Mountain Bike in Sardinia - 77 rides between the mountains and the sea

First edition June 2016 ISBN 978-88-98609-65-9 Copyright © 2011 VERSANTE SUD Milano via Longhi, 10, tel. 027490163 www.versantesud.it All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Cover

The spectacular Cengia Giradili which descends to Pedra Longa from the Baunei Supramonte on the east coast of Sardinia (© Mattia Vacca)

Text Peter Herold, Amos Cardia, Davide Deidda, Carlo Pitzalis mtbsardegna@versantesud.it photos

Peter Herold, Amos Cardia, Davide Deidda and Carlo Pitzalis and all their biker friends who have contributed precious photos

Maps

Chiara Benedetto © OpenStreetMap contributors Creative Commons, license CC-BY-SA 3.0

english translation

Peter Herold

editing

Chiara Benedetto

printed by

Tipolitografia PAGANI (BS)

Km ZERO

Guide written by local bikers who develop mountain biking here

is a locallyproduced guide

What does that mean?

That it’s healthier and tastier, because it’s made by local bikers.

Like locally-grown vegetables?

Dead right!

And you can’t argue that it’s not genuine.

Local authors are good for bikers: - they have up-to-date information; - they don’t just make advertising; - they contribute to local development Local authors are good for the area: - what you read is carefully written and reflects local feelings; - they are careful to mention all towns, not a selected few; - they are part of a local network And the most important thing:

along their trails, there’s a part of their hearts

Note Mountain biking is a potentially dangerous sport in which participation is entirely at your own risk.

All the information in this guide has been updated based upon information at the time of publication, however it is vital to evaluate every situation yourself before placing yourself in a life threatening situation or to seek the advice of experienced and qualified individuals.

Km ZERO

Guide written by local bikers who develop mountain biking here

Peter Herold Amos Cardia Davide Deidda Carlo Pitzalis

MOUNTAIN BIKE in SARDINIA 77 rides between the mountains and the sea

EDIZIONI VERSANTE SUD

Preface Candy Store for mountain bikers Ordinary mortals come to Sardinia for sun, sea and sand. Fine, let them stay there.

Mountain bikers know better: the interior of the island makes even the most spoiled biker happy. If desired, there are relaxed climbs on smooth dirt roads and easy fast descents. Deeper in the mountains there are series of difficult and technical trails, both up and down. Concentration is necessary because after every turn, and behind every bush, unexpected obstacles can appear. Loose stones, a small drop, an overhanging mountain, a brook or a stretch of loose sand. The descents are sometimes tricky, as is the climbing. Steep, rocky, with rocky peaks, or a combination of all. In short, trails to be enjoyed to the tips of your toes.

Sometimes cycling is impossible. In order to overcome the altitude, the mountain bike goes on the shoulder. Such a passage is always followed by a rideable singletrack in a magnificent panorama. The trails are empty, you are on your own. This is the candy store for mountain bikers.

But there is more, along the paths the nostrils are tickled by blooming lavender and wild herbs. It seems that the vegetation was carefully constructed by a gardener. In rural villages pleasant cafes or mountain huts and are the places to be. The best cheese, olives and pastas are the rewards for the efforts on the pedals. Your water bottle can be filled with crystal clear mountain water from natural springs.

During rest day lounge in palm-lined piazzas and on seemingly endless beaches.

The Italian atmosphere, pizza, pasta and Sardinian beer and wine are the cocoa on the cappuccino. The Sards have the good life is in their genes.

Until recently there was a problem. The trails were only in the minds of local bikers.

Fortunately they wanted to share their knowledge with you,a and the result is this great book with the best mountain bike tours in Sardinia. The book is a must for those who want to enjoy all the beauty that this sunny island has to offer. Staying at home is no longer an option. But think twice before you decide to go mountain biking in Sardinia. You will always compare your other mountain adventures those here and you will long for for Sardinia’s perfection and extensive trails.

Ronald Jacobs

4

5

Index Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Introduction to the second edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The development of this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Geographical areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Preparing for a MTB ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Respect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Sardinia’s geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Route descriptions and legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The nuragic civilisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Main mountain bike shops in Sardinia . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Place names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Useful phrases in Sard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

South-west . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

South-east . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Guspinese 01. Montevecchio. Piscinas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 02. Montevecchio. Arcuentu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Parteolla 20. Donori. Pran’’e Sànguni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 21. Dolianova. Serra Mulanu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Fluminese 03. From Capo Pecora to Scivu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Campidano di Cagliari 22. Foresta Campidano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 23. Flumini di Quartu. Baca Mandra . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Marganai 04. San Benedetto. Arenas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 05. Domusnovas. Perdu Marras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 06. Gùturu Farris. Corovau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Linas 07. Villacidro. Piscina Irgas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 08. Vallermosa. Cucurdoni Mannu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Matzanni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Sulcis 09. Villamassargia. Punta Orbai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 S’Ortu Mannu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 10. The Carbonia hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 11. Rosas. Orbai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The Rosas mines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 12. Ferrovia Bècia. Rosas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 The old railway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 13. Santadi. Sèbera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 14. Domus de Maria. Punta Sèbera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 15. Chia. Capo Spartivento and Strada Romana . . . 106 16. Punta Porcili Mannu. Cala d’Ostia . . . . . . . . . . . 110 17. Punta sa Crèsia. Perda Pertunta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 18. S’’Enna de sa Craba. Monti Nieddu . . . . . . . . . . . 118 19. Gùturu Mannu. Monte Arcosu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 The Wwf Monte Arcosu Natural Reserve . . . . 125

6

Sarrabus 24. Sinnai. Tuviois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 The Wood and the Cussorgia of Tuviois . . . . . . 149 The Tuviois mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 25. Geremeas. Mont’Arbu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 26. Villasimius. Minniminni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 27. Villasimius. Le cale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 28. Burcei. Ollastu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Mines along the Rio Ollastu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 29. Villaggio San Paolo. Garàpiu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 30. Vecchia Statale 125. Sette Fratelli . . . . . . . . . . . 176 31. Brabaisu. Burcei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 The Arco dell’Angelo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 32. Olia Speciosa. Capo Ferrato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 33. San Priamo. Bacu Arrodas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 34. San Vito Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Gerrei 35. Villasalto “Genn’‘e Bentu” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 36. Armungia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Centre-east . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Tacchi and Tonneri 37. Jerzu Ulassai Rally di Sardegna Bike . . . . . . . . . 214 Maria Lai and the Stazionedell’Arte . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Rally di Sardegna Bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Creating a route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 38. Ulassai - Sentieri dei Nuraghi and “Su Màrmuri” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 39. Taccu Isara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 40. Perda ‘e Liana and Montarbu . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Gennargentu 63. Bruncu Spina, on the top of Sardinia . . . . . . . 356 64. Perda Crapias (P.ta La Marmora) Sardinia’s highest peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 65. Gùsana Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Ogliastra coast and hills 41. Monte Ferru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 42. Punta Tricoli and Monte Armidda . . . . . . . . . . . 244 43. Lido di Lotzorai and Lago di Santa Lucia . . . 248 44. Genna Aramene and Monte Scoine from Santa Maria Navarrese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 45. Mamutorco, Olidone and Dodoccori . . 256 46. Talana Villagrande “Ghost road” . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Gennargentu 47. Punta La Marmora from Flùmini . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 48. Arzana Freeride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 49. Monte Idolo from Santa Barbara . . . . . . . . . . . 276 50. Bacu Su Orovigili and Monte Olinie . . . . . . . . 280 Transardinia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 51. Talana Olinie Sorberine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 T-Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Baunei and Urzulei Supramontes 52. Freeride Santa Maria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 53. Pissu e Serra and Su Idile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Sardinia. From feudal law to grazing right... . 304 54. Cengia Giradili . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 55. Iltiera Porto Cuau Freeride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 56. Cala Sisine from Su Irove Longu, Cala Luna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 57. Codula di Luna and Ovile de Scàrtari . . . . . . . . 322 58. Urzulei - GASAU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 59. Urzulei Sentiero San Giorgio and Codula Sa Mela . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330 60. Flumineddu Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336 61. Genna Silana - Gola su Gorroppu . . . . . . . 346 62. Genna Silana - Arco Suttaterra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Orgosolo, Oliena and Dorgali Supramontes 66. Supramonte di Orgosolo - Funtana Bona . . 372 67. Funtana Bona - Donanìgoro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 68. Cala Gonone - Arco Suttaterra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 69. Hotel Supramonte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386 Barbagia 70. Ortobene Bike Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 71. Orune - Nunnale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Baronia 72. Siniscola - Montalbo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 73. Siniscola Terra&Mare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 74. L’Oasi di Bidderosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 norTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 Tempio Pausania 75. Limbara: from fountains to tombs . . . . . . . . . . 416 Anglona 76. Nulvi-Sedini-Bulzi-Laerru (Anglona magica) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 Sassari 77. Filigheddu-Badde Tolta-Barca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Summary of the Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428

7

Map Here you find clearly indicated the starting points of the 77 rides including in this guide. Some lend themselves to being linked to create longer rides, and in this case you’ll find details in the descriptions. Most of the rides are circular, finishing where they started.

This new edition of the guide includes Monte Limbara in Gallura and rides around Sassari, not included in the first edition, as well as new rides in the centre of the island.

We chose the areas documented for the following reasons: - It is in these areas that you find the island’s highest and most important groups of mountains. From south to north, the Sulcis, the Marganai, the Linas, the Sarrabus, the Gerrei, the Tacchi of Ogliastra, the Gennargentu, the Supramontes, Monte Ortobene, Monte Albo and Monte Limbara; - In these areas you find rides of all difficulties, quickly reached from the main centres by car or sometimes by riding. This allows riders to plan a one or twoweek MTB holiday and it’s no coincidence that these are also the areas featured in the walking guides; - Many of these areas are near or next to the coast, for instance part of the Sarrabus, Ogliastra and the Baronia, and to their holiday destinations. This allows you to combine mountain biking with the classis sea-side family holiday, although you need to be aware of the high summer temperatures; - These are the areas we know best, from where we live and usually ride Casualties of this choice of ours are Monte Arci, the Sarcidano, the Marghine-Goceano chain, Monteacuto, and Montiferru, which we hope can be included in that a future edition of this guide.

We wish everyone Happy Travels and Happy Riding.

8

Palau

Olbia Porto Torres

75 76 77

Sassari 72 73

Alghero

74 71

Nuoro 70

68

61 62

67 66

65

Dorgali

69

58 57 59 56 55 64 53 54 63 46 45 Baunei 51 43 44 punta La 47 49 50 52 48 TortolĂŹ Marmora 40 42

Oristano

60

39 38

Guspini

35 36

Villacidro

4

Iglesias

Carbonia

20 21

8

7 3 6 5 1 2

34 28

22 24

9 11

Bari Sardo 37 41

29

Cagliari

12

33

30

32

25

26 27

23

19

10

31

18 13 17 14

16

15

9

Introduction Introduction to the second edition of this guide The response to the first edition of this guide published in December 2011 has been very encouraging, both from Italian riders and from overseas (the guide was also published in English). The contribution we have made to the development of mountain biking in Sardinia is a source of pride for Amos Cardia, Davide Deidda and myself and this pride has spurred us to prepare this second edition with updates and corrections. Beyond modifying existing rides, to update and improve descriptions in the light of feedback received, for new roads being built and due to other factors, you will find a completely new graphical layout and more detailed and accurate maps (we now use Open Street Map). There are new rides in the centre and centre-east as well as a first taste of rides in the north of the island, for which we have to thank Carlo Pitzalis, our fourth author. Thanks to the frequentation of these rides we have been able to update the photos. For all these reasons this new edition will appeal to those who had already bought the first edition as well as to those who had not. Among the new readers/bikers there will be many German speakers, since as well as the translation into English, this guide is also translated into German, in addition to the original Italian version.

