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TRIP DETAILS:
Duration: 9 days (8 nights)
Dates: Sunday, 23 May to Monday, 31 May 2010
Start: Malpensa (Milan) Finish: Malpensa (Milan)
Accommodation: Selected 4 star hotels
Group Size: Maximum 35 people (4 Staff)
Cost: AUD$4450.00– Single Supplement AUD$720.00
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Inclusions

Optional Extras:
Bike Rental $480 (Cannondale Synapse carbon fibre)
Pre or post tour accommodation to extend your stay
Travel Insurance and Car Rental.
Email us for details

Trip highlights:
- Visit Italy’s magnificent Dolomites and its famous climbs
- Challenge yourself on famous climbs including the Stelvio (weather depending), Gavia, Mortirolo and Plan de Corones
- Ride through some of Italy’s most scenic regions

Who is this trip for?
This tour offers an amazing variety of terrain, race viewing and cycling. As with all of our tours you’ll be guided by our expert team of ride leaders, drivers and guides. You will experience the excitement of the Giro d’Italia and see stage starts and finishes, a mountain time trials and the most exciting mountain stages of the tour. This tour starts in Milan before moving to the Dolomites to witness all the action and the beautiful scenery before heading back to Milan.

As usual Bikestyle Tours we will be offering a minimum of two options per day. One is a ride for those enthusiasts who like to challenge themselves on some climbs and/or longer distances while there is an option for those wanting to take a gentler approach to their cycling and not ride quite as hard or as far!

Download the Giro Dolomites Stages Itinerary PDF

Day 1, Sunday, 23 May: Arrival at Malpensa

The tour starts today with our staff meeting you as you arrive at Milan Malpensa Airport and transferring you to our hotel a short distance away.
Our hotel is a modern 4 star property near to the airport ideal for our test ride this afternoon.

Once we’ve got you settled into the hotel we will assemble bikes and take a short local ride through the surrounding countryside and along a bikepath that follows one of the canals to stretch your legs and check your bike is in good working order.

For those interested who arrive early enough you can travel into Milan for the day.  The best way is to return to the airport and go into town on the train.

Tonight we will have a welcome dinner where you will meet your fellow travellers and where our staff will go over the plans for you next week of cycling in Italy.

Overnight: Malpensa
Meals: Dinner

Day 2, Monday, 24 May: Rest day

It is a rest day in the race today so it’s a perfect opportunity for us to head for the hills or Dolomites in this case where we will stay for two nights at Riscone just 2.5 kms from Brunico and 20kms from San Vigilio at the base of the Plan de Corones. The picturesque town of Brunico is considered the pearl of the Pusteria Valley – because of its beauty and being surrounded by a spectacular mountain scenery.

We have quite a long drive today to catch up to the race. There will be time to sleep or watch a movie on the bus as we make our way to the Dolomites. We should arrive in time for a short ride this afternoon after we check into our lovely 4 star hotel.
Facilities include:
Free use of the sauna area (Finnish sauna, bio-sauna, steam bath, infrared cabin)
Hot-Whirlpool
Free access to the new indoor swimming pool in Reischach

Overnight: Brunico
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3, Tuesday, 25 May: Stage 16, San Vigilio – Plan de Corones, 12.9 km, TT

The Plan de Corones mountain time trial is just 12.8 kms long, but the one time it has been included in the Giro was in 2008 when stage winner Pellizotti took 40 minutes and 26 seconds with an average speed of just 19.1 kph, which gives you an idea of its steepness. It begins gently enough with a 3.7% grade over 2.5 kms, then ramps up to 9% for the next 5 kms, then it’s no less than 10% for the last 5 kms on a dirt road, with one pitch as steep as 24% just 1km before the 2,273-metre summit.

So our mission for today is to get to the top without putting a foot down! Well that might not be possible but we can try. We will leave the hotel early after breakfast and ride to San Vigilio where we will begin the climb before it gets too crowded. We would suggest you do the climb and return to the lower slopes to see the race there as it will get very cold at the top and we won’t be able to get any support vehicles up there with jackets for you. Good Luck!

