STONE KING TOURING CLUB

WELCOME TO OUR ADVENTURE, MAKE IT YOURS.

STONE KING ISN’T JUST A RACE, IN FACT IT IS FOREMOST A MOUNTAIN BIKE ITINERARY.

A wild MTB itinerary, a 100% original journey packed full of incredible singletrack, breathtaking views, intriguing folklore and the unbridled adventure which these things combine to deliver.

Stone King Touring Club is your portal to partaking in this adventure on your terms. A structure of information which enables hassle-free DIY planning, booking, navigation of your own odyssey along our route. We provide the route and a comprehensive set of provider recommendations; you decide the budget, the dates and the day-to-day details.

ROUTE TAILORING

The Stone King route, as-raced, is long, tough and time-consuming. To complete it 100% unmodified you must have a high level of physical fitness and stamina (or be equipped with a modern eMTB with at least one spare battery) and be prepared for long days in the saddle. The good news is that on each day of the itinerary, there are a number of possible shortcuts aimed at making your week-long journey less physically demanding, whilst ensuring that you still get to ride down most or all of the good stuff. There is no shame in slightly taming a route which was originally designed (among other things) to test the stamina of some of the world’s best enduro athletes.

Learn more about the Stone King route and how to tailor your own ride experience > >

SHUTTLES

The Stone King route is designed to be operated and experienced using an integration of uplift shuttles. Our intention is that, over the course of this particular 6-day journey, the on-bike vertical descent is approximately double the on-bike vertical ascent. This gravity bias does not make Stone King a “DH” route, and it certainly doesn’t make the itinerary easy. Our philosophy in compiling long-distance Alpine itineraries has always been to maximise the daily distance covered on singletrack within the limits of a reasonable amount of daily ascending (e.g. assuming a somewhat remote, singletrack-focussed route where many of the ascents can’t be shuttled). An obvious way to achieve this is by adding a certain amount of “free” ascent where possible which, in the case of a route like SK, is done by strategically planning shuttle roads into the itinerary. 

The 2022 Stone King route consists of 14 official shuttle segments (spliced between 15 official on-bike segments over the 6 days). Our transport partner Cool Bus employs drivers who know these roads like the back of their hand, and offers a service not only to carry you and your bike up these roads efficiently, but to transport your night luggage from hotel to hotel.

Alternatively, if you’re working to a budget, you can bring or rent your own vehicle, persuade a friend or significant other to drive for the week, and run your own shuttles in a DIY manner.

 

Book your Cool Bus shuttle package here > >

Run your own DIY shuttles > >

LODGINGS & FOOD

As if the trails weren’t enough to get excited about, let us assure you that riding aside, Stone King is also a gastronomic journey of dreams which has to be experienced to be believed. The route takes you through some of the lesser-known valleys of Southeast France and Northwest Italy where the locals are nonetheless eager to ensure that you leave their place well-fed. As the days go by, you will be given the opportunity to experience an incredible variety of local dishes and their flavours. In the evenings, meals are plentiful and relatively good value-for-money. During the days, each sizable settlement you pass through on-bike presents its own coffee, panini, cake and gelato opportunities. 

Nourishment is backed up, in each valley, by plenty of options for comfortable, well-equipped and welcoming nightly accommodation. To help get you started we have compiled a comprehensive set of recommendations, at a variety of price points, for where to stay and eat in each valley.

Book your accommodation AND Browse for restaurants, bars & cafés along the route > >

LODGINGS & FOOD

As if the trails weren’t enough to get excited about, let us assure you that riding aside, Stone King is also a gastronomic journey of dreams which has to be experienced to be believed. The route takes you through some of the lesser-known valleys of Southeast France and Northwest Italy where the locals are nonetheless eager to ensure that you leave their place well-fed. As the days go by, you will be given the opportunity to experience an incredible variety of local dishes and their flavours. In the evenings, meals are plentiful and relatively good value-for-money. During the days, each sizable settlement you pass through on-bike presents its own coffee, panini, cake and gelato opportunities. 

