A ROAD CYCLING WEEK IN THE ALPS IN CONJUNCTION WITH GIRO D'ITALIA

On the roads of Giro d'Italia in the Alps

  • Starting price

    € 1469

  • Duration

    7 Days

  • Activity level

    Challenge

  • Departing dates

    20 June 2020

  • Guided group tour

    Small group minimum 6 riders | Private groups, any size on requested dates

  • Location

    Bormio, Italy

Support level

  • Accommodation

    6 nights at 4-star

  • MEALS

    Six dinners; all breakfasts.

  • SUPPORT LEVEL

    Guiding; spare bike, bars, gels and electrolytes available on purchase; group transfers from/to Milano airport from/to Bormio; 10% discount on bike rentals.

  • NOT INCLUDED

    Flight tickets; extras in hotel, etc.; drinks during the dinner; city tax (if any); travel insurance; bike rental; individual arrival and departure transfer.

  • ON REQUEST

    Supplement for single accommodation € 260 p.p.; bike rental.

Send us a quick inquiry

What about a road cycling week in Bormio, in the hearth of the Italian Alps? It's a real paradise for us road riders and a week there sounds amazing, right?

Bormio is ideal to ride some of the most iconic and sometimes intimidating climbs in the world, like the famous 48 hairpins up Stelvio, the wild and beautiful Gavia Pass as well as the famous Mortirolo Pass.

As a living monument to cycling, the mountains around Bormio, pile up more names every season. Names of active cyclists are next to legendary ones. Names like - in the modern history of Tour and Giro - Fausto Coppi, Charly Gaul, Gino Bartali, Louison Bobet, Felice Gimondi, Raymond Poulidor, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Marco Pantani, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome.

Those climbs are in the legend of cycling and putting our flags on top of them sounds just great.

What if we add to this already awesome plan the opportunity to watch the Giro action on top of Mortirolo?

Could we ask more than this? Well, maybe a visit to a Pro-Tour - Canyon sponsored - team?

Yes, this cycling week is not just a training camp, but a once in a lifetime cycling experience.

Detailed briefings, constant contact with our skilled guides, planned food stops, perfect Canyon rental bikes make for a safe and enjoyable daily riding. Choice of hotel and stops is made with care and with deep knowledge of the places.

Our Route

Day 1: Arrival day

Arrival at Milan airport and transfer to Bormio, Italian Alps. Accommodation and dinner at four-star hotel.

Day 2: Ride to Passo Mortirolo then Ponte di Legno and Passo Gavia. 105km; 3200m.

Passo Gavia, the final and main climb of the day, is a very challenging climb: first of all because it’s quite long, about 17 kms, then because it gets very high. Thin air at altitude (2600m ASL) is no joke, no way to be really prepared for that. So, better saving legs when possible. For this reason, we take our time going up. We climb up Gavia starting from Ponte di Legno, like in occasion the 97th Giro d’Italia (2014), won by the Colombian Nairo Quintana of Movistar Team. Accommodation and dinner at hotel.

Day 3: The two sides of Stelvio pass. 60km; 2200m.

Stelvio pass is in the cycling myth since 1953, after a 34 years old Fausto Coppi, was able to grab his last Giro d’Italia, dropping the GC leader, the Swiss Hugo Koblet, in a legendary day. Stelvio was a dirt road at that time, and bikes were not as sophisticated and lightweight as now. Romantic cycling, as they call it.

“I’m still that eight-year-old kid who rode up the Stelvio. I’m still that kid in my legs, in my head and in my heart.”
–Ivan Basso, former pro cyclist.

There’s big debate among cyclists on which side of Stelvio is the nicest: Lombardy side, from Bormio or Trentino side, from Prato allo Stelvio. We don’t want to influence your opinion, so we give you the opportunity to make your own idea. We ride up from Bormio, go all the way down across Switzerland, and up again from Prato allo Stelvio, enjoying all the famous 48 hairpins up top.

Day 4: Ride up Mortirolo to watch Giro queen's stage on top of Mortirolo pass. Back through Tirano. 80km; 1925m.

