Meet Our Guides

Luca Negri
Co-owner and Cycling Guide

ABOUT ME
I cycle because I enjoy being able to see and experience new places and amazing landscapes, which I can then share with others. I previously worked as an educator in a community called “Casa Don Guanella,” when they began their “AgriBike” project. It will be an eye-opening opportunity for the young people, and I am very proud to have been a part of it, especially since the Don Guanella cycling community took my passion for cycling to a new level. I'm a nationally certified MTB and road guide. I look forward to meeting you and showing you the amazing Lake Como that I’m lucky to call home!
FAVORITE CLIMB
FAVORITE ROUTE
FUEL FOOD
Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and a nice glass of vino rosso

Casey Thompson
​Co-owner and Cycling Guide

ABOUT ME
​I began road cycling in earnest at 17 to train for my first triathlon. I then began racing with my university cycling team and working at the best bike shop--two experiences that have helped shaped me as an athlete and as a person. After competing in triathlons for a few years, and completing the Ironman Zurich 2013, I realized that it was cycling that had captured my heart. As an American who lives near Lake Como, I see why it is a huge cycling hub. The variety of beautiful scenery, the perfect climate, and the welcoming cycling community are a dream come true for avid cyclists. I look forward to showing you around my new home in Northern Italy. I promise you, it’s a destination that you’ll want to return to. I’m also a Certified Personal Trainer and offer fitness training to guide you beyond the roads.
FAVORITE CLIMB
Passo Agueglio (the descent even more than the climb!)
FAVORITE ROUTE
FUEL food
Pistacchio & Dark Chocolate Gelato (Summer)
Pan dei Morti (Autumn)
​And, of course, Fabio's pizza!

Garbriele Corti
Shop Assistant, Cycling and Hiking Guide

About ME
​Keen hiker & cyclist, Gabriele combines his love for his jobs as an English language teacher and tour guide. Graduated in Wildlife Biology & Animal Behaviour, he’s a Nature and Interpretative Guide for A.I.G.A.E. A true globe trotter, he spent 10 years living abroad, travelling widely, in particular to the American Continent, before returning to his beloved Lake Como.
favorite climb
'Colma di Sormano' from Asso. I love the silent stillness of nature, just the subtle spinning of the wheels, as I catch a breath round the switchbacks framed by spruce trees, idyllic spots where Italy aims at being Switzerland. 
favorite route
Dorsale del Triangolo Lariano. What better view over the lake than from a thousand metres above, where the trees and the distance muffle the street noise, to take you back to a place which feels timeless, where you are fully devoted to relish your senses through a mixture of adrenaline, the pleasure in gentle suffering all cyclists are familiar with, mesmerised by the stunning views. 
Fuel food
I never say no to a freshly baked homemade slice of cake at the peak of the mountain, a treat which I feel I fully deserve! 

Imad Sekkak
Cycling Guide & Shop Assistant

About me
I moved to Italy from Morocco when I was 12 years old. I was by myself and I was welcomed at the Don Guanella Community in Lecco (where Luca used to work!). The priest of the community introduced me to cycling and it changed my life. I began racing for elite junior teams and continental under 23 teams. My biggest accomplishments thus far are winning the Moroccan cycling championships and the Lombardia time trial championship. I also participated in the UCI under23 world championships in Innsbruck, what an experience! I am now 21 years old and look forward to working with Bike It! and sharing my training grounds on Lake Como with people from all around the world!
favorite climb
Morterone, a climb to the smallest town in Italy above Lecco!
favorite route
Lecco-Passo Spluga-Lecco, an epic 200km ride! 
Fuel food
​A big plate of pasta

Eugenio Bernardo
Cycling Guide

About ME
​ I always loved cycling, but when I was young I used to play football as a goalkeaper. Really early on I liked to watch cycling on tv, but it was not a sport for me, I was just a very passionate fan. Then, when I stopped playing football around ten years ago, I started to ride a bike. At first I went for a few short rides, once or twice a week, then those two rides became 3 then 4 and my passion for the sport continued to grow. Working shifts in hotels gives me good time to ride and explore the area. It also gives me the opportunity to ride to work!
favorite climb
Schignano then to San Fedele for a coffee and also salita del San Marino
favorite route
The Lake Lugano loop in less than 3 hours because it means I'm in good shape!
Fuel food
Croissants from Pasticceria Poletti in Cernobbio and also Pasticceria Lorla in Bellano (there's more jam inside!)
 

Andrea Mezzani
Cycling Guide

About ME
From my first bike rides as a kid with my "Saltafoss and "Atala", to the "Carretera Austral" in Chile as an adult, the bike has always been a means of travel that I love. I'm a passionate hiker and traveller and I work in the travel industry for hiking tours for over 20 years now. I live in Civenna, in the heart of the Larian Triangle and I thank my local geography to be able to ride along magnificent roads around Lake Como. I believe our area is a cycling paradise. Nature and history of our area intrigue me, the traditions, dialects, cuisine and more, and I can't wait to share them with you!
favorite climb
SuperGhisallo
favorite route
Fuel food
Fresh fruit and chocolate while I ride, and polenta uncia and red wine at the table.