Let us know what you think!

Peter Herold

Translator’s note This English translation of the guide from Italian is intended as much for continental European bikers as for those from countries where English is the native language, so we have retained the comma as the decimal point, with the full stop being used for thousands (“1.800 m”). We have also occasionally left the Italian words for unmade/fire road/doubletrack (“sterrato”), footpath/singletrack (“sentiero”), firebreak (“striscia tagliafuoco”), an access road outside the town centre built on private land (“strada vicinale”) and restaurant-bar (“Ristorante Bar”).

10

11

Introduction

The development of this guide The 77 routes described were ridden by the authors or their friends in 2014, with new rides being added in 2015, both to update existing rides and to add new ones. Compared to the first edition of the guide, when the rides were documented from April 2010 to June 2011, many rides have become more rideable due to maintenance/restoration being carried out. Based on these two separate “census” points, we have tried to describe the conditions in which you could find the routes in future, not just when we rode them for this edition.

The distribution of the rides between the authors remains unchanged from the first edition: Amos has the lion’s share of the routes, with both the South-west and the South-east, although Davide and Peter gave him a hand to (re)document some of the routes in the south. Davide covered the Centre, Peter the Centre-east and Carlo the North.

The photos were taken by the authors themselves or by those who came with us during our rides to document the routes, except when it wasn’t possible (due to bad weather, for instance) and we have used photos taken by others at other times. Francesco Muntoni of www.mtbsardinia.com deserves a special mention: he has ridden all but two of the rides of the first edition and has contributed many of the new photos in this second edition. ThankYou, Francesco!

We used the following rules when devising rides: There are no standard rules for distance or height gain; We have chosen circular rides of at least two hours’ duration, in order to be able to explore adequately each area; We have constructed rides that are uniform in terms of type (XC, AM or FR) and technical difficulty. On a very mixed ride, both XC and FR bikers would be unhappy; In each geographic area we have tried to offer a complete range of possibilities, in terms of type, duration, and technical and physical difficulty; We have tried to devise rides which are 100% rideable. Less than 100% rideability is accepted if the rest of the ride justifies it.

12

Our work of the first edition could be termed “pioneering”, since there were very few guides to the MTB in Sardinia and the most well-known is probably Antioco -Chicco- Porcu and Enzo Pascalis’s Sole, sale, salita, published in 1991 and for a long time out-of-print. This contains only 26 routes in the whole island, plus some variants, and Porcu has made available in Internet a scanned copy of the guide(www.chiccoporcu.it). The only guide at the moment available is that from 2009 of Regione Sardegna (Guida al mountain biking della Sardinia http://www.Sardiniadigitallibrary.it/documenti/17_81_20100119153458.pdf) with Amos Cardia among the authors. This is a roadbook for several long crossings of Sardinia, on mainly easy fire roads and with limited descriptions, for a total of 25 stages each of about 50 km.

Each author has used a different approach to construct his route: Peter had started from the routes that he’d already explored around Lotzorai and documented and tested with guests at The Lemon House. He’d adapted them to create rides of a uniform type, and starting from the nearby towns. To these routes he’d added the walking paths in the centre-east of the island that had been repaired and documented by the Ente Foreste’s project Un’Isola di Sentieri (http://www.Sardiniaambiente.it/foreste/foreste_parchi/sentieri.html), some of which had already ridden, but others, such as those in the Tacchi and Tonneri area, had never before been documented for the MTB. Some local bikers had suggested rides, accompanying Peter who was happy to have subjects for his photos. The GASAU group from Urzulei, which had made two rides which are now fairly well-known and appreciated, deserves a special mention. Lastly, starting from walking routes and after long study of the IGM maps and Google Earth, Peter had carried out some real explorations, often alone and in several successive attempts, to create new routes or to create circular routes where before there was only a linear A-B ride. Among these, we can mention the descent to Gorroppu from Genna Silana with return via Sa Pruna, the Flumineddu circuit and the Rally di Sardinia route at Jerzu.

For the second edition Peter has documented two

The cart track of the Freeride route at Armungia in the south-east of the island

g

13

Introduction

trekking routes around Baunei – the Cengia Giradili and the descent to Porto Cuau – as well as the climb to Punta la Marmora from Arruinas, which his biker friends from Arzana had showed to him. Thanks to the many German-speaking bikers staying at the Lemon House, Peter was able to categorise his AMFR rides using the Singletrail-Skala (STS) as used among German-speaking mountain bikers.

Amos rode his routes for the first edition in 6 months, from January to June 2011, starting from those in the south-east where he normally rides, nearly always starting from home, to which he added some of IchnusaBike’s. Once the Southeast had been finished, he’d started on the Southwest, further from where he lived and which he knew only partially from his research and exploration to create the TranSardinia West. To arrive to an adequate coverage, once again the input from Mauro Boscolo of IchnusaBike was crucial: Maurizio gave Amos a folder full of GPS files. Other bikers were no less important, giving Amos other routes and advice, both through private contacts and through www.mtb-forum.it. Many of the people listed under Thanks gave their inputs, but every GPS file and piece of information had to be checked against the IGM map, on Google Earth and carefully assessed, to decide if the route was possible for the visitor who had only the description and not necessarily a GPS. Each time Amos travelled to the South-west meant several hours of driving there and back, and so his main aim was to go for “certain” routes and, for the more doubtful sections (not rideable, blocked by vegetation, inside fenced-off fields …), he prepared alternatives in advance. The thrill of exploring, often alone, was then linked to the challenge of completing the ride in one day or, as we say, to come home with the ride in the bag, including with photos, self-portraits if he was alone. Amos even managed to complete two routes in one day, to minimise travelling time and costs, pedalling one in the morning and one in the afternoon!

Compared to the first edition of the guide, for this second edition Amos has eliminated one route and modified three others because in the last five years some paths have become overgrown and others are now on fenced-off private land and therefore inaccessibile. These decisions were based on the

14

feedback which regularly arrives from bikers riding these trails.

Davide concentrated his energies in the exploration of the Supramonte, a wild territory, inaccessible by car and for the most part unknown for the MTB. The harsh, unexplored territory required careful preparation with the maps to identify the access points to the plateau and the crossings of the rio Flumineddu that allow the crossing to Talana and Urzulei.

For the documentation of the Siniscola routes, the help of the local bikers Franco Tucconi and Marco Deledda, experts of the area and good companions, was indispensable. The route Ortobene Bike Park would not have been as enjoyable had it not been for the work on the paths carried out by the association Monte ‘n Bike from Nuoro. The only regret is to have left many projects not yet explored, due to work commitments which didn’t leave enough time for the MTB. Carlo designed his rides to include the three main areas of north Sardinia: Nurra, Anglona and Gallura. There are good historic grounds for his choice: the Nurra ride follows an ancient path that connected Sassari with Sorso when the only means of transport was the ox-drawn cart. The oldest human settlement on Sardiunia is in Anglona. Gallura, with Monte Limbara, has a complex history of Sard and Corsican banditry. Assistance from Egidio Ricciardi was key to devising the Nurra ride; in Anglona Giovanni Canalis was an indispensabile guide and advisor; for Monte Limbara, Fabio Scanu, a great companion to have when riding, was very happy to help. The three rides share a common characteristic: all go through towns, or pass very near to them, thus illustrating the link between the countryside and human civilisation.

Thanks We’d like to thank all those who helped us for their friendly and enthusiastic support.

For suggesting routes: Antonio Cocco, the Club Piccalinna from Guspini and its president Nino Vaccargiu, Mauro Boscolo (www.ichnusabike.it), Pierpaolo Sulis, Giorgio Pupillo, Danilo Piras, Fabrizio Follesa, Manolo Bachis,

Simone Scalas and Marcello Usala (www.anfibia.it), Lino Cianciotto (www.fluminimaggiore.org), Alessandro Boi, Marco Melis, Egidio Ricciardi, Giovanni Canalis and Fabio Scanu.

For having come with us as we documented the rides and for being the subjects for photos: Luigi Olla, Massimo Carboni, Andrea Zedda, Pierpaolo Sulis, Fabrizio Follesa, Pierpaolo p78, Roberta Carta, Gabriele Fabrizio Nalin, Giuseppe Loddo, Giovannni Falchi (Johnny Hawks), Stefan “Alpenzorro” Stuntz, gfavier, Michele Pinna, Marco Melis, Massimo Moro, Gianni Stochino, Manuel Gherardi, Mauro Atzori, Simone Carta, Dario Tuveri, Enrico Lai (www.bikinggavoi.com) as well as lots of guests at The Lemon House.

For having contributed photos: Roberto Bertinelli, Mario Madeddu, Francesco Olla, Francesco Olla, Martin Hebr, Runar Moseby, Stazione dell’Arte Ulassai, Mattia Vacca (www.mattiavacca.com), Antonello Pintus, Maurits Janssens, Franco Tucconi, Gavino Pintus, sardrock Gian Matteo, Ronald Jacobs, Gian Domenico Nieddu, Sardinia Mountain Bike (www.sardiniamountainbike.com), Francesco Muntoni (www.mtbsardinia.com), Enrico Lai (www.bikingavoi.com), Egidio Ricciardi, Antonello Pintus, Giovanni Canalis and Fabio Scanu.

For having contributed to the “boxes” on Sardinia: Elena Lucia Piras (archaeologist, Barisardo), Orlando Mereu, Vittorio Pinna and Pietro Perra (Acadèmia de su Sardu - academiadesusardu. wordpress.com).

For having helped us in other ways, from cleaning paths to helping Peter look for his bike when he lost it, from the hot chocolates to the commitment to maintain tracks: The mayors and municipality councils of Armungia, Arzana, Baunei, Talana and Urzulei, the Ente Foreste, the GASAU (Gruppo Archeologico, Speleologico e Ambientale di Urzulei) and in particular Antonio Murru and Sebastiano Cabras, Sebastiano Pusole of the bar Belvedere in Baunei, Michele and Agostino Fancello of the bar Sa Carrera in Talana, Antonio Piras and Lucia Serra from Barisardo. Juliane Hielscher for helping Davide check Peter’s descriptions. Carmine Rosone for his help and support in developing the riding around Baunei. Anne

McGlone, Peter’s wife, who helped rescue him more than once and put up with his hours of work and translation.

We hope we’ve not forgotten anyone!

Peter, Amos, Davide and Carlo Geographical areas In Sardinia the local government division of the Region into 8 provinces has little to do with the characteristics of the territory and its division into historic and geographic areas. We have preferred to use five macro-areas (South-west, South-east, Centre-east, Centre and North) and, inside of each of these, we have indicated the historical zones, whose precise definition often Sards themselves don’t know because at school you are not taught Sardinian history or geography.