A day dedicated to watch Giro from the sidelines of one of Europe's hardest climbs: Mortirolo pass. This must-do HC climb is world famous as is very challenging and steep. It’s been included in the Giro in 1990 and it became famous for the legendary stage of 1994 Giro when a very young Marco Pantani dropped his majesty Miguel Indurain, showing the world a new star was born. A monument to the famous Italian climber is at km 8. Nearly on top of the climb, we take a break at the rifugio, then we select a good spot to watch the riders.
Coppi wins Giro '53 on Stelvio

Day 5: Ride to Cancano lakes. 25km; 1000m.

Ride to Cancano lakes. 25km; 1000m. We take a recovery day and do a shorter ride to explore the lovely mountains closer to Bormio. Why don’t going for a lovely ride up Cancano lakes? Short but gorgeous, it gives us the time to take an afternoon stroll in town and watch the end of Giro's stage.

Day 6: Livigno and Stelvio's Swiss side. 108km; 3100m.

Can a climb up Stelvio propose three totally different and yet amazing routes? To discover it, we'll cross Foscagno Pass, west of Bormio, an reach the tallest Italian village, the lovely Livigno. From there, we coast the Livigno lake and change... Country. Yes, half of today's ride involve Switzerland. Tight 76km after the start, we get to Mustair - or Santa Maria as we Italians call it - and start our third climb up Stelvio Pass. Normally the question among riders is 'which of the two Stelvio sides do you like best?'. Well you'll be one of the few cyclists that can choose among the three ways up.

After a cappuccino and some local pies, we descend to Bormio and celebrate a glorious week of cycling in the Alps!

Day 7: Farewell and departure day.

Transfer to Milan airport and end of services.

Resources

About places and climbs

Food and wine

Similar Trips

TOUR OF THE LEGENDARY CLIMBS OF THE ALPS

A 10-STAGE TOUR ON THE GREATEST ALPINE CLIMBS OF GIRO D’ITALIA AND TOUR DE FRANCE

There are places that have been stage for great sport challenges. Among them, some that touch our collective imaginary of cyclists much, are enclosed in the Italian and French Alps.

Alps have been generous or infamous to cyclists, distributing joy, pain, victory over the last hundred years of the most important stage cycling competitions: Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. On their tarmac, cycling fans have written the names of their favorite champions, and champions have written the history of our sport. 

The names of these Alpine passes might be daunting to some: Stelvio, Mortirolo, Gavia, Colle delle Finestre, in Italy, Lautaret, Izoard, Galibier, Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux in France. For this reason, putting our flags on top of them is the biggest prize to us dedicated riders and will stay forever in our minds.

Go to trip

THE EPIC SARDINIA

A 5-STAGE TOUR ON THE WILDEST AND UNSPOILED MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL SARDINIA

Epic Sardinia consists of five stages with elevation profiles and routes that highlight all of the capabilities and abilities of a dedicated cyclist. Make no mistake. It’s designed to maximize cycling enthusiasts’ expectations of what top-of-the-line cycling is all about. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Epic Sardinia was designed with no regard to commercial aspects. The only focus was on putting together only the nicest, wildest most special roads: those we love most. The result was... Epic. And despite not commercially oriented, Epic Sardinia has become a commercial success too.

Epic Sardinia takes place in an incredible natural setting featuring long stretches, tough climbs, short and quick ascents, flat roads and false flats as well as long winding descents. The tour starts in Cagliari and finishes at the beautiful beach at Bari Sardo.

At its end you’ll have ridden up and down in the glorious Gennargentu, the highest mountain range on Sardinia.

Go to trip

We have (so far) three offices accross Italy. Contact us via email, call us or drop by.

Cagliari

Headquarters

Via Gaetano Donizetti, 7
Quartu Sant'Elena, Italy
+39 070 204 10 29
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Costa Smeralda

@ Hotel Airone

SP59 to Baia Sardinia
Arzachena, Italy
+39 070 204 10 29
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Letojanni

Sicily headquarters

Via Vittorio Emanuele, 130
Letojanni, Italy
+39 340 342 6320
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  • This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • +39 070 204 10 29
Support from 9 AM to 1 PM | 16 to 19 (GMT+1)

Newsletter