Nourishment is backed up, in each valley, by plenty of options for comfortable, well-equipped and welcoming nightly accommodation. To help get you started we have compiled a comprehensive set of recommendations, at a variety of price points, for where to stay and eat in each valley.

Book your accommodation AND Browse for restaurants, bars & cafés along the route > >

PACKAGE TOURS

The process of putting together your own trip can represent a significant slice of the overall satisfaction of a Stone King experience; it also affords you the flexibility to manage your own budget.

However, we appreciate that not everybody has the time or inclination to go down the DIY route. If you’re one of those who would prefer accommodation bookings, logistical planning and even trail guiding to be taken care of by somebody else then fear not; we operate a variety of package tours on the Stone King route.

Browse or book a Stone King package tour > >

FAQ

TRIP PLANNER

Hover/click the icons on the map below to browse our partner lodgings, eateries, cafés and shops along the route.

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ARVIEUX

NIGHT 1

Arvieux is the official stopover for the first night of the Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

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ARVIEUX – PONTECHIANALE

DAY 1

Click here to discover all of our partner cafés, eateries and shops in this day of the route.

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PONTECHIANALE

NIGHT 2

Pontechianale is the official stopover for the 2nd night of the Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

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PONTECHIANALE - PRAZZO

DAY 2

Click here to discover all of our partner cafés, eateries and shops in this day of the route.

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PRAZZO [/MARMORA]

NIGHT 3

Prazzo [/Marmora] is the official stopover for the 3rd night of the Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

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PRAZZO – DEMONTE

DAY 3

Click here to discover all of our partner cafés, eateries and shops in this day of the route.

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[VINADIO/] DEMONTE

NIGHT 4

[Vinadio/] Demonte is the official stopover for the 4th night of the Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

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DEMONTE - TENDE

DAY 4

Click here to discover all of our partner cafés, eateries and shops in this day of the route.

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TENDE

NIGHT 5

Tende is the official stopover for the 5th night of the Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

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TENDE – DOLCEACQUA

DAY 5

Click here to discover all of our partner cafés, eateries and shops in this day of the route.

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DOLCEACQUA

NIGHT 6

Dolceacqua is the official stopover for the 6th night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

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DOLCEACQUA – BORDIGHERA

DAY 6

Click here to discover all of our partner cafés, eateries and shops in this day of the route.

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BORDIGHERA

NIGHT 7

Bordighera is the official stopover for the final night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

TRIP PLANNER

NIGHT 1

ARVIEUX

Arvieux is the official stopover for the first night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

DAY 1

ARVIEUX –
PONTECHIANALE

Click here to discover our partner cafés, eateries and shops on this day of the route.

NIGHT 2

PONTECHIANALE

Pontechianale is the official stopover for the second night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

DAY 2

PONTECHIANALE –
PRAZZO

Click here to discover our partner cafés, eateries and shops on this day of the route.

NIGHT 3

PRAZZO [/MARMORA]

Prazzo is the official stopover for the third night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

DAY 3

PRAZZO [/MARMORA] –
DEMONTE

Click here to discover our partner cafés, eateries and shops on this day of the route.

NIGHT 4

[VINADIO/] DEMONTE

DEMONTE is the official stopover for the fourth night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

DAY 4

DEMONTE –
TENDE

Click here to discover our partner cafés, eateries and shops on this day of the route.

NIGHT 5

TENDE

Tende is the official stopover for the fifth night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

DAY 5

TENDE –
DOLCEACQUA

Click here to discover our partner cafés, eateries and shops on this day of the route.

NIGHT 6

DOLCEACQUA

Dolceacqua is the official stopover for the sixth night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

DAY 6

DOLCEACQUA –
BORDIGHERA

Click here to discover our partner cafés, eateries and shops on this day of the route.

NIGHT 7

BORDIGHERA

Bordighera is the official stopover for the final night of Stone King Rally, Vol.1 [2022]. Click here to discover all of our partner lodgings and eateries at this location.

FAQ

Got a question? Check our Frequently Asked Questions to see if it’s already been answered.
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How hard is the Stone King route? How long are the days?

The Stone King route, as-raced, is long, tough and time-consuming.

