A 10-stage biking tour on the greatest Alpine climbs of Giro d’Italia and Tour de France

Passo Gavia, the final and main climb of the day is very challenging. First, because it is quite long, about 17 km, and because it is 2600m above sea level, where the air is thin. Thin air is no joke, and there is no way to prepare for it. So, to save our legs for this challenge, we will tackle the Mortirolo from its ‘easier’ side, from the little town of Grosio. Then we will climb up to Passo Gavia starting from Ponte di Legno, just like during the 97th Giro d’Italia in 2014, won by the Colombian Nairo Quintana of Movistar Team. Accommodation and dinner at hotel.

Ride to Cancano lakes. 25km; 1000m. This is our last day in Bormio. We have a long transfer today, but we will still want to enjoy some quality riding. Why not go for a lovely ride up to the Cancano lakes? Short but gorgeous, it gives us the time to take a shower, have a light lunch and move to Oulx, Piedmont, about 400km away. Accommodation and dinner at three-star hotel in Sauze d’Oulx.

“Returning to the way it was then” could be the subtitle of this stage. Yes, because history from the heroic age of cycling has been written on dirt roads, and races are now recovering this tradition by using bits of mountain roads still not asphalted such as the iconic last 8km of Colle delle Finestre. The first of this new  old fashioned – stage - was the Savigliano to Sestriere stage of Giro 2005 that featured two ascents up Sestriere and finally Colle delle Finestre. It was a blast watching riders climbing up in a cloud of dust, and it told worldwide race organizers that bringing cycling back to the way it was then is worth the risk. Only the big climbers have completed this climb. But do you remember Chris Froome’s legendary attack from the very beginning of this climb, taking him to victory of both the stage and Giro 2018. It brought modern cycling 50 years back in time. Well, we need to go there, right? Stage start and finish are at Sauze d’Oulx. Accommodation and dinner in an excellent three-star hotel.

We will make a quick transfer beyond the French border and start our ride in Briancon. It’s the door to another bucket list climb, the Col de l’Izoard. Coppi, Bobet, Bartali, Bahamontes, Pantani and many other famous cyclists had glorious days, flying over the last climb’s hairpins, known for its lunar aspect. We will ride all the way up to 2361m over sea level. At 2200m we will enjoy a meal at the Refuge Napoleon, and then we will cycle down to cross Briancon and ride the Col del Lautaret, Serre Chevalier side. After this very long climb with gentle gradients, we will enjoy the lovely downhill to our hotel, in the little village of La Grave. Accommodation and dinner in an excellent three-star hotel.

These mountains have two rideable sides, and both sides are fantastic. We will start with the Lautaret. At 2058m, it is not among the tallest mountains, but it is the door to Galibier, one of the highest tops of this tour, at 2645m, and very often the highest mountain climbed during the Tour de France. Tour de France has done Galibier 59 times so far, and, as usual on such high passes, any year is a new page in a history book. To understand this better, two monuments have been left here by the French. One is to Henri Desgranges, founder of Tour de France, the other is to Marco Pantani, who made French enthusiasts fall in love with him because of his racing style. It’s a place we cannot miss. And we won’t. We will ride back to La Grave and have dinner at hotel.

This is the climb of the Tour de France par excellence. You might think this is because it is a very high mountain. But it is not. It is just 1885m above sea level. But the consistently challenging gradient of around 8% in a 14 km stretch puts cyclists – even pro riders – to the test. This is especially true since this ride comes after so many elevation meters gained during the week. We will get there by cycling down from La Grave to Le Burg d’Oisans. From there, suddenly we will start going up immediately on a steep slope. We are sure not to break the sub 37 minutes’ record set by Marco Pantani in 1995. And for sure neither Pantani, nor the pro cyclists who raced there next, could have enjoyed a well-deserved beer at top of the mountain, as we’ certainly will do. That is one of the privileges of being slow riders. Our stage ends there. Accommodation at Alpe d’Huez at three-star hotel.

We move to the lovely French region called Provence to enjoy the last two days of this amazing tour. It’s a long way in the van from Alpe d’Huez to Bedoin. We will have the time for a light lunch at the hotel and go for a short but awesome ride through the natural monument called Gorge de la Nesque. Slight gradients, wild countryside and spectacular views are the stuff that make the best appetizer for us who like to taste a lovely dinner accompanied by a local red wine. Accommodation and dinner in a four-star hotel in Bedoin.

Is there a better way than climbing Mont Ventoux to put an end to a cycling adventure like this? We don’t think so. Mont Ventoux is another myth of cycling. Like Alpe d’Huez, it is not among the tallest mountains. Nonetheless, cyclists remember this huge mountain with its white cap caused by the total lack of vegetation on its limestone slopes that pops up from the hills of Provence, We know what you are thinking? Will the view be the same as I’ve seen on the TV, while watching the Tour? Yes, it will. During the last 4 km, you’ll find yourself immersed in the same unusual, desert-like, dazzling white top, with the television tower that marks the finish line. This will be your last stage, and, even though the climb is very long – 15km, at an average gradient of 7.7%. Your legs will be very tired, but you won’t want the ride and this amazing tour to end. We will stop at the refuge at the top to enjoy a lunch with view. Then we will enjoy the very long and quick descent to Bedoin. Accommodation and dinner in a four-star hotel in Bedoin.