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
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