The South-west is composed of two principal mountainous areas: the Sulcis, in the extreme south, and that of the Iglesiente, Marganai, Linas and Guspinese further to the north. These two areas are separated by the Cixerri plain, a long, narrow valley which cuts this part of Sardinia from west to east, connecting easily the two major centres of Iglesias and Cagliari. In addition to these two mountain chains, there are lots of rides between the coast and the southern slopes of the Sulcis, with frequent views of the sea and some sections along the beach. The Iglesiente, Marganai, Linas and Guspinese have their important towns, in the valleys, and have always been popular with bikers, having contributed to the history of the MTB and DH in Sardinia. Interest for the Sulcis developed later, due both to the more difficult approach to the area and to the lack of local bikers in this relatively unpopulated area. Today, interest in the profondo Sulcis, as many Sards jokingly call this zone, is constantly increasing, due to the area’s technical characteristics, its landscape and also its anthropological interest, since the Sulcis and Gallura are the only areas of Sardinia in which the prevailing urbanisation model is that of dispersed settlements. In local government terms, the South- west is divided into three provinces: Cagliari (CA), Carbonia-Iglesias (CI) and Medio Campidano, whose

15

Introduction

symbol VS comes from the first letters of the two “capitals” (Villacidro and Sanluri).

The South-east is characterised by three types of landscape: the coast, the wooded mountains and the mountains with little vegetation. The bestknown wooded area is the Sette Fratelli, so-called for the seven or more rocky summits (the exact number depends on where you’re looking from) which form the crest. This area as well, for the ease of reaching it from Cagliari, has contributed to the developed first of hiking and then of the MTB in Sardinia. As in the South-west, some rides are on the southern slopes for those arriving from the sea, some of which are still wooded but others have less vegetation. In the South-east the less vegetated hills are known, not for the altitude, at most 1.000 m, but for their summer fires and for being overgrazed. Among these, there’s the Sarrabus, a huge uninhabited area which stretches across half the island, from the centre to the east coast.

Compared to the wooded areas, here you find few paths but, to make up for this, there’s a huge network of doubletracks and mule tracks, still used by the farmers. At Sinnai, a town at the edge of the mountains, in the mid-Nineties the local biker Vittorio Serra created a competitive group of riders who made this their principal training area and organised here Sardinia’s first granfondo, called the Serpilonga, from Monte Serpeddì, which rises to more than 1.000 m and is the South-east’s highest mountain. Today there’s also a marathon here and Macro-aree Zone storiche

Province*

South-west

Sulcis, Iglesiente, Marganai, Linas, CA (Cagliari), VS (Medio Campidano, Villacidro-SanGuspinese luri), CI (Carbonia-Iglesias)

South-east

Campidano di Cagliari, Parteolla, CA (Cagliari) Sarrabus, Gerrei

Centre

Orgosolo, Oliena and Dorgali Su- NU (Nuoro) pramontes, Nuorese, Baronia, Gennargentu

Centre-east

Tacchi and Tonneri, Gennargentu, OG (Ogliastra) Baunei and Urzulei Supramontes

North

Nurra, Anglona, Gallura

* Although the 2012 referendum cancelled the 4 “new” provinces (Ogliastra (OG), Olbia-Tempio (OT), CarboniaIglesias (CI), Medio Campidano (VS)) and abolished the 4 “old” ones,(Cagliari, Oristano, Sassari, Nuoro) as of April

16

Sinnai continues to produce riders brought up on these hills, good over longer distances, but in fact marathoners are found throughout Sardinia.

The Centre is without doubt dominated by the plateau of the Orgosolo, Oliena and Dorgali Supramontes, bordered to the south by the deep valley of the rio Flumineddu, which divides Orgosolo and Oliena from Ogliastra. As the Supramonte extends towards the coast, you arrive at Dorgali and the cliffs of the Golfo di Orosei, with rugged landscapes and unlikely footpaths at the boundary between the land and the sea. Moving just a few km towards Nuoro the scenery and geology change completely. From the limestone we move to the rounded granite rocks and the dense holm oak woods of Monte Ortobene.

In this context, Montalbo stands out as a white limestone island, a close relative of its bigger brother, the Supramonte. At Siniscola the soft hills slide towards the sea, and are the setting for pleasant rides and relaxing walks a few metres from the waves.

To the south, instead, the part of the Gennargentu on the Dèsulo side of Punta La Marmora belongs to the Centre, since you arrive from Nuoro via Fonni.

The Centre-east corresponds more-or-less to today’s Ogliastra province (OG), which was separated from Nuoro in 2005. Ogliastra, with not even 60.000 inhabitants, is Italy’s least-populated province. It is bordered to the south-west by the Salto di Quirra and the Lago di Flumendosa, to the west by

SS (Sassari), OT (Olbia, Tempio) 2016 they were still there and for this reason we continue to use these names in this description. In the future, Sardinia will have 4 provinces - Sud Sardegna, Nuoro, Oristano and Sassari - and Cagliari will become a “metropolitan city”.

the Gennargentu chain as far as the Arco di Corr’‘e Boi passing Sardinia’s highest point (Punta La Marmora, 1834 m amsl), and to the north-west by the valleys of the Flumineddu and the Codula di Luna.

The Centre-east can be divided into 4 historic zones: 1. the Tacchi and Tonneri of Jerzu, Ulassai, Osini, Ussassai, Gairo, Seui and Perdasdefogu. The latter, commonly called just Perdas, is situated on a plateau of volcanic rock; 2. the Gennargentu with its surrounding plateau at 1000 m that extends as far as Arzana, Villagrande and Talana, with its schists, granites and sandstones rocks; 3. the Ogliastra coast and hills, by the coast, where you mostly pedal on granite terrain. This is the most populated area, with the two “capitals” of the 

Province, Lanusei and Tortolì, and the Comunes of Barisardo, Cardedu, Elini, Girasole, Lotzorai, Ilbono, Loceri, and Triei; 4. the limestone Urzulei and Baunei Supramontes.

The North is subdivided into three large sub-regions: 1. the Nurra (the name is perhaps derived from Nure) is a historic sub-region as well as a flat agricultural area in the northwest of Sardinia situated in the quadrilateral between Alghero, Sassari, Porto Torres and Stintino, with the Golfo dell’Asinara to the NE, the Mar di Sardegna to the west, the Riu Mannu to the east and the hills of the Logudoro to the SE. The Nurra is Sardinia’s second-largest plain, after the Campidano, and the landscape is generally rather bare, made up mostly of extensive land

The spectacular technical descent of the Cengia Giradili, one of the new rides in this second edition of the guide (© Mattia Vacca)

17

Introduction

for grazing, Mediterranean macchia and grarrigue.

The large forests which covered it until the 19th century were decimated by the Piemontesi and a huge fire and today there remain only traces of these forests along the rivers in the valleys.

2. Anglona, lying to the east of the Nurra, is bounded to the north by the sea, to the east by the Coghinas river, to the south by Monte Sassu and to the west by the Silis river and Monte Pilosu.

The mainly hilly Anglona landscape has small volcanic or limestone plateaus overlaying a strata of tufa. Along the coast, rocky sections alternate with beaches.

3. Gallura is the historical region in the north-east of the island, bounded to the west by the Coghinas river, then the Limbara massif which forms the southern boundary, to Monte Nieddu to the southeast and the comunes of San Teodoro and Budoni.

There are two main types of vegetation in Gallura: on the coast you find Mediterranean macchia (lentisc, cistus, corbezzolo (strawberry tree), mirtus etc.). The inland areas are more sheltered from the winds, with imposing granite outcrops, and you find cork and oak woods whose exploitation is an important economic activity.

The three regions each have very different geologies and morphologies, which can be appreciated during the rides described in this guide.

Preparing for a MTB ride The first thing to do when preparing a MTB ride, after having chosen from this guide a route, depending on the type of ride you want to do and the area you want to ride in, is to check the weather forecast. The web site most used by the Sards for weather forecasts is www.ilmeteo. it, which is fairly reliable, at least up to 2-3 days ahead, and you can look up the forecast for each of Sardinia’s Comunes.

If the weather is uncertain or rain is forecast, it’s best to choose a low-level ride, not too technical, in a schist, granite or sandstone area. Avoid the limestone rocks with the rain: they become slippery especially if muddy as well as wet. Another problem with bad weather can be reduced visibility in the mountains, which makes route-finding difficult as well as preventing you seeing the nice views.

18

A large part of the rides, considering their altitude and orientation, are rideable all year round. In Sardinia there’s snow from November to April only on the Gennargentu’s northern slopes, and with good weather you can pedal in winter at over 1.000 m altitude. The photos in this guide, mostly taken between November and March, prove this, but at this level you can get snow and you should be prepared for bad weather. In winter, with rain or the maestrale wind, which can blow very strongly, it’s best to avoid the highest areas. From May to October the weather is generally stable and sunny and many visitors ask themselves: How do the Sards manage to pedal in August [translator’s note: when Italians usually take their holidays]? The answer is simple: compared to the coasts, above 800 m it’s a lot cooler, less humid, and there’s more breeze, but you have to carry a lot of water.

Many shrubs and trees, among which holm oaks and Evergreen pistache (Pistacia lentiscus, lentisco in Italian) are evergreen and so there’s not much difference in the flora from summer to winter. In Sardinia the plants, after they’ve managed to take root, grow all year round! We have mentioned in the guide the routes where you should wear long trousers and cover your forearms to avoid scratches from the vegetation.

For all the routes, we have supplied a GPS file which, if you load it into your GPS, greatly simplifies route finding, but you should remember that the GPS can stop working. More than a lack of signals, problems can include batteries that run down (take spare batteries and ensure that rechargeable batteries are actually recharged) or a fall can easily break the GPS. Always take a topographic map with you and the evening before study the route, perhaps highlighting it on the map. During the ride, from time to time identify where you are and update your estimate of the time you still need to finish it. If you don’t do this, it’s too late when your GPS dies!

Route finding and maps The best maps for the rides in this guide are those of the Istituto Geografico Militare (www.igmi.org), which can also be bought on-line (www.igmi.org/ vendite/e-shop.php in Italian, you need make payment by bank transfer to a euro bank account and the maps can be delivered outside Italy). For each

ride we have indicated the sheets of the 1:50.000 series which, for the biker, represents the best compromise between detail, readability and area covered. The 1:50.000 series is derived from the IGM 1:25000 sheets, created with aereo-photogrammetry and surveys at the end of the 1980’s.

So the information of the IGM maps date back to at least 20 years prior to the date of the publication of this guide and, even if topographic data such as hills, altitudes and the rivers don’t change with time, in the last 20 years new roads have been built, unmade roads have been tarmaced and many footpaths are no longer practicable. If you can trust the maps for the topographic information, even better with a compass to hand, be aware that you can’t guarantee that what are indicated as paths and mule tracks, and even unmade roads, are rideable

by MTB. Other maps referred to for some rides are those of the Ente Foreste project Un’Isola di Sentieri.