The 2022 itinerary had a daily average daily vertical ascent of 1365m, an average daily vertical descent of 3403m, for a mean daily distance of 45km, over 6 days. Add to these figures the vehicle logistics involved in getting you the 2000m+ of daily difference between ascent and descent, and you have a very ambitious set of daily schedules.

Therefore, to complete the route 100% unmodified and as-raced, you must have a high level of physical fitness and stamina (or be equipped with a modern eMTB with at least one spare battery) and be prepared for long days in the saddle.

Alternatively, you can consider a set of options to make the route somewhat easier. From extra shuttles, to cutting out some superfluous loops, we have devised a day-by-day set of short-cut suggestions (“wormholes”, as we call them) aimed at making your week-long journey less physically demanding, whilst ensuring that you still get to ride down all of the good stuff.

Check out and download our comprehensive route adjustment info document here: stonekingrally.org/wormholes

What level of technical difficulty are the trails?

We wouldn’t class the trails as “easy”, but they are no more difficult than the average singletrack-focused journey through the Alps. On the Germanic Singletrail-Skala or the French “cotation” system, most of the trails are within the S2/T2 to S3/T3 realm, perhaps occasionally touching S4/T4.

What time of year (from when to when) can I ride the route?

Season opening depends on how snowy a Winter/Spring there has been. Generally, it will be largely possible to tackle the itinerary in mid-June but this would, on an average year, include *some* snow hiking at the tops of some passes on Days 1 & 2.

If you are happy to start days very early, and able to move swiftly, you could ride the route until approximately mid-October. Any later than that and we don’t really think that the days are long enough.

Bear in mind that, for each Stone King Volume, we publish the route to Touring Club in early August (following the race in early July). So, if you only have time in the first half of the Summer, you would be following a previous year’s Stone King itinerary.

Is an all-mountain/enduro bike *really* necessary? Can't I just do it on an XC bike or hardtail?

The route is designed to be enjoyed on an all-mountain/enduro bike. If you would like to make the week harder for yourself than it already is, then by all means pick a bike which will be out of its depth in the terrain.

Instead of doing the entire week at once, can I ride smaller sections of the route over (say) a weekend? And hence ride the entire Stone King itinerary over the course of several shorter trips?

Yes, this is absolutely encouraged! Once you have purchased one of our Touring Club packages, it doesn’t have a time limit, it is yours for life.

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Must I book a shuttle company or can my group self shuttle?

You are more than welcome to organise your own self-shuttle operation, calling on the help of a friend, a significant other or a parent. If you purchase a Touring Club Digital Guide, we will gladly share the shuttle road data with you. Please simply ask by email.

However, if you are looking to be shuttled, have your luggage transported and be advised by the best in the business, look no further than Cool Bus and their Stone King Touring Club shuttle package

Is the Stone King route suitable for e-bikes and, if so, does having an e-bike mean that shuttles aren't required?

Heck yes, it is absolutely suitable for e-bikes (especially modern, good ones) ! However, if you are looking to use e-bikes so that you don’t have to shuttle then you have a multifaceted logistical challenge on your hands. How do you carry the (at least) two batteries you will need per day? How do you transport your luggage from hotel to hotel? Does this then become more of an e-bike-packing thing? Up to you.

Our recommendation with e-bikes is to still use shuttles and baggage transport, but to see the e assistance as helping you get through the big days more quickly and easily.

How much will it cost me for the week?

If you are self-shuttling, sleeping at campsites, buying and cooking all your own food from scratch, we believe that you’d be able to operate the full week for €500-600 per person (depending on how many coffee/gelato/beer stops you include!).

If you want a professional shuttle package, 3*-and-upwards fully catered hotels, you’re looking at €1200 as a base. This could vary up to €1800 if you go for top-notch hotel options at each night’s stop.

These indicative costs include European sales taxes.

I don't have the time or inclination to organise a Touring Club-based adventure. Do you run any all-inclusive tours on the Stone King itinerary?

YES! The annual Stone King Club Week. Sign up to our mailing list and be the first to hear about the dates and details.