The "Easy Riders"
Cycling Guide Assistants

About us
We are the locals, the original cyclists of the Brianza and Lake Como areas. Cycling is a lifetime sport for us, a shared hobby and pastime. We may be retired folks, but just ask the young guides above...we are still really strong! We can set the pace on the road and in the forest with our mountain-bikes. We look forward to giving you the authentic cycling experience on our roads...we can guarantee you a good time! A presto!
​-Elio, Mario, Gianni, & Enrico
favorite climb
Onno
favorite route
We have a few favorites:
​We ride to Varenna from our town for a coffee and back quite often...and we like going out to ride "un bel laghetto al fresco" or a fast Lagone with more friends.
Fuel food
We eat anything put on the table, sometimes even the table.

Roberto Cermenati
Guide, Ghisallo Wooden Rims Owner

About ME
I'm from Magreglio, a small town above Bellagio and famous for being the town of the Madonna del Ghisallo, the Patron Saint of Cyclists. My family has been producing wooden rims and accessories since 1946, and just last year we decided to open an Electric MTB rental in Magreglio which is what brought me to meet Luca and Casey. We have established a great friendship and collaboration with our bike rentals!
favorite climb

My favorite climb (and descent obviously) is to San Primo by E-MTB. There's an amazing view of Lake Como.
favorite route
Fuel food
Pizza! Especially if it's shared with friends I've just biked with

Paolo Leva
Cycling Guide

About ME
I started downhill biking at the age of 20 and then after many falls and breaks I stopped.
I am now a certified mtb guide, with an ebike qualification. With the latter you can discover incredible places in around our lake, even for those who are taking their first steps in this sport!
I want to share my passion and knowledge of the area with you, thanks to the bike! We are lucky we live in such a beautiful place!
favorite climb
Varenna-Esino
Mandello del Lario-Piani dei Resinelli
favorite route
Fuel food
Risotto al pesce persico

Julia Soprani
Cycling Guide

About ME
​I got into cycling progressively over the years because spending time in Lake Como without biking is equivalent to eating food without really savoring it. Riding a bike around this location enables me to soak in all of the beauty it has to offer and filter everything at a slower pace. Riding to me is about enjoying nature and slowing down. In fact, as much as I love studying languages in a fast-paced city like Milan and taking advantage of all of the opportunities it has to offer, I thoroughly appreciate putting a hold on the city life and enjoy the lake during the weekends. My dad fell in love with biking a few years ago and his passion has naturally transferred to the rest of us in the family.
I am very attached sentimentally to Lake Como since I was a child.  My family and I have spent almost every weekend of my childhood hiking and walking around the forests, swimming in the lake, enjoying everything it has to offer.
favorite climb
favorite route
Tremezzo!
Fuel food
​anything that revs up my taste buds (mostly dark chocolate and pine nuts, a big hearty salad, fried eggs and bacon)

Fabio Negri
Cycling Guide and Former Pro

ABOUT ME
​Ever since my father gave me a bike when I was 10 years old, I’ve never stopped turning the pedals! It’s a passion that’s only grown with time, getting stronger year by year, kilometer after kilometer.
It started with my family, then with my friends, then to discover new places, and then I began racing, became a professional, and worked for pro teams. Today I ride for fun, well-being, family, and company!
Thanks to cycling I’ve discovered every corner and hidden road along our wonderful Lake Como. Every climb, every turn, every pothole, every viewpoint, every trail! In my mind I call it MY lake 😊
I work in the cycling sector for my current job, in which I follow a famous pro team as a massage-therapist in various international competitions.
I thank my bicycle, because with those two wheels, chain, and pedals, I breathe that sense of freedom that fills my heart and lungs every time I ride, that makes me feel great, and that makes me appreciate a simple “cappuccino and brioche” or a tasty, cold beer at the end of my ride!
I can’t wait to ride with you on “my” lake!
FAVORITE CLIMB
Cornizzolo!
FAVORITE ROUTE
FUEL food
My homemade pizza and homebrewed beer!

Filippo Soprani
Cycling Guide

About me
I started to ride a MTB about 15 years ago after recovery from knee injury. Ever since then, I never stopped. I started to ride my Road bike about 6 years ago and now do both. When I was a kid I used to hate riding bikes and I only started to ride as my surgeon told me I needed to develop and keep good leg muscles in order not to brake my knee again while snowskiing. Since I really love to spend time in the woods and in the open, I started to really enjoy riding as a way ​of life. I realized that the world is a different place seen from a bike. The slow speed gives you more time to observe and sink in images and details otherwise never noticed. I rode twice the Santiago path on my road bike and absolutely loved it. I really like to ride with friends, so I have created a couple of riding groups (MTB and Road) so that I never have to ride alone!
favorite climb
Guello - Terrabiotta on the MTB
favorite route
Bellagio - Ghisallino
Fuel food
walnuts and fusilli all'arrabbiata