietra Ligure, and from there, along the beach promenade to a final, small hill from where I rolled into the best ice cream parlor in Finalborgo in style and with the support of all kinds of imaginary trumpets and drums. I had reached the next big goal after Ventimiglia. The following one and a half weeks were supposed to be a vacation from the tough and challenging bikepacking life. Of course, also on the best trails of Finale Ligure, but together with the whole gang from Munich.