Overnight: Brunico
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4, Wednesday, 26 May: Stage 17, Brunico/Bruneck – Peio Terme, 173 Km

This morning we couldn’t be in a better position to see the race start. Before the race begins however we should have time for a ride before returning for a shower, checkout of the hotel and go to see the race. We expect the start time to be around 12.30 which will allow us time for riding however if it is earlier we will reschedule the ride for after the start.

Race starts are great to see. First of all the publicity caravan leaves town. Next the teams arrive with their team vehicles with their roofs full of bikes and team buses with the riders safely tucked inside being given last minute instructions from their directors. After instructions they must do what is called “sign on” where they sign a start sheet. The rule is no signature, no start.  The riders will ride their bikes to a podium where the crowds gather to see their heroes. So some good places to gather are near the team buses or somewhere between the bus and sign on. Normally the stars and the pink jersey signs on towards the end so be patient.

Then after all the ritual it’s time to go. The riders go to the start to begin their long day in the saddle. The race always leaves on time with the first part of the race being a neutral period to get them safely out of town.

When the race has left we will get on the bus for our drive to Bormio where we will stay for the next 4 nights. Our 3 star Hotel is within easy walking distance of the old town.

Our 3 star Hotel is within easy walking distance of the old town and is geared to looking after cyclists.
Some of the features include:
Large breakfast buffet, Five courses menu, Free WiFi internet access, Wellness centre, Equipped workshop for small repairs and bike washing facilities and Free laundry service for sportswear.

Bormio is a medieval town of surrounded by spectacular peaks lies near the Swiss border. The old village has a pedestrian zone with small town shops, quaint restaurants, markets connected by busy streets leading to the best hotels, restaurants and the ski area. This town has thrived for centuries because of its thermal waters discovered and developed first by the Etruscans and Romans and eventually enjoyed by succeeding civilizations. There is an ancient spa which has developed through Roman, Medieval and the Imperial eras.

Overnight: Bormio
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5, Thursday, 27 May: Stage 18, Levico Terme – Brescia, 151 Km

Today however we will have a break from the race and take opportunity to ride the most famous of all Italian passes, and one of the highest surfaced roads in Europe, the Passo dello Stelvio.

Our ride will start from the hotel in Bormio and take the slightly shorter route up Passo Stelvio. At this time of year the other (more famous) side is still closed. It’s a 45 km return ride and involves about 300 meters less climbing than from the Prato side. Starting from Bormio, the Passo dello Stelvio is 21.5 km long. Over this distance, you climb 1533 vertical metres. The average percentage is thus 7.1 %. We will return to see the race on TV this afternoon. There is a slight chance the road will be closed but we have always found it to be open in late May, whereas early May can be doubtful.

The original road was built in 1820-25 by the Austrian Empire to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria, covering a climb of 1871 m. Since then, the route has changed very little. It has 60 hairpin turns with 48 of them on the northern side.

Overnight: Bormio
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6, Friday, 28 May: Stage 19, Brescia – Aprica, 195 Km

What a day today will be! Your chance to ride one of the most feared climbs in the pro peloton.
Our focus today will be the Passo di  (1854m). Mortirolo has been used nine times since 1990. Venezuela’s Leonardo Sierra was first rider over in 1990 and Spaniard Antonio Colom was first in 2008. The 2010 Giro will climb from Mazzo di Valtellina as it usually does. The Mortirolo climbs 1317 metres in 12.8 kilometres, an average of 10.3% gradient and maximum of 18% after the San Matteo church. From here there is 32.6 kilometres to Aprica (1173m) and the finish line.

This morning we will leave the hotel and ride the 35 klms down the valley to Mazzo di Valtellina which is the beginning of the climb of the Mortirolo. Today’s stage from Brescia takes the riders over Passo del Mortirolo (1854m) before its arrival in to Aprica. No doubt this climb will be decisive in the race today and probably in the overall standings.