The IGM maps and the Ente Foreste maps use two different datums – respectively Europe 1950 and Rome 1940 – and this should be remembered if you want to georeference them to use with GPS. The routes are described in detail to avoid the user 

getting lost. In conditions of good visibility, using as well the IGM maps and with a minimum of common sense route finding, everyone should be able to return home satisfied after successfully following a ride. If you use GPS, the risk of getting lost is lower but, in all cases, especially at the higher altitudes, be careful because the meteorological conditions in the mountains can change rapidly and in a very short space of time you can find very limited visibility and consequent difficulty in route finding.

For this reason, you need to carry the best maps available and a good compass, even if you have a GPS. Before you start, look over the route on the map, memorizing the positions of towns, climbs, descents, the various surfaces you’ll pedal on, river crossings etc. Note that, particularly for the XC rides, the km ridden form part of the route finding, so if you don’t have a GPS you should certainly use a cycle computer.

All four authors used GPS (Amos a Garmin Map 60 CSx, Davide a Dakota/Oregon with opensource maps - http://openmtbmap.org - and Peter a noncartographic eTrex Legend/Legend HCx), both to follow the planned route and to document the route followed back at home. The GPS files for all

The crest of Monte Terrarba on the descent from Punta la Marmora, another addition to the guide (© Runar Moseby)

19

Introduction

the rides in the guide can be downloaded from the Versante Sud website, following the link to the page about this guide and inserting the unique 16-digit code you find in the first page under the title.

Beyond using your GPS when you are riding, there are lots of tools to help you plan your rides in advance and analyse the rides you’ve done, with programmes such as Google Earth, MapSource® or BaseCampTM from Garmin (MapSource® is only for Windows, while BaseCampTM also has a Mac version), downloadable from the Garmin site at www.garmin.com/en-US/software. These tools, used singularly or together, allow you to visualise and work with GPS files, for instance calculating distances, finding extra information on where you’re riding, see altitude profiles, calculate riding times and so on.

Internet resources You could make a very long list of web sites of more or less use to bikers but you probably have already the sites you use for all kinds of needs, including 

20

shopping on-line. Today with a click you can buy tyres from the UK or brake systems from Germany and a couple of days later the postman rings and delivers you the goods. An Italian web site to which we, the authors of the guide, owe a lot is www. mtb-forum.it, today the main mountain bike web site in Sardinia and in Italy. Everyone has contributed to its growth and it was through this site that we met (virtually) to start riding together. It’s not for us to explain the networking uses of internet but many of the people we ride our mountain bikes with today we met through mtb-forum.

Marco Toniolo 15 years ago had good foresight and when the first version of the forum was born out of his ideas and intuition, he was the only person who saw clearly the full potential of this tool. The range of topics and proposals for individual riders and groups would be unthinkable with any other form of communications.

The internet addresses you need for each single ride and to find out about the places visited are listed in each single description. In addition, there are very good search engines.

The Gennargentu granites and schists offer less “rough” riding than the Supramonte. In the background, the Lago Alto Flumendosa

Useful numbers Useful phone numbers, for each ride, should be noted down and carried in your backpack, together with the guide, maps and compass. In the route descriptions you’ll find phone numbers of places to stay or their web sites where you can find phone numbers.

It can be important to have stored in your phone the numbers of places you will be visiting, for reasons which can be very simple. For instance, it can be important to phone to say if you’ll arrive late at the place you’ll be staying for the night; it’s polite and allows other people to plan their day, as well as you. Or to say that there’s be 10 of you for lunch at 14.00, so the restaurant can get organised and you avoid waiting when you arrive. Obviously, if you’re in an area with no mobile phone coverage, you have to take this into account.

Remote, difficult areas and emergency number (118) Sardinia, although known above all for its beaches

and with the highest peak rising to only 1.834 m, has many completely uninhabited areas, where you find only shepherds early in the mornings, hunters on Thursdays and Sundays from October to January and, not always nor everywhere, the men of the Corpo Forestale e Vigilanza Ambientale. These remote areas usually have no mobile phone coverage nor signs on the tracks and paths, apart from the odd cairn or rock wedged in the fork of a tree.

Forget the signs you find in the Dolomites. This “wilderness” is one of Sardinia’s main attractions for those looking for such areas, but requires the know-how of how to look after yourself, even when these areas are at only a few km from the coasts.

The Supramontes are the most difficult and isolated area and to the difficulty of route finding and remoteness you have to add the difficulty of actually moving on such rough ground and the lack of water on this limestone plateau. Plan your water consumption very carefully, bearing in mind that in summer one person often drinks 4 litres per day.

If it gets late, don’t think about trying to move at night. Use the last hours of daylight to look for shel-

21

Introduction

ter and wait for the dawn. You’ll perhaps get cold, but nothing else, while if you try to ride at night you’ll almost certainly fall and could hurt yourselves. There’s a good rule for the Supramonte: If I’m alone and don’t come back in the evening, call for help; if there’s someone else, wait until noon of the next day. Before riding on the Supramonte, try some nearby rides, to get used to the conditions and environment.

For all accidents, call 118. They speak basic English.

The operators automatically send an ambulance, but if you’re in a remote area with no road for the ambulance, you have to specify that it’s an ”intervento tecnico in montagna”, a mountain rescue, to involve the Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico.

Remember that the 118 operator isn’t one of the authors of the guide and may not have IGM maps to hand. You must specify in detail where you are, starting from the towns and the main roads, and often having to spell place names letter-by-letter.

Your coordinates, from the map or from the GPS, can be useful, so learn to read what they are.

Answer calmly and slowly the operator’s questions, so that the rescue services can plan best how to help you. There’s a mobile signal when you are in sight of towns and of main roads. Generally there’s no cover on the Supramontes nor inside codulas (valleys), but at the mouth of the Gola di Gorroppu you see the SS125 and mobiles work. In Sardinia the rescue helicopter service is being expanded, but, for the moment, the helicopter service is provided through an agreement with the Fire Service and the Air Force, and priority is given to the most urgent cases. So, if you are not in urgent conditions, you may have to wait before the helicopter comes to pick you up.

Respect The footpaths [translator’s note: in Sardinia, unlike in some countries, there are no laws prohibiting mountain bikes from riding on walking paths], the mule tracks and the doubletracks are not our own personal race track and, as well as us, the people who use them not on bikes have the same rights as us to enjoy them safely and in peace. Everyone, irrespective of how they’re travelling, has the duty to respect the environment they’re enjoying and the people they meet. So, dear bikers, especially

22

in descents, pay attention to walkers, be polite and friendly towards them, give way to them and thank them. Not rocket science but some simple rules for getting on happily together, with or without the seat of a bike under your bum. We are serious when we tell you this, and we prefer to remind you of the need to be respectful in the descriptions of the individual routes. Unfortunately, and more than once, we have witnessed occasions when the bad manners and arrogance of just a few bikers have endangered others, so discrediting all those who ride mountain bikes. We point out when paths are particularly used by walkers, and on Sundays and during holidays, when there are most walkers, be very careful.

The USA, where the mountain bike was invented, is where bikers first gave thought to the issue of how you should behave when riding, of impact on the environment and relationships with the authorities and public opinion. NORBA (the National Off Road Bicycle Association) took up these issues and designed a code of conduct. This is a series of suggestions which, if you follow them, help to create a positive attitude towards mountain biking and further develop this extraordinary and very enjoyable sport.

- Give priority to pedestrians; remember people will judge the world of mountain bikers based on your behaviour.

- Slow down and be careful when you get close and overtake other bikers or walkers.

- Moderate your speed, and entering corners be aware that you might meet someone. Your speed should depend on your experience and on the type of ground.

- Keep on the track; don’t cut across soft ground; you may damage vegetation and worsen soil erosion.

- Do not drop rubbish. Keep your trash with you and, if possible, collect the waste dropped by others.

- Do not scare animals and give them time to get out of your way.

- Respect property and leave gates as you found them.

- Your target destination and average speed should take into account your own condition and skill, your equipment, the terrain and the weather forecasts.

- Do not travel alone in isolated areas and, on long

rides, tell someone your planned route and destination.

- Respect the philosophy of cycle excursions, aimed at minimum environmental impact; take photos and leave light footprints, take away with you only nice memories.

- Keep your bike in perfect condition and take with you spare clothes for if the weather changes. A good ride should be a satisfaction for you and not become a burden or problem for others. Look after yourselves and your own safety; wear gloves, glasses and a helmet.

After NORBA decided to focus only on races, the campaign for environmental responsibility was taken up by the IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association).

23

Sardinia’s geology As you travel through Sardinia, you see a great variety of different landscapes, to which correspond the sub-regions into which the island was historically divided.

These areas have different geologies and have well-defined and easily recognisable boundaries; the island can be divided, from north to south, into different sub-regions, each with its own geological characteristics but also with linguistic and cultural differences.

Sardinia’s average altitude is 334 m amsl; only 15% of its area rises above 500 m. Its highest point, Punta La Marmora, is just over 1800 metres.

The island, then, has a succession of mountain chains separated by small plains and deep valleys; there are also plateaus, both small and large. Sardinia together with Corsica comprises a single block of the European tectonic plate, which separated during the Oligocene-Miocene period from Spain and Provence when the western Mediterranean was formed; this block then rotated anti-clockwise.

In fact, about 28 million years ago, during the middle Oligocene, Sardinia saw widespread volcanic activity which gave rise to the phenomena which led to it breaking off from the Iberic continent over a period of millions of years, allowing the Sardinan-Corsican block to move into its current geographic position, lying North- South. Its geological history is therefore the same as that of some parts of western Europe until a certain moment of its evolution, then taking on its own characteristics which are different to those of the Italian peninsula and from the nearby regions of north Africa.

Sardinia’s geological skeleton is made up of rocks from the Palaeozoic era, 540 to 245 million years ago. It’s perhaps at Capo Spartivento that Sardinia’s oldest rocks are exposed, defined by geologists as blastomylonites. Over these rocks, the Cambrian sea laid down its fossil sediments (sandstone, limestone, marl, schist-sandstone). Later, sediments of volcanic origin were also deposited between the Permian and the Quaternary periods. These rocks form a thick layer up to 1.000 m in thickness.

So Sardinia can boast Italy’s oldest fossilised rocks, from the Cambrian, the first Palaeozoic period. We

24

can’t be sure, though, that there aren’t pre-Cambrian crystalline rocks, whose age is uncertain and still the subject of debate among scholars. Especially in the Sulcis (Capo Spartivento and Monte Filau, near to Chia), in Gallura (the Buddusò plateau and Alà, Olbia sector), in the Baronia at Lodè and not far from Oristano (Monte Grighini), you find gneiss and micaschists, which are thought to be some of the base layers on top of which the Cambrian sediments were deposited. The most important tectonic event in the entire geological history of the island is without doubt the laying-down of the granites during the orogenic Hercynian phase.

This was responsible for intense deformations followed by intrusive magmatic and volcanic activity during the consolidation. Examples can be found at Capo Teulada, where you can see the folded, vertical, strata, or in the Sulcis’s or southern Barbagia’s schist rocks. The granite batholith, which forms the entire skeleton of the Sardian-Corsican block, was formed during this phase. These granite rocks, white and pink, with red porphyry mixed in, are widely distributed all over the island.

