While we are known for our cycling tours to the biggest cycling events in the world, what may come as a surprise to some is we create and run several bespoke cycling tours a year.
You often hear us talk about our tours, as a change we thought you would enjoy hearing directly from one of our bespoke tours. This year our Australian cycling legend, Patrick Jonker coordinated a group of friends from Adelaide to experience the 2023 Giro d’Italia. Share in their adventure below.
Story provided by Terry – Group Leader and all round great guy.
Pat Jonker's Giro d'Italia Bespoke Tour
Like every great trip, half the fun is in the planning! We, like many across the world, were thrown a curve ball in 2020. The Dreaded ‘C’ caught us all out and we had to cancel our long-awaited cycling holiday to Northern Italy – a real disappointment at the time. 15 mates and I hunkered down, did what we were told, but most importantly keep cycling for fitness, health, and sanity!
We rode & trained and some of us even competed during this time. We eventually saw light at the end of the tunnel and in 2022 committed to our trip the following year. Everything ramped up – everything! Zwift sessions, weekend rides, kit & bike purchases, weight loss but most of all the social & bonding get-togethers. We were all on a mission – after 6 years since we first had the idea of ‘wouldn’t it be great’ we were booking with Bikestyle Tours and Travel Associates!
May 12, 2023 – 12 of us set off from Adelaide Airport – bikes packed in bike bags – this was really finally happening! First leg Singapore – long stop – Friday night drinks were very much enjoyed Raffles then Marina Bay Rooftop – great fun!
The long flight to Milan was hard, especially for the big guys, but eventually, we made it – we were on cloud 9! It was great to have a couple of days to relax, get acclimatized and see the incredibly old buildings! On Monday we were headed for Stresa on the beautiful Lake Maggiore. En route Marty a long-time Colnago rider, arranged a visit to see the private collection. It was absolutely phenomenal! We spent hours reading, gazing, photographing & meeting the family. Yes Ernesto Colnago, the founder himself, came to meet us all – we were in awe!
Heading for Stresa
We pushed onto Stresa to meet up with Pat Jonker and get settled in the first of many great hotels! (They were all excellent). Bike building was the only activity we had scheduled for the afternoon (other than enjoying a few quiet ones). All but one bike was assembled with ease. The disappointment was an understatement to find Burf’s beloved Bianchi cracked in 3 places … AHHHHHH! Pat was brilliant in coordinating/ facilitating a new one – calling on a favour from one of his contacts from his world tour days!
We had 3 days getting our legs & bearings around Lake Maggiore. We needed this, particularly after a small ‘off’ by one of the boys – luckily nothing broken – bones or bike! The food, wine & hospitality was exactly what we were told about & hoped for!
Next stop Switzerland
It was then time to uproot and head to Brig in Switzerland. We were immediately gobsmacked by the beauty of the Swiss countryside & the infrastructure – tunnels everywhere! We had even more appreciation of what Adam (the owner and all round top bloke) and Alex (Adams’s right-hand man, planner, hotel selector, guide, mechanic, exceptional rider, and all-around top bloke) of the work that goes into the daily operation. They pack up, load bikes on the van roof (we always helped) and then drove for hours and hours across the country with 7 blokes in each van towing a trailer on windy roads on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, only to arrive and unload it all. There was an incredible amount of work each day to make our holiday special. We were all sincerely appreciative of the work Adam, Pat, and Alex did each day, day in and day out!
Day 2 in Brig – was our first day seeing the Giro d’Italia – we were all so excited! It was a fair roll to the base of the climb of Crans Montana (stage 13). By the time we got to the base, we had to put in a reasonable effort to ensure we reached the top before being ‘escorted’ off the hill by the officials. It didn’t stop some of us from having a very strong nip of wine, gifted to us by the local roadside spectators! We made it to the top (well 500m to go) with enough time to see the stars fly past – we already had a good fair idea of what the pro riders do, but wow!!! Adam was good enough to take 1/2 of us to the stage start in Sierre (not on our program & one of the little extras he did to make our holiday unique) the next day. The stage start was excellent – seeing the riders up close and just generally getting into vibe was brilliant! The other 1/2 of the guys headed for the snow walls and views – they loved that too!
Italian Alps and Dolomites
Time to move back to Italy the following day – off to Bormio we drove! We were immediately at home in the ski/ biking village & welcomed like your grandparents in the fine family hotel! Marina and Favario couldn’t do enough for us and made our stay here incredible! After a long day in the van were keen to stretch our legs so we were quick to jump with the program & have an afternoon of riding the Piccolo Stelvio! My oh my that was why we came to Italy – switchback after switchback with a view back down to the valley on the road from the summit we had just traversed!