Your options from Mazzo di Valtellina are to ride all or part of this climb, find a good spot, enjoy the spectacle and watch the riders fight it out and return down to see the finish in a bar on TV. After the race we will return to the hotel by bike or bus, the choice is yours.

Tonight we expect Bormio to be busy with teams staying in the town so there should be an opportunity to go and visit a team hotel and see the mechanics at work cleaning and preparing bikes for tomorrow.

Overnight: Bormio
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7, Saturday, 29 May: Stage 20, Bormio – Ponte di Legno – Tonale, 178 Km

The Giro celebrates 50 years since it first used the Passo di Gavia (2618m). Italy’s Imerio Massignan passed over first in 1960, but two punctures allowed Luxembourg’s Charly Gaul to catch and pass him on the descent. The last time the Giro visited, in 2008, Mexican Julio Pérez Cuapio topped the climb first. The 2010 stage climbs up the opposite side to normal. From Bormio, it climbs 24.9 kilometres with an average percent gradient of 5.6%. It leaves 29.2 kilometres to race, to the Passo del Tonale (1883m).

This morning we couldn’t be in a better position. If you wish you can see the race twice today. We will go to the start this morning and see the race off. As it heads south towards Torano we will get on our bikes and ride towards the Gavia. The race isn’t due back in Bormio for about 3 hours so we have time to ride to the top or part the way up and see the riders pass on their way to Tonale. By this time they will have already climbed 2 climbs and they will be quite spread out. After they have passed we may have time to get back to the hotel to see the finish on TV.

Overnight: Bormio
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8, Sunday, 30 May: Stage 21, Verona (Individual Time Trial), 15.3 Km, TT

The Giro completes its 3,461.5 kms of racing with a short 15.3 klm time trial in Verona, hometown of Damiano Cunego.

We have thought long and hard about today’s itinerary. After the brutal stages of the past week we expect the race to be decided by now and doubt that the small time gaps that could be gained from this stage will have any bearing on the overall classification. The other consideration is the long transfer to get to Verona and then back to Milan makes it virtually impossible to do in a day, at least without major inconvenience for our clients.

So this morning we will leave Bormio and go to downtown Milan where you will have the afternoon free to visit the shops and sights of Milan.

Don’t forget to watch the time trial on TV. It’s a great way to watch a TT as you get the time checks and see all the action and what’s even better is to see it in a bar full of Italians giving their commentary and opinions.

Milan is the fashion capital of Europe and perhaps the world. It is a shopper’s delight with every big name represented as well as some smaller but very prestigious smaller design houses. It is very cosmopolitan and you can find cafes with food from every corner of the world. It is Italy’s financial centre with most of the major corporations basing their corporate headquarters here. The three highlights well worth a visit are the Duomo (cathedral) with its museum and rooftop terrace, the Scala, the city’s famous opera house complete with its theatrical museum and Leonardo’s masterpiece in the Cenocolo Vinciano.

Tonight we will have our farewell dinner in a local restaurant.

Overnight: Milan
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9, Monday, 31 May: Arrivederci

All good things must come to an end and it is time to say arrivederci. We will arrange your transfers to the Milan Malpensa Airport.

Inclusions
Tour cost is per person twin share and includes:
-Transport throughout by private luxury coach with custom bike trailer.
-Services of 4 experienced tour guides, including a former Pro cyclist, plus our coach driver.
-Transfers on Sunday, 23 May from Malpensa airport to hotel
-Transfer on Monday, 31 May to Malpensa airport
-8 night’s accommodation, in selected 3 and 4 star hotels (with private facilities).
-Buffet breakfast daily
- Minimum 3 course evening meals every nights
-Mechanical assistance with your bike
-Sightseeing as listed
-Maps and Bikestyle guide to the Giro d’Italia
-Bikestyle Tours cycling jersey, cap and musette bag