The next era, the Mesozoic, lasted for about 160 million years, and during this period Sardinia was subject to repeated flooding from the sea, to shallow depths, the results of which can be seen today especially in the east and west of the island. The sediments did not suffer orogenic disturbances, and are made up for the most parts of mostly organogenic limestones, rich in the remains of the shells of molluscs. These limestones, rising to 500-600 m, can be found in the Nurra, in the Oliena-Orgosolo Supramonte, in the Baronia, at Montalbo, at the Isola di Tavolara, in the Sarcidano, in Ogliastra, at the island of S.Antioco and at Monte Sari, in the Sulcis.

At the end of the Mesozoic period and therefore during the Tertiary Era ( 65 – 1,8 million years ago) the sea started slowly to recede and Sardinia emerged from the waters; there was a new phase of the island’s evolution, with intense orogenic activity all over the planet, resulting in the formation of new mountain chains such as the Alps.

During this era Sardinia’s geologic characteristics started to differentiate themselves from those of

the rest of Europe. The island experienced an intense magmatic activity which gave rise to important lava flows from the main fracture lines over the whole island. The new alpine cycle had important consequences for the island, creating the basis of today’s geologic and geomorphologic configuration.

During the Quaternary Era (1,8 million years ago – present day) today’s geological configuration, already roughly defined during the end of the Tertiary era, was completed.

Despite its relatively brief duration, in this era important biological and geological events took place. The most important were the appearance of man on the Earth and the Ice Ages, which had a profound effect on the sea level, the climate and as a result on the flora and fauna. Numerous volcanic centres, some active until 140 thousand years ago, gave rise to lava fields and small cones of volcanic rubble in Logudoro. This eruptive activity started 4 million years ago and lasted for 2 million years. Its results are today well represented in the Marmilla - Sarcidano, where the basalt areas are called “giare”; at Orosei and Dorgali where the coastal area between Orosei and Cala Gonone including the immediate inland area of Dorgali and of the Baronia di Galtellì, where the basalt plateaus are called “Gollei” and where you find more than 60 volcanic eruption centres; and in the Abbasanta-Campeda 

district with the two vast basalt expansions, one at Campeda and one at Abbasanta.

At least one marine event, the Tyrrenian, from 150 thousand to 70 thousand years ago, invaded Sardinia’s coasts and the two extremities of the Campidano up to 10-15 m altitude, isolating the Sinis and some other small peninsulas. The currrent sea level can be considered stable for at leat 5.000 years.

Dott.ssa Geol. Elisabetta Anna Pusceddu Dott. Geol. Orlando Antonio Mereu

The spectacular mule track of the Codula sa Mela on the Urzulei Supramonte

25

Route descriptions and legend The rides are organised by geographic area. Each of the 70 rides, sometimes with variants, is described with a standard format, so that the key information is presented so that the reader can quickly assess the characteristics of each route and decide if it’s suitable for his or her interests, and fitness and skill level.

First of all look at the type of ride which, with the technical and physical difficulty and the height gain and total time, will allow you to understand what sort of ride you’re looking at and if it’s suitable for you.

LEFT VERTICAL COLUMN Name of ride. Based on the place names of the Comune in whose area the starting point is located or those along the route, and at times the type of riding.

ÙÙÙÙ

Beauty. A subjective assessment, but helps you gain an idea of the characteristics of the route, ot the countryside and of the satisfaction you’ll feel once you’ve competed the ride.

From zero (the minimum) to a maximum of 4 stars.

Type of ride. The number of wheels, which you find next to the stars, doesn’t indicate the difficulty of the ride, but rather the type of ride, which translates into the mindset and physical preparation needed to tackle the ride. It’s probably the most important single parameter to look at and to correctly interpret the other values, especially those describing the technical and physical difficulty.

For all Ride for everyone. Secondary roads, cycle paths and unmade roads that present no technical difficulty, although you do need to be moderately fit to ride them. You don’t need a special bike, though it’s always wise to wear a helmet.

26

Cross country You need to be prepared. Cross country rides, which require above all strong legs and lungs and present only occasionally challenging obstacles. You need a proper MTB, rigid or hardtail, and of course a helmet.

Free ride Don’t take chances. Freeride routes. You have to be able to ride technical trails, up as well as downhill, and on some climbs there may be sections to walk. A full-suspended bike is best, ideally with a good travel. A full-face helmet is an option and armour for knees, shins, elbows and forearms are advised. These are the rides for those who prefer descents and (badly) put up with the climbing to enjoy themselves to the full in the descent.

All mountain Absolutely not to underestimate.

All Mountain (AM) rides which require experience in moving and route finding in the mountains. As explained in the section on emergencies, Sardinia has areas with all the characteristics of the Alps, but without the signs you find in the Alps! These rides require fitness and good riding ability, up- and downhill. The sections on foot, pushing or carrying your bike, may be frequent when climbing and you find them as well on the descents. A not-too-heavy fully-suspended bike is best, with, as usual, helmet and rucksack.

Choose rides suited to your capabilities, so that you don’t find yourselves in danger or difficulty, and so that you enjoy the ride. The scale of difficulty is for a biker used to riding the mountain bike in a mountain setting. If you’re used to gentle hills, it’s best to start with the easier rides, so that you can get used to the scale of difficulty.

Type of surface. We have divided the percentage of each type of surface, to help you understand better the characteristics of the ride. Each type of surface has its own colour that is used in the map and the profile. In some situations where there’s more than one type of surface in rapid succession, you find the predominant type.

Total distance. The distance of the route in km, from the starting point to end point.

Calculated from the GPS file. The progressive km are shown on the horizontal axis of the profile. If you use a cycle computer, bear in mind that the km shown can differ from those measured by the GPS by up to 10%.

Cycle path Tarmaced road Cement road Unmade/fire road, doubletrack Mule track Path / singletrack

Time. The average time to cover itinerary in hours for an average biker, including stops for photos, to look at the view and to have something to eat. In some cases we give a range. This should be regarded as an indication; fast, welltrained riders can take less than the minimum time suggested, or after rain or with bad weather the time can increase significantly.

Best time of year. Indicates the period of the year which in general is ideal for the ride, bearing in mind temperatures, snow cover in winter and the quantity of leaves on the paths. Unusually snowy or dry winters could represent exceptions to the rule.

Height gain. The total height gain is the total climbing in metres along the route, including all the ups-and- downs. For this reason the figure often exceeds the sum of the height gains of the main climbs. We use the figure calculated from the GPS route. The overall height gain, together with the total time, is one of the most representative indicators of how hard a ride is.

ÙÙÙÙÙ

Highest point. The highest point (in metres), together with the altitude of the starting point, allow you to estimate the differences of temperature, weather and wind along the route. In summer being high up means an escape from the heat of the coasts, while in winter you may find snow and it’s better to choose lower-altitude routes.

ÙÙÙÙÙ

Starting point. Starting point, its altitude and GPS coordinates. For the location of the starting point, see the map at the front of the guide where all the starting points are shown.

Technical difficulty. Technical difficulty, with 5 values: Zero/Easy/Medium/Difficult/ Extreme, although in this guide only the three central values are used. This rating is given bearing in mind the type of ride: the same section may be Difficult for an XC ride but Medium or Easy in an AM ride.

The rating is for dry conditions. With rain or wet ground, especially on limestone rocks, the difficulty can increase exponentially.

Physical difficulty. Physical difficulty, with 5 values: Zero/Easy/Medium/Difficult/Extreme, although in this guide only the three central values are used. Measures the level of physical fitness, for an averagely skilled rider, to tackle the ride. The rating is based on the length of the ride, the technical difficulty of the climbs and descents and the type of ride.

27

Route descriptions and legend

Uphill and downhill cyclability. Uphill and downhill cyclability, measured in metres and as the percentage of the total km of climbing and of the total km of descent that are rideable for average rider for this specific type of ride. We think that climbing pushing or carrying your bike even for long sections is acceptable, provided the descent provides sufficient reward.

E-bike. Bikes with assisted pedalling represent a rapidly-growing segment of the market.

There are lots of reasons to consider them a valid alternative to a traditional mountain bike and they will undoubtedly radically change this sport.

In the specific case of this guide, the authors have used traditional bikes, and the data shown reflect this.

To give an indication to those who prefer to climb with an “electrical helping hand”, this icon indicates if the route is suitable for riding with an e-bike, bearing in mind several factors.

Most important is the additional weight, if you have to carry your bike. For the pure “gravity” rides (mainly Freeride routes), we don’t suggest e-bikes, even if the range of bikes on the market is expanding rapidly. In addition, we have considered a 2000 metres of height gain as an upper limit due to battery capacity. We have advised against the use of an e-bike if you have to carry the bike for long periods, for example Punta la Marmora from Flumini.

Maps. Commercially-available maps for the ride.

Water sources. Where to get water along the route.

Places along the route. The main places along the route with their altitudes. Each place has a number which you find on the map and in the profile.

MAIN TEXT Map. Allows you to see the form of the ride and the types of surface you ride on, with the numbers indicating the places you pass through. These maps need to be supplemented on the ride by the maps suggested above or, in addition to the maps, if you have a GPS, you can download the routes from the site www.versantesud.it, re-work them if you want on your computer and load them into your GPS. Altimetric profile. Allows you to understand at a glance the length and steepness of the climbs, as well as how the climbs and descents are distributed along the route.

Technical information. Suggestions, notes and warnings for tackling each single ride. We highlight dangerous sections, the type of surface you pedal on, possibilities for making variants and any other information we think important.

Historical-artistic-cultural interest.

Information on good viewpoints, places of historic, artistic and cultural interest along the route. Comments on the area’s historic and modern-day importance.

Route description. The detailed route description takes up the most space. With a good map, even if you don’t have a GPS you can follow the route without getting lost

Where to stay. Suggestions of places to stay and eat, including along the ride. Where possible we give contact details but in general we don’t list bars, restaurants and shops in towns you ride through. In Sardinia there are no huts as you find in the Alps, with a warden ready to cook you meals at a moment’s notice.

28

In Sardinia you won’t find crowded tracks! (© Ronald Jacobs)

g

29

The nuragic civilisation In antiquity Sardinia was viewed with a certain ambivalence. From the authors of the time we know that the island was admired, but there were also less enthusiastic opinions.

For the Greeks it was a fertile land with lovely plains, without wolves, snakes or other dangerous animals, and there weren’t poisonous plants, except for the water dropwort (Oenanthe Fistulosa), similar to wild celery and very common in damp ground, which caused the “sardonic grin”. On the other hand, the Romans regarded the island as unhealthy, rife with pestilentia (malaria), and inhabited by rebel peoples, robbers and pirates, of African origin.

For them it was terrible place, to which convicts were exiled. Such antagonism was probably due to the lack of cities that were allies of Rome and to the special relationship that the Sards had with Carthage; this meant that they could resist the Roman power. However, it was the Romans who tried to create a sort of “ethnic twinning” with the island’s inhabitants. The people of the east of Sardinia, tenacious and unwilling to cede to Roman conquest, were called Ilienses by the Romans (from Ilium, the city of Troy’s other name) because, like the Romans in mythology, they were directly descended from Aeneas, and according to the Romans they’d remained isolated for centuries in the land they’d come to conquer. Perda ‘e Liana, one of Sardinia’s most distinctive natural monuments in the territory of Gairo, gets its name from the Ilienses: Pedra (Stone) of the Iliensi. According to legend the ancient inhabitants of Ogliastra gathered at the foot of Perda ‘e Liana to celebrate their rituals. The ancient Egyptians, as well, wrote about Sardinia: in 1350 B.C. they write of an invasion of Egypt by Peoples of the Sea among which the Shardana, who were thought to have arrived from the centre of the sea with their ships and against whom no-one knew how to fight.

