The EBT Team

Maurizio has been involved in the mtb scene for more than 20 years and loves mountain-biking because of the opportunity it has given him to discover and experience Sicily and other parts of Italy. In addition to being a founder of the Mongibello MTB Team and Etna Bike Tours, he has been active on the biking scene for many years, promoting cycling in all forms in southern Italy. In the past he has organized cycling events such as The Catania Bike Festival and is the brainchild of the annual Etna Marathon mtb race and the The Etna Marathon Tour stage-race. He is an expert on the trails, a qualified Italian Cycling Federation instructor and a qualified walking and nature AIGAE guide. He’s a lover of good food and wine and like all good Sicilians, has a penchant for desserts made with ricotta!

Úna is from Ireland originally and moved to Sicily in 2005 to work as an English teacher. She discovered a love for mountain-biking and joined the Mongibello MTB Team in 2008 and the Etna Bike Tours Team in 2018. Over the years she has biked and explored many parts of Italy with the group though these days she prefers bike-packing to racing. Her favourite off-road trails are around Mount Etna and in the Nebrodi Mountains and she loves swimming in the Ionian Sea in all seasons!

Sergio practically lives on the trails on Mount Etna and knows them like the back of his hand. He has a passion for trail-building and is responsible for the development and maintenance of the Etna Marathon and the Etna Marathon Tour race tracks. He’s from the western side of Sicily and started his biking in the Madonie Mountains where his favourite trails are still to be found. He joined the Etna bike Tours team in 2016. He is a qualified Italian Cycling Federation instructor and is also an excellent baker of bread and biscuits!

Liz is English but has been living in Sicily for more than twenty years so she’s practically half-Sicilian! A former professional biker and British mountain bike champion, Liz currently rides with the Mongibello MTB Team and loves the long, hard climbs on Mount Etna. She has competed at the highest levels in various different World and European Championships and is still competing. During a ride, she can give you tips on how to make the best use of your bike and how to deal with the most challenging sections and, don’t worry, she will always adapt to your speed!

Johanne came to Sicily from Canada to play water polo in 2001 and she never left! After participating in two Olympic Games and many World Championships with the Canadian team, she continued her career in Italy where she won World Championships and Champion cups with her team until she retired from sport. She now enjoys the ‘dolce vita’ in Sicily, spending time on Etna and walking her dog. She is the most recent addition to the EBT work team and is an amazing cook with desserts being her speciality!

Vincenzo is a true lover of nature and has over 20 years of experience on Sicilian trails both as a hiker and a mountain biker. He’s an experienced Naturalistic Environmental Guide and very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the island, as well as countless routes and paths that connect old villages to nature reserves of exceptional beauty and extraordinary historic sites. Vincenzo is a guide but he’s also a traveller and his philosophy is that biking and walking in nature are essential for both our body and our mind, in order to get to know ourselves better and to see things from a different perspective.
He loves typical Sicilian cooking, especially fish dishes and potatoes, cooked in a variety of different ways and if you’re lucky he’ll point out something tasty to pick and eat along the trails!

Mariella is passionate about mountain biking and nature and loves sharing these experiences on her many wonderful trips to discover new places and flavours in Sicily. Her favourite trails are down south in the Baroque areas of Ragusa and Syracuse, but she’s not averse to the many routes on and around magnificent Mount Etna as well. She’s happiest when outdoors and loves swapping biking stories, talking to clients and sharing her knowledge of Sicily with them.