The ION Cup as an opportunity to return to the “Luse”
We've already covered Domobianca and its trails. Some time ago we went up to Lusentino with bikes and cameras to make a video about the bike park, its trails, and the type of trails. riding which proposes. A video you can find below is worth watching to understand, even before the words, how the Luse trails are constructed and interpreted.
The ION Cup stage gave us the opportunity to come back and do something different: not just tell the slopes, but try to understand How the Domobianca Bike Park project is growing and what direction it has chosen for its future.
We are above Domodossola, on the slopes of Lusentino, even if for those who frequent these mountains the name is much simpler: the Luse.
This is a reality we've seen grow in recent years and deserves attention precisely because it perfectly captures one of the themes we've repeatedly addressed in our in-depth articles on the development of mountain bike tourism: to build a credible destination, you don't necessarily need to be in Trentino or the Aosta Valley, have an international location behind you, or be able to count on huge budgets.
However, it requires planning, a correct understanding of one's own territory and, above all, an awareness of what one can really offer to bikers.
At Lusentino, they seem to have understood this. The feeling, returning to the trails for the ION Cup, is that of a place that is moving forward one step at a time, not trying to be something it isn't, but instead striving to build and strengthen its own identity.
Because growing up isn't necessarily about becoming big. You just need to know where you want to go.
A bike park must first of all be fun
The first obvious element is the quality of the trails. Carefully maintained courses, built following a precise logic and with the right flow that allows different audiences to share the same park.
Beginners can gain confidence on the bike, find easy lines, and have fun without constantly feeling like they're riding something beyond their capabilities. Those who want to push can increase their speed and, with it, find physicality, jumps, compressions, and passages to interpret differently.
After all, this is exactly what a modern bike park needs.
Not necessarily extreme trails, but routes capable of changing character depending on the rider. A bank can be simply ridden or attacked by increasing speed; a jump can become a fun element for those just learning and something completely different as the skill level increases.
Could it be a coincidence that one of the two trail builders has a past in Paganella?
Probably not, because trail construction reflects precisely that quest for fluidity and progression that allows for a broadening of the audience without trivializing the experience.
First you learn, then you push
The bike park's organization also follows this philosophy. The two chairlifts and the layout of the trails allow you to build your day gradually, choosing not only the difficulty level but also the length of the descents.
At first, you gain confidence. Then you start to increase the pace. Finally, if your legs and desire allow, you link the sections together and complete significantly longer runs.
As long as you feel like doing it.
Because no one forces you to turn every descent into a physical test. You can easily continue riding the more flowy sections, gradually improving, and raising your bar one step at a time.
There are some challenges, but they're harmoniously integrated into the park. If you want to push, you'll find speed and a few tricky sections; if you don't feel like it, just go with the flow and you'll still have a great run.
This is probably one of the most successful aspects of the project: give the biker the opportunity to grow without forcing him to do so, always maintaining the necessary awareness of what you are dealing with.
Federico Sciagatta: From the first trails to a project to grow
Behind this evolution is also the story of Federico Sciagatta, station manager, who almost by chance found himself mapping out the first Luse trails years ago and who today must deal with something much more complex: the growth of a real bike park.
And it is perhaps this passage that best describes the transformation of Domobianca.
From a few trails built with cycling in mind, we've come to the need to think in terms of audiences, maintenance, safety, route progression, events, and hospitality.
Sciagatta doesn't hide his satisfaction with the feedback he received during the ION Cup weekend, especially for one thing: the presence of so many young people and many riders who until that moment had not known Domobianca.
It is precisely this interaction with a new audience that becomes a tool for growth.
The positive feedback allows us to understand what's working, while the arrival of bikers who aren't regulars at Luse offers a different perspective than those who have known the park for years. This is a crucial step to continue to develop the project consciously and, above all, to confirm that the direction we're taking is the right one.