The hypothesis that identifies the Shardana with the nuragic peoples has been reinforced by the discovery, inside a grave at Decimoputzu, of daggers and swords identical to those shown in the Egyptian paintings of the Shardana. Recently scholars have hypothesised that the Shardana came from the East and settled in Sardinia, where the nura-

30

gic peoples were already present, during the XIII century B.C. Future studies may give more certain answers on this ancient people of seafarers.

Both in antiquity and nowadays, the attention of visitors to the island is drawn to the about 7000 megalithic monuments, the nuraghi, the symbol of the ancient people who marked one of Sardinia’s most distinctive phases. The Nuragic Civilisation developed during the Middle Bronze Age (1600-1300 B.C.) and continued until the start of the Iron Age (X-VI century B.C.). The nuraghi had a truncated conical tower with on top a protruding terrace supported by buttresses; we know this detail thanks to models which the Nuragic people themselves constructed.

Inside the nuraghe we find one or more rooms, one above the other, whose roofs employ a tholos (dome) construction with the entrance through a staircase in the wall. The nuraghi are built with large or medium-sized stones, more or less square in shape. The simplest nuraghi are “monotower” while the more complex structures have a central tower, or keep, with 2 to 5 surrounding towers, connected together by walled courtyards so as to form what were in effect fortresses. Around the nuraghe you found the village with its circular huts with their low walls and conical roofs made of flat stones.

Scholars think that the first Nuraghi date to the Middle Bronze Age (1600-1300 B.C.) and that towards the X century B.C., the end of the Late Bronze Age, new nuraghi were no longer being built, but instead already-existing nuraghi were restored or extended, for instance adding towers to simple nuraghi.

Together with the nuraghi and their villages, “Tombe dei Giganti” were also built. These are megalithic burial chambers, who size led to the supposition that they’d been built by giants who inhabited Sardinia long ago. In fact, they are collective graves with a rectangular burial chamber, up to 30 m long, constructed of large stones and covered with stone slabs; at the front there is an exedra (semicircular construction) also made of large stones, whose size increases from the sides towards the centre, with, in the centre, a tall stone (up to 4 m high). This tall stone may be decorated with a band of carvings

on its side and centre and has at its base a small entrance through which you pass to get to the burial chamber, a sort of door to the Next World. All the burial chambers have this same form. It wasn’t rare in the Nuragic period that Domus de Janas were reused for burials, enlarging the original chambers.

Their name, from popular tradition, means “case delle fate”, “fairies’ houses”, and there are 2500 of them all over Sardinia. They are prehistoric tombs excavated in the rock, starting from the Recent Neolithic period to the Early Bronze Age (from 3400 to 1600 B.C.) and they are common to all the prenuragic cultures. The dead were placed curled-up in the chambers. There are various configurations: from those with a single chamber, with a round or square floor, to those with several chambers with differing layouts, from T- and cross-configurations and one chamber followed by another, and there are even those with a large number of “rooms” extending underground and with a narrow entrance shaft. Some tombs were decorated to resemble the dwellings of the time. There are many cases in which the chambers are decorated with fake doors, busts of bulls or spirals. In the very rare cases in which the tomb has been found undisturbed, evidence has remained of the funeral ceremony with its secondary burial and the selection of the parts of the skeleton.

In all the excavations carried out all over Sardinia, no Nuragic writing has ever been found. It is very strange that such an evolved civilisation, which was well-organised and traded with other parts of the Mediterranean, never felt the need to write... an open point for scholars!

Despite the absence of writing, we know a lot about the Nuragic Civilisation through its major art form: the bronzetti (bronze figures).

The use of bronze figures developed after the IX century B.C. when the nuragic society shifted from an essentially tribal organisation to an aristocratic organisation. More than 400 small statues can be found in the island’s museums (excluding those stolen from the nuraghi and lost for ever) and their sheer number indicates the thriving production of such bronzetti for economic, social and religious reasons. The bronzetti were made using the “lost wax” technique: the figurine was first modelled with wax, which was then covered with clay. The clay mould was then filled with the liquid bronze, which then replaced the wax in the mould. Most of

the bronzetti were found in sacred wells and temples where they were used as gifts to the Gods, and only a few were found in nuraghi or in other buildings or tombs. The figures represented are tribal leaders, priests and priestesses, horn and flute players, women with children, shepherds, animals of the period and various groups of soldiers. The many bronzetti which show superhuman beings with 4 eyes and 4 arms and long horns are very evocative. The bronzetti of ships, some of which have been found in mainland Italy, demonstrate that the Nuragic people were seafarers. The bronzetti are important works of art, and, thanks to the creativity of their makers, we have been able to find out a great deal about this active and dynamic civilisation.

Urzulei: Tombe dei Giganti S’Arena - Middle-Late Bronze Age (1500-1000 B.C.) Baunei: Nuragic complex Co’e Serra - Middle Bronze Age (1500-1200 a.C.) Triei: Tomba dei Giganti di Osono - Early Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age Osini: Nuraghe Serbìssi - Middle-Late Bronze Age (1500-1100 B.C.) Dott.ssa Elena Lucia Piras, Archaeologist, Barisardo

31

Main mountain bike shops in the areas described in the guide The authors of the guide don’t have first- hand experience of all the shops in this list, so if you have comments please write to mtbsardegna@versantesud.it.

Unless otherwise specified, the shops provide sales and mechanical assistance.

CAGLIARI

SOUTH-EAST

Bc di Luca Cannas Via Cavaro n. 6 - tel. 070.45.21.037

Monserrato, Hg Performance di Enrico Colombo Via Deroma, 84 - tel. 348.22.94.735 www.hgperformance.it

Extreme di Alessandro Melis Via Giudice Chiano n. 43 - tel. 070.49.03.80 www.extremebikes.it (also rental)

Quartucciu, Bici Center di Giovanni Pistidda Via delle Serre, 32/E - tel. 070.84.30.92 www.bicicenter.com - (also rental)

Runner, Corso Vittorio Emanuele n. 296 - tel.

070.66.92.18

Quartu Sant’Elena, Due Ruote di Giuseppe Solla Viale Colombo s.n. - tel. 070. 86.12.73 (also rental) Quartu Sant’Elena, 2000 Ricambi di Massimo Solla Via San Benedetto n. 79 - tel. 070.86.18.64 www.2000ricambi.com Quartu Sant’Elena, Planet Motors KTM di Zaira Pitzalis Via Marconi n. 113 - tel. 070.88.11.79

Bike Green di Daniele Frau & C. Viale Diaz n. 194 - tel. 070.75.68.451 Doctor Bike, Via Newton n. 1 - tel. 070.46.17.797 SOUTH-WEST Carbonia, Gp Bike, di Giuliana Paderi Via Dalmazia n. 70 - tel. 0781.62.193

San Vito, Bike Green di Daniele Frau Via Nazionale n. 11 - tel. 070.9927403

Carbonia, Globike Sardinia Piazza Cagliari n. 11-12 - tel. 0781.64.120 www.globikesardinia.it

Sestu, Cosmobici Strada Provinciale 8, km 7,7 - tel. 334.747.32.83 www.cosmobici.it

Carbonia, New Green Store Strada Statale 126, km. 12,070 - tel. 0781.66.00.66 www.newgreenstore.it

Sestu, Technobike Strada Statale Ex 131, km 9,2 - tel. 070.35.10.918 347.54.73.491 - 346.31.63.480 www.technobike.net

Gonnosfanadiga, Per mari e monti, Salvatore Ollosu Via Nazionale n. 99 - tel. 070.97.94.005

Sinnai, Back flip di Rosella Bacichet Via Mara n. 35/A - tel. 070.85.75.808 www.backflipmtb.com Sinnai, Bike World di Alberto Olla Via San Nicolò n. 23/d - tel. 345.435.50.44

32

Ussana, Alton Cicli di Antonio Pili Via Roma n. 170 - tel. 070.91.89.027 www.altoncicli.com

Iglesias, Rema Cicli, di Renzo Marcia Via Corsica n. 17 - tel. 0781.25.91.01 www.remacicli.com Iglesias, Bike & Fit Via Garibaldi n. 57/b - tel. 324.849.22.22 www.bikefitnesshop.com Pula, Pro Bike di Simone Picci Corso Vittorio Emanuele n. 118 - tel. 070.920.80.77 www.probikeinresort.com - (also rental))

Sant’Antioco, Euromoto, di Gianluca Aiò Via Nazionale n. 57 - tel. 0781.84.09.07 - 347.88.03.875 Santadi, Bm Ricambi Via Fontane n. 30 - tel. 0781.94.17.03 Carbonia, Motor Vogue, di Fabio Ruggeri Via Dalmazia n. 19 - tel. 0781.66.20.32 CENTRE-EAST Girasole/Lotzorai, Agribike Ogliastra www.agribike-ogliastra.it/ Melina Virdis 333 2585096 e Clait Pintus 338 3554721 Rental road bikes and hardtail MTB’s, mechancial assistance Tortolì , Porrà Commerciale - Via Baccasara tel: 0782 626700 - Spare parts Tortolì , Biketown www.BikeTown.it Viale Pirastu 18 (OG) Tel. 0782695135 - Cell. 3314338709 Rental road bikes and hardtail MTB’s, mechancial assistance CENTRE

NORTH Olbia , Area bike di Sergio Orecchioni Via Gabriele d’Annunzio, 88, 07026 Tel.: 0789 621066 www.area.bike Olbia , Fancello Cicli Via Luigi Galvani, 76, 07026 Tel.: 0789 50388 www.fancellociclisport.com Olbia , Zema Bike Via Fausto Noce, 57 - Tel.: 0789 24874 Sassari , La Ciclobottega Viale Porto Torres 4/C Cell. (+39) 339 16 78 493 www.ciclobottega.com Sassari , Bicimania di Giuseppe Piras 11, Regione Predda Niedda Tel.: +39 079 260154 www.bicimaniashop.com Tempio Pausania , Isla bike di Andrea Merella via Poèrio 2/a - tel.: 3924196624

Nuoro, Demurtas Giovanni ciclo-motosport Via Martiri Della Libertà n. 104 - tel: 0784 39050 Nuoro, Soddu Tonino S.R.L. via Resistenza n.1 - tel: 0784 200750



The Arco Suttaterra between Genna Silana and Cala Gonone

33

Place names Going for a ride, even for just half a day, in a place you don’t know means dealing with new place names, which may not be easy to understand. This is true everywhere, but especially so in Sardinia, because the place names are nearly always in Sard, a language in its own right, and different from Italian and other European languages. Many place names are hard to understand for the Sards themselves, because they come not from today’s Sard but from the prelatin form, for example the Sard from the Nuragic period, whose meanings have been lost or the terms are no longer used in today’s speech, and remain only as words that for more than 2.000 years have referred to a certain territory. The presence of prehistoric place names is just one of the records Sardinia holds, with the highest percentage in Europe, reaching 50% in some areas, such as the Barbagia di Ollolai, compared to a European average of just 1,5%.