With the big Stelvio out of the question (the snow wasn’t cleared yet). Adam, Pat, and Alex came up with a plan B for the next day. Yes, it’s true the Bernini Pass isn’t the Hollywood climb of the Stelvio, but it offered something else. We rode in formation slightly downhill from Bormio to Tirano. Quick coffee and top-up off water bottles, so we would be ready for the 35km, climb through the checkpoint into Switzerland. It was tough, very tough – a real test for us all but when we got to the snow at the summit we were all rapt we had made it! A quick recovery snack and drink then straight back down again – followed by Adam’s drone – man you want to see that footage – it’s absolutely incredible! An Epic day – one we weren’t expecting but one never to forget!
After each ride, we would ‘celebrate’ with a couple of the local ambers and sit down and ’airdrop’ photos & videos to each other so they could be uploaded to our own Instagram, Strava & sms for family/ friends back home. The Bikestyle ‘crew’ were fantastic at taking and sharing some brilliant snaps to capture the moment. Never saw a photo where the subject wasn’t grinning from ear to ear!
One thing we all wanted to do was to ride up high alongside the snow walls. We got that opportunity the next day when we summited the infamous ‘Gavia’. It was a perfect day, not really that cold (we rode to the top in a short sleeve jersey) with no wind and a clear brilliant blue sky. It really was a pinch-me moment! We heeded warnings & were carefully slow on the descent – thinking we were privileged to be here and don’t want it to come undone by doing something silly!
Bormio was incredible but time to move on and ultimately see the queen stage of the Giro! But we couldn’t leave the area without tackling the infamous Mortirolo. The Mortirolo is mythical, Alpe d’Huez like. We cyclists have all heard of it, but honestly, we don’t really know much about it, we soon found out! Pat lead us to the base on a reasonably busy B road. He turned left and headed for a ‘village’ at the base of what looked like a hill – nothing too onerous. Pat stopped and I shouted – is this it? Pat nodded and said, “Go for it!”.
Not knowing where the segment started I returned to the main road and then ‘wound up’ initially in the big ring (not for very long). Luckily Alex had the route downloaded to the Garmins because it was confusing where to turn in the extremely steep driveway-like roads in the village. The climb was absolutely relentless – when it briefly dropped to 7% it was a relief! We were all ecstatic to finish the Mortirolo – that’s one to tick off of the list. We all huddled in the shipping container at the top and got changed into warm clothes. As if on cue, the rain and then hail came down – the timing was perfect!
Dolomites here we come! If someone asked what’s the world’s best cycling loop – we would now say the Sella Ronda. The snow-capped mountains are just so close. The photos just don’t do it justice -Another perfect day. The road traffic was pretty good (wouldn’t recommend coming here in July/ August). It would be impossible to do this loop at speed – you have to stop & take photos – it’s incredibly beautiful.
It was fantastic to see the Giro d’Italia one last time & what a stage it was – the queen stage. We climbed, like the pros slightly after, the Giau. 10km at 10% and then descended the other side to Cortina, a beautiful village to watch the champions come through! After 3 weeks they were still putting out that much power – they are incredible athletes.
Our last dinner and drinks that evening before transitioning to our final destination the next day – Como – to meet up with our wives (who had organized their own girls’ trip through Italy). We cut our riding slightly short so we could spend some time at the Madonna del Ghisallo (Cycling Church & Museum) on the hills above Como. It was absolutely brilliant, a must-visit. The church is very special and you could honestly spend a day looking at all the bike and bike-related displays there. We saddled up for the last time and rolled down into Como with what was the craziest traffic we had encountered all trip.
It was a huge relief to arrive in Como with everyone safe, healthy, and incredibly happy! The biggest celebration was had that night at a beautiful castle on incredible grounds. After 5 years we had just had a ‘trip of a lifetime’ without incident and with incredible memories.
I would like to sincerely thank Adam – you delivered much more than the itinerary said. You were generous, insightful & fun to be around, thank you!
Alex – thank you for your exceptional guidance, driving, and hard work on tour and behind the scenes planning our hotels and logistics – you are mature beyond your years. Until next time.
Pat – from the moment we approached you at the Tour Down Under Legends Dinner in 2018 you were brilliant at customising this trip for us. Appreciate all the catch-ups after hours to discuss with the group what to bring, and how to train, and what to expect. You went ‘above and beyond’ prior to and during these 13 days away – sincere thanks, mate!
Thanks, Terry G
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