"See Naples and die!" – a Mediterranean coastal adventure with Hans Rey

"See Naples and die!" – a Mediterranean coastal adventure with Hans Rey

Join MTB pioneer and explorer Hans Rey on an Italian odyssey of bikes, volcanos and ancient history

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Ed Thomsett

Published: May 3, 2019 at 9:26 am

Hansjörg Rey, aka Hans ‘No Way’ Rey, is a certified legend in the MTB world. Not just of the sport either – Hans progressed through the trials riding scene in the '90s, earned himself a UCI world champs title and amazed viewers of his many videos. In recent years he's dedicated himself to travelling around the globe in search of new riding adventures, and one of his latest exploits has taken him to Italy and the Amalfi Coast – with an impressive ride from Amalfi to the island of Ischia, taking in the rich history along the way. Hans used his old-school trials skills to navigate through a maze of ancient trails and exposed rocky outcrops, avoiding active volcanoes and Mafia-run ghettos. Of course, being an accomplished adventurer, Hans not only managed to hunt down the best riding, but also the finest pasta, wine and limoncello along the way!

We ran a photo-feature on Hans' trip in our April issue (MBUK 367). The accompanying video has just come out, so check it out here:

Hans and his guide Ottavio – well-fuelled with pasta and gelato – setting off from Amalfi, under stormy skies. Photo: Martin Bissig
Hans and his guide Ottavio – well-fuelled with pasta and gelato – setting off from Amalfi, under stormy skies. Photo: Martin Bissig
Don't look down! Hans rails around the lip of the giant crater on the still active volcano – Mount Vesuvius. The ancient Roman city of Pompeii is visible in the background, which was obliterated by an eruption in AD 79. Photo: Martin Bissig
Don't look down! Hans rails around the lip of the giant crater on the still-active volcano – Mount Vesuvius. The ancient Roman city of Pompeii is visible in the background, which was obliterated by a devastating eruption in AD 79. Photo: Martin Bissig
The crater on Mount Vesuvius is 305m deep and measures 610m across. The trail around the edge is not one for vertigo sufferers. Photo: Martin Bissig
The crater on Mount Vesuvius is 305m deep and measures 610m across. The trail around the edge is not one for vertigo-sufferers. Photo: Martin Bissig
No adventure in Italy would be complete without exploring the local markets and sampling the cuisine. Photo: Martin Bissig
No adventure in Italy would be complete without exploring the local markets and sampling the cuisine. Photo: Martin Bissig
The last day of the trip started with a ferry across to the island of Ischia and then a 789m descent from the summit of Mounte Epomeo. Photo: Martin Bissig
The last day of the trip started with a ferry across to the island of Ischia and then a 789m descent from the summit of Monte Epomeo. Photo: Martin Bissig

This feature originally appeared in MBUK issue 367. You can subscribe to MBUK here and check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts for all of the latest mountain bike action.

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Ed Thomsett

Contributor

Former Mountain Biking UK features editor Ed Thomsett is a downhiller at heart but has been riding bikes of all types since a young age. He's raced both nationally and internationally in downhill and enduro, and has spent several summers living in the Alps and Canada, riding, roadtripping and living the dirtbag lifestyle. Now Ed calls upon his years of experience riding bikes to the limit as a writer and reviewer for MBUK and BikeRadar. He's also an avid trail builder and has scraped out numerous steep and technical lines in the woodlands of his native North Yorkshire. These days Ed will happily turn his hand to any discipline and believes the sign of a good week is when every bike in his shed ends up muddy by the end of it.
Han Rey – Trans Napoli

Sven Martin

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