If your source for place names is the IGM maps, then it gets even more complicated, because to the diffi

34

culty of the Sard names you add the errors made by the cartographers, who were often Italians with little knowledge of the Sard language, with the result that the names explained by the locals were reproduced with no knowledge of Sard linguistics or spelling conventions that would make the place name “transparent”, i.e. its meaning obvious.

So the same word, even repeated several times on the same sheet, you often find written differently, or when the maps are updated the places names aren’t updated to those currently being used. Knowing that bikers will use the IGM maps, the authors have used when possible the place names used on the IGM maps or, if the place name isn’t shown on the IGM map, we will show the actual place name and the one shown on the IGM map: E.g. You are at Mamenga (Canali Àcuas on the IGM map)...

Another addition with this edition: new routes on the Gennagentu’s schisty crests (© Martin Hebr)

For the same reason the authors have used the spelling used on the IGM map provided this is not so different from the actual structure in Sard as to hide the meaning of the place name. In this case, for the people using the IGM maps, you find the place name in Sard and then as written on the IGM map: E.g. You come to Sa Nuxi Manna (Sa Nusci Manna on the IGM map)...

Bear in mind that many place names are known only to those few local shepherds, farmers and hunters who have really close contact with an area. It would have been interesting, for each ride, to explain the meaning of the place names, but this task is rather outside the main scope of the guide. For those of you who want to find out more, here is a short, not exhaustive, bibliography of the main books dealing with Sardinian place names, often with different ideas on the meaning of the oldest place names, including those going back to the Nuragic language, which are the hardest ones to interpret.

Salvatore Dedola Toponomastica sarda Grafica del Parteolla, Dolianova, 2004 Giulio Paulis I nomi di luogo della Sardegna Carlo Delfino Editore, Sassari, 1987 Massimo Pittau I nomi di paesi, città, regioni, monti e fiumi della Sardegna. Significato e origine Gasperini Editore, Cagliari, 1997 Heinz Jürgen Wolf Toponomastica barbaricina Edizioni Papiros, Nuoro 1998 Heinz Jürgen Wolf La toponymie préromaine de la Sardaigne In «Revista de Filología Románica», n. 17, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, 2000.

35

Useful phrases in Sard The Sardinian language has two principal dialects: campidanese, spoken in the south and centresouth, and logudorese spoken in the centre-north.

Historic motives have prevented these two macro varieties from merging to a single one or that a single version was adopted throughout the island at least for local government and written use. Probably this would have happened if Sardinia had remained for longer an independent state, with Sard as its official language, but this an independent Sardinia didn’t endure beyond the end of the Middle Ages. Since then, the official languages have always been those of the other countries which over the years have conquered Sardinia: Catalan, Castilian and Italian.

With Sard relegated to local use, the two macro varieties haven’t up to now had the possibility to be merged into one and each has developed independently its own written form, used up to the present day.

The glossary below, however, shows that the two forms are quite similar, with differences that are very small compared to the differences each has from Italian. Each of the two macro varieties

English Greetings Hi! Excuse me…

May I? How are you?

Fine, thanks

36

contains many sub-dialects, until you arrive at how each person in a given village speaks, but we can here only present the written “lingua franca” forms.

For its position in the middle between the centresouth and the centre-north, in many towns of Ogliastra sub-dialects are spoken which are an amalgam of campidanese and logudorese, and so each of the written forms are valid there. In broad terms, campidanese prevails on the south side of the Gennargentu and logudorese on the north side. Even though all Sards today speak and understand Italian – though few understand or speak English or other foreign languages – you’ll be surprised how happy they are if a visitor makes the effort to learn and use some Sard phrases. The translations below are a small contribution to help you get to know the island better and may be of help to resolve some situations – very few, given its limited scope – in a way that the local population will appreciate.

Campidanese

Logudorese

Saludi!

Scusit-mì…

Potzu intrai?

Cumenti stait?

Beni, gràtzias

Salude!

Perdonet-mì Poto intrare?

Comente istat?

Bene, gràtzias

And you?

E Fustei?

E Bostè?

What’s your name?

I’m called…

Pleased to meet you I come from Italy I live in…

Goodbye

Health and personal safety I need a doctor

Ita ddi nant?

A mei mi nant…

Prexeri de dda ai connota Bengu de Itàlia Bivu in…

A si biri

Ite si narat?

Mi giaman…

Praghere de lu aer connotu Benzo dae Itàlia Bivo in…

A nos bìere

Mi serbit unu dotori

Mi serbit unu mèigu

Where’s the nearest hospital/dentist/pharmacy?

It hurts here I’ve hurt myself I feel ill I need help

Innui est su spidali/dentista/potecaria prus acanta?

Mi dolit innoi Mi seu fertu Stau mali Mi serbit agiudu Potzu imperai su telèfunu de Fustei?

Mi seu pèrdiu

Inue est s’ispidale/dentista/apotecaria prus acanta?

Mi dolet innoghe Mi soe fertu Isto male Mi serbit azudu Poto impitare su telèfonu de Bostè ?

Mi soe pèrdidu

Cantu benit su billete po…

Unu billete pro… pro piaghere

gas/petrol station diesel traffic light square, piazza pavement, sidewalk

A cantu est su billetu po…

Unu billetu po…, po prexeri A innui andat custu trenu/postali?

De innui partit su trenu/postali po… ?

A ita ora partit su trenu/postali po… ?

A ita ora arribat su trenu/postali a… ?

Mi-nci portit a… , po prexeri Cantu costat fintzas a... ?

Firmit-sì innoi, po prexeri!

Abetit pagu pagu innoi, po prexeri Ia a bolli pigai una màchina a pesoni distribudori de benzina gasollu semàfuru pratza marciapei

De inue tucat su trenu/postale pro…

A ite ora tucat su trenu/postale pro…

A ite ora arribat su trenu/postale a…

Mi che leat a… , pro praghere Cantu costat fintzes a... ?

Firmet-sì innoghe, pro praghere!

Isetet azigu azigu innoghe, pro praghere Dia chèrrere leare una màchina a pesone distribuidore de benzina gasozu semàfuru pratza marciapede

Finding your way How do I get to…? the train station the bus station in the centre of the town/city to the airport to the hotel Where there are a lot of… restaurants

Cumenti lompu a… ? sa statzioni de su trenu sa statzioni de su postali in mesu de bidda/tzitadi a s’àiri-portu a sa posada Innui ddoi at medas… posadas

Comente lompo a… ? s’istatzione de sos trenos s’istatzione de su postale a intro de bidda/tzitade a s’areoportu a s’istera Inue bi at medas… isteras

Can I use your phone?

I’m lost Transport How much is the ticket for…

A ticket for…, please Where is this train/bus going?

Where does the train/bus for… leave from?

When does the train/bus for… leave?

When does the train/bus from… arrive?

Please can you take me to…

How much does it cost to…?

Stop here, please!

Wait here a minute, please I’d like to hire a car

A inue andat custu trenu/postale?

37

Useful phrases in Sard

bars places to visit Can you show me on the map road I turn left I turn right straight on towards… passing through… in front of… cross roads up down

tzilleris logus de biri Mi podit fai biri in sa mapa… bia Pigu a manu manca Pigu a manu dereta annantis deretu faci a… passendi de… annantis a… ingruxada a pitzus a bàscius

In the hotel Have you a room?

Teneis un’aposentu?

A cantu est un’aposentu po unu/ How much is a single/double room? po duus?

The room has…

S’aposentu tenit…

The bathroom su còmudu The phone su telèfunu Can I see the room Ddu potzu biri s’aposentu?

Do you have..

Teneis un’aposentu… a bigger room? prus mannu? a cheaper room? prus baratu?

Fine, I’ll take it Andat beni, ddu pigu I’ll stay for … nights Mi firmu … noti/is Do you have a safe?

Teneis sa casciaforti? cupboards that lock? armadieddus criaus hot water àcua callenti Ddoi est su smurzu de a mangiaIs breakfast/lunch included? nu/su pràngiu?

What time is breakfast/lunch/ A ita ora est su smurtzu de a dinner? mangianu/su pràngiu/sa cena?

Fait a mi ndi scidai bosatrus a Can I have a wake-up call at…? is … ?

In the restaurant A table for one person/two people, Una mesa po unu/po duus, po please prexeri Mi dda portat sa lista de sa cosa Can I see the menu? de papai?

38

tzilleris logos de bìere Mi podet inditare in sa mapa… carrela Leo a manu manca Leo a manu destra addenanti deretu cara a… passende de… addenanti a… grughe de bia a susu in bàsciu

Azis una càmara?

A cantu est una càmara a sa sola/ po duos?

Sa càmara at… su banzu su telèfonu Poto bìere sa càmara?

Azis una càmara… prus manna? prus barata?

Andat bene, la leo Mi firmo … note/es Azis sa casciaforte? armarieddos a crae? abba caente?

Bi est fintzas s’irmurzu/su pranzu?

A ite ora est s’irmurzu/su pranzu/ sa chena?

Mi nde podides ischidare a sas … ?

Una mesa po una/duas pessones, pro praghere Mi che batit sa lista de su màndigu?

What are the house specialities?

Do you have any local specials?

I’m vegetarian I don’t eat pork, ham or sausage I want chicken beef fish ham sausage cheese eggs salad (fresh) vegetables fruit bread pasta rice beans



Teneis cosa de domu?

Teneis cosa de custu logu?

Petza no ndi papu Petza de porcu no ndi papu Bollu petza de pudda petza de baca pisci presutu sartitzu casu ous insalada birdura (frisca) fruta pani macarronis arrosu fasolu

Azis cosa de domo?

Azis cosa de custu logu?

Petza non nde màndigo Petza de porcu non nde màndigo Cherzo petza de pudda petza bula pische presutu sartitza casu obos insalada birdura (frisca) fruta pane macarrones arrosu basolu

First-time visitors to Sardinia are always surprised by the evergreen vegetaion (© www.mtbsardinia.com)

39

Useful phrases in Sard

Can I have a glass/cup/bottle of…? coffee tea …juice (fizzy/sparkling) water beer red/white wine Can I have a littlle… salt chilli butter Waiter!

I’ve finished It was good The bill, please When do you close?

Money and shopping Do you accept credit cards?

Can you change money?

Where can I change money?

Where’s the bank/ATM? Do you have this in my size?

How much does it cost?

Too expensive expensive cheap I can’t afford it I don’t want this one Where can I try it on?

OK, I’ll take this one Can I have a bag?

I need….

Time and date What time is it?

It’s nine o’clock What time shall we meet?

At two o’clock When shall we meet?

40

Mi dda donat una tassa/cìcara/ ampudda de … ? cafeu tei suci de… àcua (gasada) birra binu nieddu/biancu Mi ddu portat unu pagu de… ? sali pibireddu butirru Su camareri!

Apu acabau Fiat bonu meda Su contu, gràtzias.

A ita ora serrais?

Poto aer una tatza/cìchera/ampulla de … ? gafe’? te’ sutzu de… abba (gasada) birra binu nieddu/biancu Mi lu dat acalaizu de… ? sale pibireddu butirru Su camareri!

