The two Apennine passes are the fulcrum of the first stage riding the Tiger range. The Penice time trial starting from Bobbio (PC) and the driving course at the Vairano di Vidigulfo (PV) track are the added values of two days of fun and passion
Two days of adventure, immersed in nature, on the saddle of the Tiger range: this is the Triumph Adventure Experience Sport, the 100% driving experience on asphalt to be tackled individually or in pairs and open to everyone, owners of Triumph motorcycles or not, experienced and less experienced pilots. Two days in which to discover, curve after curve, breathtaking landscapes, all just over an hour from Milan.
Format and path
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The Sport stage is the first of the Triumph Adventure Experiences, which is divided as follows: the participants are divided into two groups, for a duration of the experience of one and a half day, thus covering the entire weekend starting from Friday morning until on Sunday evening. Being part of the first group, we started from the Vairano di Vidigulfo (PV) track towards Bobbio (PC), passing through Castel San Giovanni and along the Trebbia river, on Friday morning. A 92 km transfer to be used as a warm-up for the Monte Penice time trial. Not before having visited the medieval village of Bobbio, awarded the “Most beautiful village in Italy” award in 2019 and which deserves a separate visit. Short stop passing through the nerve centers of the historic center up to Piazza Duomo, where the Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta stands out, and then back in the saddle to climb Mount Penice while having fun in safety.
The Penice time trial and the tour
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From Bobbio to the top of Monte Penice for 17 km of curves and climbs: this is one of the pluses of the Triumph Adventure Experience Sport, with the road closed in your direction of travel to avoid, once in a while, the problem of car traffic on the passes Mountain. And it is also an opportunity to pull the neck of the Tiger range a little, which we explore in the last paragraph. The rest of the day is a tour through the curves of the Piacenza Apennines, crossing Marsaglia and wandering among various mountain passes (including the Santa Barbara Pass at 1,136 meters above sea level) keeping to the right of the Trebbia river. From Ponte Organasco, towards Brallo di Pregola, you rejoin the Pavese Apennines, and once on the top of the Brallo Pass, the program includes the final stop of the day at the Sport Hotel Prodongo, surrounded by the greenery of nature and pampered by the Spa of the hotel itself, available for motorcyclists after many miles in the saddle during the day.
Triumph Adventure Experience: the course on the track
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The second day of the Triumph adventure starts from the enchanting Prodongo, a tiny but gracious Pavia reality in which the stay in the hotel implies a dinner dedicated to local food and wine and a mountain setting with wooden structures. Instead of moving to Penice via the Scapparina and then returning from Bobbio to Castel San Giovanni and turning towards Vairano, you descend from the Alta Valle Staffora crossing Brallo di Pregola and Varzi. Passing through the Salice Terme-Bressana, we circumnavigate Pavia and return to Vairano for the rest of the morning of Day2, for almost 100 km in total. On the circuit, in safe conditions, the instructors put the Abs of the Triumph range to the test and invite the participants to do the same, pulling the front brake lever with as much force in the body in wet conditions. The lever pulsates, the ABS comes into play, but the front wheel does not lock and the motorbike-rider combination, in the latter’s disbelief, remains standing in total safety. Not only that: the exercises also include the technique to face a long curve at a higher speed than we would enter in normal conditions, trying to push on the internal platform and with the external leg to bend the bike in the last half of the curve and make it bend without go straight or make a mistake. At the end of the exercises, the program includes shifts on the track behind the instructor, learning trajectories and tricks of the trade before receiving the certificate of participation.
Triumph: the Tiger range
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At the disposal of the two days of the Triumph Adventure Experience Sport a very wide Tiger range, with three-cylinder solutions declined in different displacements, from 660 up to 1200 passing through the 900, and with different options regarding the rims, with a front 17, 19 or 21 inches. From the small 660 crossover with which you can dare when entering and cornering to the impressive 1200, the range passes through the adventure 900, which in the Rally Pro version stands out for its great comfort combined with a quickshifter gearbox and a cheerful character with which tackle light dirt roads or mountain passes in maximum fun. The raised driving position conferred by the 21 “front rim is a plus on the bumpy one, while it is much more curled up and enclosed on the 660 with 17” rim and a sleeker and less bulky structure. The 1200 is appreciated for long journeys, technology and on-board electronics, while it becomes more demanding on narrow and winding roads, either for the size and weight, or for a little on-off noticeable when you get the gas again. In any case, different bikes for different targets: Triumph has paved the way, it’s up to you to choose which one.