Private Italy Bike Tour

Your trip starts in Stresa, on the shores of Lago Maggiore, the second biggest lake in Italy. Our staff will meet you late morning at our hotel – Hotel Boston. We also have a single collection from Milan Malpensa Airport at 10am. Staff will assist you to prepare your bike for our warm up ride this afternoon. We’ll make our way to Lago d’Orta, a small lake with the great Italian village Orta San Giulio overlooking the lake. After a coffee stop and a pastry, we’ll return to Stresa over a climb, 60km in total, ideal for checking our equipment. This evening we have our welcome dinner, including wine, as well as meeting your staff, they will answer any questions about your trip.

Our ride route today’s follows the course of a stage of the 2016 Giro d’Italia. An incredible stage won by Philippe Gilbert, solo. His initial attack was on a little (well not so little) climb out of Cannero Riviera, powering his way on the steep pinches through the forest above the lake. We’ll enjoy the rewarding views before the fun descent back to the lake. We’ll refuel in Verbania, where Gilbert claimed his victory. It’s a short ride back to our hotel from there. Tonight, you may like to try dinner on one of the islands just off the shore from Stresa.

Today's ride will start from Valpolicella wine region, and finish along the shores of Garda Lake. The wine region is just north of Verona, famous for its Arena as well as Romeo and Juliet. Verona hosted the final stage of the Giro in 2019 and the Road World Championships in 2004. Our picturesque ride through the wineries has about 1,500m of climbing. Tonight we’ll have dinner at our bike friendly hotel, why not choose a local drop to accompany your meal.

Our ride this morning starts after a short transfer. Our focus today will be on seeing the Giro Individual Time Trial, one of the most important stages of this year’s race. We start along a popular cycling trail in the pre-alps where the prosecco vines catch maximum sun. We’ll stop and watch some of the riders prepare at the start and roll off the starters ramp before continuing on and seeing the race a few more times along the course at various vantage points. After cheering the final riders on, we’ll travel to our hotel, strategically positioned between today’s and tomorrow’s stages.

Our main climb today is the final climb of the stage, to the summit finish of Piancavallo – a 14km climb with an average grade of 7.8%, much of the climbing in the first 6km with an average of nearly 10%. We’ll test out our effort and then watch the peloton race it this afternoon. It will be a spectacular finish. If you need inspiration, search for “Pantani Piancavallo” on youtube. We’ll return to our hotel at the end of the stage.

We head into the Dolomites today. Every time we visit the Dolomites, we are just astounded by its beauty. The jagged rock formations have captivated artists and scientists over the last 200 years. It is of no surprise that this area is recognised under the UNESCO World Heritage scheme. We’ll ride to our hotel today, under the casting shadows of the Queen of the Dolomites, the Marmolada. There are several steep pinches, over 15% on our way to Fedaia pass and after we pass an alpine lake, it’s a long descent to our hotel.

We are in the heart of the Dolomites and our ride today will be one of the most spectacular rides you’ll ever do – Sella Ronda. We circumnavigate the impressive geological formation of Piz Boè, high in the Italian Alps. We start with the road Passo Sella and the Sella Towers appear. We then descend a little and onto our next climb of Gardena Pass. In total – four climbs, in just 52km. Our final climb, possibly the hardest is Pordoi, don’t forget to stop at the Coppi monument. We can relax this afternoon, and even explore the local village, popular all year with tourists, nature lovers and adventurers.

Our transfer today will take us to the Gavia Pass where we start our ride from Ponte di Legno. We will ride the challenging side of the Gavia Pass and descend into Bormio where we will stay for the next 3 nights. Gavia is 17km in length with the toughest section in the middle of the climb. Within the Bormio region, Gavia is one of the big 3 climbs, Stelvio and Mortirolo the others. There are a number of tunnels from the South and as you approach the summit, the valley opens to a spectacular view. Combined with the tranquility of the white and black lakes, it’s a memorable climb. Our hotel for the next three nights is in the heart of Bormio and dinner is included each night.

The first rider over the highest point of the Giro d’Italia route each year is awarded the Cima Coppi, celebrating the champion of champions, Fausto Coppi. It will be claimed this year on Stelvio Pass, today. We’ll head there this morning ahead of the race and return to Bormio to watch the race on the final climb. There are 3 distinct sections of the climb from Bormio. Our start is quite gentle and the winding road ahead keeps up motivated. At the top of some switchbacks the views are rewarding. Our second section climbs along a valley plain, and often the road is surrounded in patches of snow, yet to melt. We reach the Swiss border, at Umbrail pass, the road steepens into the thinner air and often we observe the work of the Stelvio road crew having uncovered the road, creating a snow wall. It is truly an amazing time of the year to climb the Stelvio Pass. After reaching the summit, we descend and return to Bormio, following the race route.

We set off from Bormio today and head down the valley. Enjoy the downhill, it may be the fastest 40km you’ll ever do, you’ll feel great. We arrive at Mazzo di Valtellina where the 2nd toughest cycling climb in Italy begins, the Mighty Mortirolo. Gradients between 15% and 20% are not unusual, especially on the earlier segments. Keep your resolve, and you’ll make it, some may even have to push and some may even just turn around with their weary legs catching up with them. The reward is worth it, reaching the Mortirolo monument. Imagine racing this climb, at the end of a long Giro d’Italia stage! After reaching the summit, we descend back to the base where our transport will meet us and bring us back to Bormio. If you’re keen you may like to ride back up the valley, but it is a tough slog.

We leave the mountains and arrive on the shores of Lake Como. Our final ride is to a small chapel dedicated to cyclists – Madonna del Ghisallo, perched above the lage. We also have a ride extension that may make Mortirolo seem flat! Only short is the Muro di Sormano, but short doesn't mean easy. The "wall" as it is translated is a path dedicated for cycling and was built to test riders in the Giro di Lombardia. After reaching the top, we can reward ourselves with a warm drink and some lunch from the tavern at the summit. We’ll descend back to our transport. As it is our last ride today, we will pack up our bikes. Our final hotel is in the heart of Como. We’ll say farewell to our chauffeur and transport this evening before we catch up with our partners in Como and head into the village for dinner.

Today is our final day on our private bike tour around Italy. We’ve banked many memories and challenged ourselves on Italy's iconic climbs. Sadly, we say farewell. If you are staying on in Como, we wish you a pleasant stay. For those getting to Milan, there are regular train services to Milano Centrale. A private shuttle to the airport is about €150 for up to 6 passengers. If you are staying on in Europe, we wish you a pleasant stay. We wish you all safe travels back home and hope to see you again one day soon.