Apo agabadu Fit bonu meda Su contu, gràtzias.

A ite ora serrades?

Pigais cartas de fidu?

Fait a mi cambiai su dinai?

Innui ddu potzu cambiai su dinai?

Innui est sa banca/su bàncomat Custu ddu tenit de sa mesura mia?

A cantu est?

Est caru che fogu caru baratu No ddu potzu pigai Custu no ddu bollu Su bistiri ddu potzu provai?

Andat beni, pigu custu Una busta mi dda donat?

Mi serbit…

Leades cartas de fidu?

Faghet a mi cambiare su dinare?

Inue lu poto cambiare su dinare?

Inue est sa banca/su bàncomat

A cantu est?

Est caru che fogu caru baratu Non mi lu poto leare Custu non lu cherzo Su bistire lu poto proare?

Andat bene, leo custu Una busta mi la dat?

Mi serbit…

Ita ora est?

Funt is noi oras A ita ora si bieus?

A is duas Candu si bieus?

Ite ora est?

Sun sas noe oras A ite ora nos bidimus?

A sas duas Cando nos bidimus?

Custu lu azit de sa mesura mia?

We’ll see each other on Monday When do you leave?

I leave tomorrow morning now later Earlier morning midday afternoon evening Night midnight Today yesterday tomorrow this week last week next week

ďƒ”

Si bieus lunis Candu partis?

Partu cras a mangianu imoi prus a tardu innantis mangianu mesudii meigama merii noti mesunoti oi ariseru cras custa cida cida passada cida chi benit

Nos bidimus lunis Cando tucas?

Tuco cras a manzanu como prus a tardu innantis manzanu mesudie a pustis bustadu a sero note mesanote oe deris cras custa chida chida passada chida chi intrat

The technical switchbacks of the Cengia Giradili (Š Mattia Vacca)

41

SOUTH-WEST Guspinese

Sulcis

01. Montevecchio. Piscinas 02. Montevecchio. Arcuentu

09. Villamassargia. Punta Orbai 10. The Carbonia hills 11. Rosas. Orbai 12. Ferrovia Bècia. Rosas 13. Santadi. Sèbera 14. Domus de Maria. Punta Sèbera 15. Chia. Capo Spartivento and Strada Romana 16. Punta Porcili Mannu. Cala d’Ostia 17. Punta sa Crèsia. Perda Pertunta 18. S’’Enna de sa Craba. Monti Nieddu 19. Gùturu Mannu. Monte Arcosu

Fluminese

03. From Capo Pecora to Scivu Marganai

04. San Benedetto. Arenas 05. Domusnovas. Perdu Marras 06. Gùturu Farris. Corovau Linas

07. Villacidro. Piscina Irgas 08. Vallermosa. Cucurdoni Mannu 

42

The crests of the Sulcis hills seen from Monte Orbai (© www.mtbsardinia.com)

Iglesias and Carbonia are the South-west’s biggest towns. You arrive here from Cagliari on the superstrada – the Statale 130 – which runs straight across the plain for 50 km. On each side, farmed fields and the odd home-made barn in the adjacent towns.

Where, then, is the unspoiled South-west? Move out of the fast lane and move over to the near side, slow down and stop in the first lay-by you find. Get out of your car and, ignoring the noise of the other cars whizzing by just a few metres from you, look around you. The plain is narrow, hemmed in by mountains with steep sides and, beyond the first peaks, there are other taller summits. You have arrived.

There are mountains and forests everywhere, but you’ll be surprised to find also mines, and mining villages, once among the most important in Europe. The mining hasn’t damaged the environment, at least not in a heavy-handed, vulgar way, but has instead created beautiful scenes, in harmony with the landscape. The buildings were built when stone, wood and terracotta were still the materials used. All local. When the owners still used architects, because they lived near to the mines and their villas and offices had to reflect their status, with beautiful and harmonious buildings. Today nature is claiming back its space; the holm oak leaves form a thick carpet that often covers everything, the lentisc branches find their 

way everywhere and the stones which made up the walls have fallen back to the ground. A paradise remains for the biker. Abandoned mining tracks, with the plants along the edge, narrow to become mule tracks or footpaths. The old mine railway lines, once hewn out of the vertical rock face with dynamite, are now rideable. Tunnels, carved out of the rock, so very solid, that you can ride through. The miners’ paths, which involve much more climbing than the railway lines and tunnels, become singletrack descents you won’t easily forget.

All this and more is the South-west with its old mines, to the north and south of the Cixerri plain.

But if you come from the extreme south, along the Statale 195 coast road, then you’ll understand how the warm slopes overlooking the sea and looking towards Africa, less than 300 km away, are just as interesting. For their ancient history, from the Nuragic to the Roman period, and for the recent history, with the shepherds and farmers who’ve farmed the often-harsh land, leaving precious and fascinating testimonies such as the campidanesi houses in the old town centres or the tiny mountain settlements, called medaus (more than one family) and furriadroxus (mono-family), some of which are still inhabited.

Amos Cardia

Surrounded by remains of the mining industry at Piscinas (© www.mtbsardinia.com)

43

01

South-west > Guspinese

MONTEVECCHIO. PISCINAS Cycle path Tarmaced road Cement road Unmade/fire road, doubletrack Muletrack Path / singletrack

ÙÙÙÙ beauty

Cross country type of ride

All year round period

Montevecchio, 370 m N 39°33’22.11” E 8°34’13.98”

starting point

402 m

highest point

670 m

height gain

31 km

total distance

2,5 hours time

ÙÙÙ

technical difficulty

100%

uphill cyclability

0% 0% 0% 46% 46% 8%

Technical information For the locating and maintenance of the footpaths and mule tracks (which seem more like footpaths) in the woods we have the local MTB Club Piccalinna to thank. The surface you ride on is good, and so you can ride here when the ground is wet, although, with the many fords, we don’t recommend this ride after heavy rain unless you don’t mind getting your feet wet. The technical sections in descent are easy and there are only a few metres that are much steeper than the rest. The climbs as well are smooth and, if you are fit, you never need less than the 32.

Historical-artistic-cultural interest For the historical interest, see ride 2 Montevecchio. Arcuentu, in the same area. This ride is characterised by the descent to the Piscinas beach with its sand dunes, created by the Maestrale, up to 60 metres high. They extend over a wide area, creating one of the largest such areas in Europe.

Route description You start form the piazza in Montevecchio, where you find the bar Gennas, the Post Office, pharmacy, Carabinieri and a flower bed with a tap for water (1). Proceed south-west towards Ingurtosu and Piscinas but, after a few metres, as soon as you arrive to the right-hand bend in the tarmaced road, turn into the unpaved lay-by on the left.

Continue on the unmade track, parallel to and above the tarmac road that you have just left, and after 700 m turn left into a mule track that climbs up. There is a sign saying it’s a dead end, but you can proceed, on a path (2). After a first hairpin to the left, the next is to the right and you pass a barrier with a no entry sign. Stay on the main mule track and at km 1,9 keep straight ahead, descending, ignoring a side road on the left, and after 200 m there are more descending hairpins, left then right, still following the main mule track.

100%

downhill cyclability

Yes - No e-bike

400

1 1

2 6

300

IGM 1:50.000 sheet 546 Guspini

maps

ÙÙÙ

physical difficulty

200

3 5

100

4

metri

0 0 km

44

5

10

15

20

25

30

Funtanatza

Campu Sali - GĂšturu de FrĂšmini

Monti Arcuentu Bruncu Mola

Punta Pubusinu

Punta Pisotu Casa Sparedda 5

Crocorigas 6

Montevecchio

1

Bacini (dams) Donegani e Zerbino 2

Piscinas

Tuvu Mannu

4

Punta Perdarba (Perdalba in IGM)

3

Rio Irvi Ingurtosu Pitzinurri

45

00 01 South-west > Guspinese Centro-est Montevecchio. > Zona Titolo Piscinas

At Guspini, Montevecchio and Piscinas

where to stay At the start and finish

water sources places along the route

1 Montevecchio (370 m) 2 Bacini Donegani e Zerbino (300 m) 3 Rio Irvi (150 m) 4 Piscinas (10 m) 5 Casa Sparedda (80 m) 6 Crocorigas (300 m)



46

At km 3,3 keep straight on, descending, ignoring a turn-off on the right, and a few metres after the junction you arrive at a small house with a covered veranda which could be useful if it’s raining. After 300 m keep straight on, ignoring a turn-off on the right, and after 100 m turn into the path which descends on the left. At km 4,5, after three steel pipes that go down to the dam, continue straight ahead on the flat, ignoring a climb to the right, and at km 4,9 you come to a mule track and continue in the same direction (south-west). After 400 m, at a spoil heap for soil from the tunnel, turn left, aiming at the ruined buildings ahead of you. Go between the buildings and, at the junction of the paths, take the path on the left.

At km 6,1, at the top of the climb, turn right to descend, ignoring the side track which climbs and after 400 m the path finishes. This is the start of a mule track and, when it meets another mule track, immediately after a ford, turn left. When you reach the sterrato, turn left downhill and follow this road to km 7,5, when you get to a building and, just before the bridge, turn into the mule track on the right. Follow the Rio Irvi (3), its waters red from the upstream mineral deposit. At km 13,4 the mule track runs into a sterrato and you turn left to arrive at the beach at Piscinas. After 700 m you join an even-wider sterrato, and keep straight on where the wider sterrato turns right. The track climbs and, a few metres after the top of the climb, at km 14,8, a junction on the right gives access to the steep mule track which climbs to a look-out point, from which you can start to admire the splendid view.

After the pause in the sun, you set off again, riding away from the beach at Piscinas with its dunes (© www.mtbsardinia.com)

At km 15,9 turn right for the beach (if you turned left, you’d come in no time to the Sciopadroxiu campsite). At km 17,3 you reach the beach (4), and it’s time to head back, inverting the route you just arrived by on the sterrato. At km 20,6 remember to go straight to take the mule track, ignoring the very wide track which crosses the water and climbs this time on your left. At km 21,3, instead of turning right to follow the mule track along which you arrived, continue downhill on the sterrato to the left between the sand heaps. The unmade road narrows until it becomes a mule track, and follows the bed of the Rio Piscinas, much wider than the Rio Irvi.

At km 25,8 you are at the junction which takes you to the Casa Sparedda, mentioned among the Places to Stay; you get to it along a track on the left.

The first room is in ruins but the second, whose entrance is half-hidden among the brambles, still has the roof (5). After climbing a short ramp, the track improves until it becomes a sterrato, (6) even though it’s steep as you climb back up the almost 300 m of height difference to Montevecchio. 

At km 26,7 keep straight on ignoring a turning on the left and 300 m later straight on again ignoring a descending turn on the right. Another 300 m and you still keep straight on, ignoring turns to the right, and at km 28,4 straight on again. In less than 3 km you come back to Montevecchio.

Notes -Don’t drink from the many river crossings along the route, especially not from the Rio Irvi.

- Temporary shelter can be found at the little house at km 3,3, which has a covered veranda in case of rain, and the Casa Sparedda, a room in poor condition which does though have a roof and fireplace.

You can still ride for short sections along the old railway line which brought minerals from the mines to Piscinas for loading onto ships (© www.mtbsardinia.com)

47