Giro D'Italia Bike Tour Itinerary

Day One: Cortina
Take a train from Venice to the foot of the big mountains where your guides will meet you and transfer you deep into the heart of the Dolomites to the famous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. On the world map since the 1956 Winter Olympics, Cortina is a mecca for cyclists and skiers alike. After a welcome drink and light lunch at our hotel, we will embark on a short loop ride over our first pass, Tre Croci, past scenic mountain lakes and back down the valley to Cortina. This evening we will welcome you to Italy in style with a true feast featuring the best of region’s mixed Italo-Austrian heritage.

Meals: Light Lunch and Dinner
Accommodations: Ambra Cortina
Destinations visited: Cortina, Passo Tre Croci
Accomplished: 40 km / 25 miles

Day Two: Giro on the Giau
Today we will set off down the valley from Cortina on our way to view our first Giro stage. Leaving the main road our route takes us deep into the mountains up the challenging grades of the Passo Cibiana. Descending into the valley we will turn onto the race route just hours ahead of the peloton. You’ll feel like a racer as we ride through the thickening crowds up the famous switchbacks of Passo Giau. We’ll stop here to watch the riders go by on what will undoubtedly be the deciding climb of the stage as there is little chance of catching a breakaway on the downhill to the finish line in Cortina. We will follow the race caravan into town to experience the post-race excitement in the streets before retiring to our hotel.  

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodations: Ambra Cortina
Destinations visited: Passo Cibiana, Passo Giau
Accomplished: 95 km/57 miles

Day Three: Gruppo Sella
As the pros head south for the plains of Venice, we will stay in the mountains for one of Italy’s most epic rides. The Gruppo Sella is a cluster of mountains that rise like rock towers over the center of the Dolomites. They were the scene of intense mountain warfare between the Austrians and Italians in World War I and a network of caves and tunnels bear witness to these violent years. Nowadays a series of scenic mountain roads ring these peaks, crossing over four distinct passes on the way. The route is a rite of passage for Italian cyclists and is featured in the annual Maratona dei Dolomiti, a one-day amateur ride that attracts 10,000 would-be Pantanis. We will be riding through the heart of the Sella group as we climb over the Falzarego, Campolongo and Pordoi passes before descending into the Val di Fassa and our next hotel in the mountain town of Moena.    

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Dolomiti
Destinations visited: Passo Falzarego, Passo Campolongo, Passo Pordoi
Accomplished: 85 km / 52 miles

Day Four: Finish on the Alpe di Pampeago
Today the peloton returns to the mountains in a stage that is sure to be full of excitement as the pink jersey favorites need to fend off their rivals’ attacks while looking to launch their own as the podium in Milan draws nearer. In order to reach the finish line in Alpe di Pampeago, we will need to do some climbing of our own.  Setting off from Moena, we’ll warm up our legs on the 10 km climb over Passo di Costalunga. The road cuts through a gap in the spires of the Catinaccio Range before dropping down through the scenic pastures and forests of the high plateau.  Descending into the valleys above Bolzano we will return to the Giro route, riding the last 25km of today’s “tappa” (stage) over Passo di Lavaze and up the final climb to the finish line in Alpe di Pampeago. From here we will have the opportunity to watch the racers pass by twice as they will loop through Pampeago once before climbing Lavaze to then return for a mountain finish.  We will return to the hotel for a relaxed evening while the racers go to prepare themselves for one of the toughest days in recent Giro history.
        
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch
Accommodations: Hotel Dolomiti
Destinations visited: Passo di Costalunga, Passo Lavaze, Alpe di Pampeago
Accomplished: 86 km/ 52 miles

Day Five: The Grand Stelvio
This past summer, Giro organizers asked fans to vote on which climbs they wanted to see featured in 2012. Not surprisingly (given cycling fans’ sadistic love of watching racers suffer) the winners were the Mortirolo and the Stelvio, arguably Italy’s two most famous passes. After a long, mountainous approach, the riders will first tackle the Mortirolo from a side that is rarely attempted (11 km at a grueling 10.4% average grade and pitches as steep as 21%). Then, after a treacherous descent, the pink jersey will almost certainly be decided on the longer, more gradual slopes of the Passo Stelvio (24 km at a 6.9% grade). Rising to 2757 m (9045 ft), this is the highest paved road in Italy and a fitting finish for one of the toughest mountain stages in recent Grand Tour history. Over 218 km of riding, these riders, already exhausted from 19 days of racing, will face 5900 meters (or 19357 ft) of climbing. That’s nearly the height of Denali in one day!  In order to be there for this epic finish (and do a bit of epic cycling ourselves), we will transfer to the base of the Stelvio and climb the classic eastern side up the famous 48 switchbacks that lead to the top. After watching the pros finish, we’ll descend the other side into the thermal resort town of Bormio for a well-deserved soak in the hot waters and farewell feast at our luxurious hotel.

Meals: Breakfast/Dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Baita Clementi
Destinations visited: Prato di Stelvio, Passo di Stelvio, Bormio
Accomplished: 55 km/ 33 miles

Day Six: Podium in Milan
On the last morning we will transfer you to Milan to watch the final time trial. If the day over the Mortirolo and Stelvio has not crowned any clear winners, this last stage holds the possibility of a last-minute upset (think Evans over Schleck in this year’s Tour de France). After the race finish in downtown Milan, you can opt to stay in the city or head off to your next destination.

Meals: Breakfast
Accomplished: Total Satisfaction