The choice of the ION Cup also makes sense
Along this path, the choice to host the ION Cup also appears consistent with the identity that Domobianca is building.
A circuit capable of producing numbers, but with a more relaxed approach than the more intense competitions, where the race remains important without swallowing up everything around it.
A format that also works particularly well for communication, because it manages to showcase not only the competition but also the location hosting it. And for a place like Lusentino, it means putting its bike park in front of riders who may have heard about it but haven't yet had the opportunity to ride it.
The presence of so many young people over the weekend is probably the most interesting result. A bike area that wants to build a future needs exactly this: new riders arriving, testing the trails, discovering the place, and perhaps deciding to return.
Not just trail: a day at Luse
There's another element that's often overlooked when it comes to bike park development: what happens when you get off your bike.
At the start of the lifts, Lusentino offers a cozy and welcoming area, with spaces dedicated to children, activities for different age groups, catering, and the option of combining a day on the trails with the Adventure Park.
Basically, you can climb up, ride your bike, leave space for the little ones, take a stroll among the trees, eat a couple of ribs, and go home happy.
It may seem like a detail, but it isn't.
Contemporary mountain biking is increasingly less of an isolated activity and more of a part of a comprehensive outdoor experience. Families and groups have different needs, and a location offering alternatives even for those who don't want to spend eight hours on the pedals inevitably has a few more advantages.
Alex Lupato: "Here they understand what bikers are looking for."
To confirm our feelings there is a particularly interesting point of view, that of Alex Lupato, one of the best-known figures on the Italian mountain bike scene.
Lupato was in Lusentino for the ION Cup, in which his son also participated, but Domobianca was not an absolute discovery for him.
We discovered Domobianca almost by chance a couple of years ago. We were looking for a bike park not too far from home where we could spend a quiet day and have fun. We immediately liked it because the trails were well-groomed, with plenty of banks and jumps, but not overly challenging.
Returning there, Lupato especially noticed the evolution of the project.
"The bike park has grown significantly over the past two years. New trails and sections have arrived, always well-developed and fun. Between the upper and lower sections, you can choose shorter runs or link them together for significantly longer runs."
And it's interesting that his judgment also ends up focusing precisely on accessibility and the park's ability to appeal to different bikers.
«There are no particularly extreme sections and this allows many people to have fun. Personally, I would also add a more natural and technical track, because it is the type of riding which I prefer, but it's clear that today many bikers are mainly looking for banks, jumps, and flow. And here they really find a lot of it."
His perspective is also interesting because it comes from someone who knows the world of mountain biking from a privileged perspective, but in this case, has also experienced Luse as a parent. And it is Lupato himself who highlights another aspect of the location: the opportunity to spend a day where the bike doesn't necessarily have to be the only focus.
Small does not mean without ambition
This is probably the most interesting part of Domobianca's story.
Lusentino shouldn't become the next Whistler, and there's no point in trying. Nor does it need to imitate the great destinations of Trentino or Valle d'Aosta.
It must be the Luse.
A relatively small bike area, above Domodossola, that knows its limits but also its potential and is building an identity through progressive investments, carefully designed trails, events relevant to its audience, and an offering that goes beyond a simple chairlift ride.
It's a concept that often comes up when we analyze the development of mountain bike tourism: It is not the size that automatically determines the success of a destination, but the quality of the planning.
You need to understand what you have, know who you want to address, and carefully choose what the next step should be.
At Lusentino they are doing exactly this.
And perhaps the most significant fact isn't just that a rider like Alex Lupato comes to ride at Luse. It's that Lupato was there with his son, that so many young people have discovered Domobianca thanks to the ION Cup, and that the feedback collected by Sciagatta speaks to a place capable of capturing precisely the kind of audience on which to build the future.
Because growing a bike area doesn't necessarily require higher mountains, bigger facilities, or outsized budgets.
It takes direction, the time to follow it, and the ability to not lose sight of what bikers really want.
