Giro d’Italia Bike Tour Write a review
The Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) is one of the world's great road cycling races and we're here to help you see it, up close and personal. Choose which part of the race you'd like to see and cycle some of the most beautiful roads in Italy. Test your mettle against challenging climbs in the Alps or choose easier riding in a different region. The route changes every year so the time and place are up to you based on that year's itinerary. At various points during the week we'll intersect with the Pros as they ride by, usually on a climb or passing through a village so we can see them at a (relatively) slower pace. Enjoy great cycling but also experience the culture, cuisine, and dolce vita that you find everywhere in beautiful Italy.
Giro d'Italia Tour Includes
Booking: e-mail us at info@mondobiketours.com to receive a booking contract (or use the 'Contact Us' link at the top of this page), or click on the 'Book Now' button to the right.
Giro d’Italia Bike Tour itinerary Request full itinerary
THE FOLLOWING IS A SAMPLE ITINERARY to give you an idea of how the trip works. You choose the area you'd like to ride in, and we'll coordinate the tour to follow the race itself:
Meet mid-afternoon at the Tirano train station (a 2.5-hour train ride from Milan, or 5.5 hrs from Venice), then 45-min drive to Bormio. Assemble bikes and short warm-up ride if there’s time. Bormio is a picturesque mountain village between the passes of Gavia and Stelvio. It will make a perfect base for the first two days of cycling. Overnight Bormio. Hotel and dinner included.
Your first ride this morning tackles two of the classic rides in the Italian Alps: the Mortirolo and Passo della Gavia. The Mortirolo is where Pantani launched his first attack in a Grand Tour, dropped Miguel Indurain, and began his career as a cycling legend. After the Mortirolo, attack the Gavia, another mythic climb, where Andy Hampsten battled to the top in the snow and gained enough time to win the Giro in 1988 (the first and only American to win it!). A cyclist’s comments about the Gavia: “It’s long… and steep (17.5 kms, 11 of which are above 8%). Pacing yourself will be the key. At the top the landscape is so bare, and there is only one rifugio, a lake and a glacier: it is one of the most isolated Alpine passes you can find in Italy. Most likely there will be nobody around. Surreal and beautiful.” Return to your hotel for a soak in the spa followed by dinner. Overnight Bormio. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.
Today we bike the Stelvio, another 20 km climb and the highest road in Italy! Stop at the top and find a spot to watch as the Pros come by. After the race has passed, we have a lovely long downhill and continue to Prato allo Stelvio for a van shuttle into the heart of the Dolomites and the area around Canazei. A cyclist’s comments about the Stelvio: “well, the Stelvio is MORE than a climb. It is a legend. My grandmother remembered the times when Coppi and Bartali were climbing it in the late 1940s! It’s as long as the Ventoux. I think the record is 1 hr 5 mins.” Overnight Canazei. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.
Today’s ride is one of the most famous in all of Italy, and certainly the most famous “ring ride” in the world. The “Sella group” is a ring of four contiguous passes, the Sella, Pordoi, Gardena and Campolongo, making a total distance of 55 km (35 mi.), and elevation gain of 1,780 m (5,800 ft). It’s not only a great ride, but it’s set amidst some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in the world. A cyclist's comments: “There’s a LEGENDARY pasticceria (pastry shop) in Corvara!” Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.
We head south today to intersect with the riders as they pass by Moena, a cute little mountain village in the heart of the Dolomites. Today is a good day to rest the legs and return to the hotel early for a hearty home-cooked meal. Overnight Canazei. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.
The Giro riders are doing the individual TT up Monte Grappa today, which was a bit too far south for us to include in our tour, but it allows us to bike the next transfer east towards the looming Zoncolan. We can set our sights on some more gorgeous Dolomite cycling, passing by the chic and beautiful ski resort town of Cortina, and get a glimpse of the famous Tre Cime (3 peaks) di Lavaredo. Overnight Auronzo. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.
Test your mettle one last time on this uber-gruelling ride up the Zoncolan. It’s also our last day to see the riders as they make their way past us on the climb. A cyclist comments: “Look at the profile, it’s ALL RED. The biggest difficulty is not only that it is steep, but there are basically NO switchbacks and no views, so, no time to stand up and catch your breath. The road gets to 12-14% and it STAYS that way all the way until you go through a tiny tunnel, then it gets strangely easy and it finishes off with 1-2 kms with switchbacks at “only” 10%. Piece of cake!” Overnight Auronzo. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included.
We’ll be quite close to Venice, so we will organize transport to the Mestre train station (either in the van or by train). You could also hop on a train and go to see the finish in Trieste, which is a beautiful town in its own right. Breakfast and transfer to Venice included.
Note: bike rental is NOT included since many people bring their own on a tour such as this, but we can provide you with a high-quality road or hybrid bike if you like (cost around €150-200 for the week). If you bring your own, we will charge a small fee for the transport of the bike boxes.
Activity Level: This trip is rated Challenging but can be tailored to easier levels if required. If we choose the final week of the tour -- almost always in the mountainous north of Italy -- the rides will include lots of uphill climbs and flying downhills, but we can also choose to see the tour in more gentle areas, or else just try and minimize the amount of climbing that we do. There will be full van support, so you can choose how much to ride each day. There may also be some walking involved as we make our way to see the riders on the climbs. The daily distances can as much as you want! (usually somewhere between 60 – 120 kms (40 – 80 miles).
The itinerary changes every year so we can't provide any information at this point, but if you'd like to get a general idea of traveling to and within Italy, see our "Transport Info" page, as well as our blog post on the Italian train system.
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This is a fantastic trip riding over some of Italy's most famous climbs. It can be done by anyone with a reasonable degree of fitness and determination. Your guides will ensure you have great trip.
by Allen B
This trip follows the Giro d'Italia but you experience the coastline of the Cinque Terre, the high renaissance of Florence, the beauty of Bologna and the medieval villages of the countryside.
by G Kearney
