Superenduro 2016: Round Two, Varazze - Friday Practice by BWinder

Now that the race season is well underway, we head back to Italy for the second round of the Superenduro series, this time, we head to Liguria, on the spectacular northwest coast. The series itself wants to showcase exactly what Italy has to offer and not just the obvious; amazing coffee and food.

Residing 40-minutes west of Genoa by car, Varazze is amazingly accessible straight off a plane. You may be close to some pretty big hills and incredible trails (very close) but the town itself is a stunning seaside resort in its own right. And the riding. Oh, and the riding... It’s awesome! With a large variation of fast flowy trails to technical tight trails, which make it the perfect destination for the Superenduro’s second stop on its 2016 tour.

This is also race organiser, Enrico Guala’s (the Pope of Enduro) stomping ground - he admitted to us earlier that he’s been riding here for 25-years! This place holds a special place in his heart, and rightly so. Practice got underway today and we were trackside to capture the action...

Just a few miles inland and you re immediately in some pretty big mountains.

Just a few miles inland and you're immediately greeted by some pretty big mountains.

Varazze is pretty stunning clear blue waters and hills that grow rapidly as the eye moves away from the sea.

Varazze is simply stunning, with clear blue waters and hills that grow rapidly as the eye moves away from the sea.

There's no shortage of sunbeds or hotels here...

Varazze's seafront.

Uplifts are allowed for practice here at the Superenduro.

And straight into the classic Liguria rock very light dusty unforgiving and amazing for riding on.

And straight into the classic Liguria rock, which is very light, dusty, unforgiving and amazing for riding on.

With a trail crew working full time on the trails it's no wonder they are so well maintained and have become part of the landscape.

Stages one and four take you all the way to the sea.

You have to be wary of following riders too closely, just so you can see past the dust clouds.

The Lupato brothers.

Dustaay!

All the trails are so well signposted anyone can find their way even this guy.

All the trails are so well signposted so anyone can find their way, even this guy...

A lot of the liaison stages are away from the crazy Italian roads.

Flowery shirts through the flowy singletrack in the hills of the Italian Liguria.

A lot of the trails look like they are old access trails for some of the abandoned buildings.

Fun, flowy and fast.

Andrea Pirazzoli.

Through some lushes woodland summer is coming.

Through some lush woodland... summer is coming!

The Rocky Mountain Team flowing down some switchbacks.

The trails have been carved into the landscape. These trails have been running as MTB trails for a long time.

The trails have been literally carved into the landscape.

This is a moment when the trail comes out the woodland for a breath of fresh air, but it's far from that for the riders, descending into a super technical steep rock slab.