DAY 1, 11 TH JUNE TONY FONTANA TRIP JUNE, 2014 Collect from Malpensa at 10am and drive to the Dolomites (4 1/2 hrs). We will drop you off in Ortisei which sits at 1200 metres and you can ride the 40 kilometres to the hotel which includes two of the easier climbs in the Dolomites. The Passo Sella NOTE: To keep the cost of the trip down I suggest you arrive the day prior, stay at an airport hotel (I will get a rate) and assemble your bike and leave your bike bag at the hotel for collection on your return. They should store your case at no charge for you. I will provide you with a map so you can go for a ride along the canal to the little café we often go to. HOTEL ALPENROSE VIA PRECUMON ARABBA, 24 32020 ARABBA, ITALY WWW.ALPENROSEARABBA.IT PHONE: +39 0436 750076 MEALS: BREAKFAST, DINNER
DAY 2, 12 TH JUNE While the actual loop is only 52km it includes more than 1850 metres of climbing with four major passes, the Campolongo, Sella, Gardena and Pordoi. This will be a memorable part of the trip as it is definitely one of the world s great rides. Don t forget to stop at the top of where the Coppi monument is. We will head over the Campolongo first so we can say we did it both ways! It is a tough ride but the scenery at this time of year is fantastic. The first climb up is the longest, therefore the hardest, but the other 3 passes are well spaced so most people find this an enjoyable and not too difficult day on the bike. We will have a day to remember, so enjoy the ride and don t forget your camera! HOTEL ALPENROSE VIA PRECUMON ARABBA, 24 32020 ARABBA, ITALY WWW.ALPENROSEARABBA.IT PHONE: +39 0436 750076 MEALS: BREAKFAST, DINNER DAY 3, 13 TH JUNE The ride today is from the hotel taking in two big climbs. We ll start by climbing over the Passo Falzarego to Cortina. You may want to stop in La Villa for coffee before the climb, then descend down in to Cortina and grab some lunch before heading back out of Cortina and on to the climb up Passo Giau. From Cortina it is an 1100 meter climb, with an average gradient of just over 8%, so not for the faint hearted. Then it s down the descent and over a few pimples through Caprile and then a steady climb up to Arabba and the hotel. HOTEL ALPENROSE VIA PRECUMON ARABBA, 24 32020 ARABBA, ITALY WWW.ALPENROSEARABBA.IT PHONE: +39 0436 750076 MEALS: BREAKFAST, DINNER
DAY 4, 14 TH JUNE Today we leave the Dolomites and head to another great location and hotel. It s a kind of rest day today. You ve had 3 hard days on the bike and the next few days are full on again so it s a chance to take it easy. Your options are to ride from the hotel over the easier side of the Pordoi and through the valley over a small climb and down to Bolzano. SCALA STIEGL VIA BRENNERO, 11, BOLZANO, SOUTH TYROL, ITALY TEL: 0471 976222 SCALAHOT.COM DAY 5, 15 TH JUNE It s about a ½ hour drive to Merano where we will stop for coffee before we tackle the highest point of our trip, the mighty Stelvio. At 2757 metres it is a monster and today we will climb it most famous, hairpin side. I have us starting from Merano however you may choose to get a little closer to it before starting the ride, maybe Silandro? On the other side of the Stelvio is the ski town of Bormio which is transformed into a bike town in summer. Its location is perfect for tackling the big climbs in this area. HOTEL LA GENZIANELLA VIA ZANDILLA, 6 23032 BORMIO, ITALY TEL. +39 0342 904485 WEB: WWW.GENZIANELLA.COM
DAY 6, 16 TH JUNE Today you have a few options. I ve listed a few below but they are almost limitless. 83kms. Bormio Mortirolo (via Mazzo) - Bormio Our long ride option today is an 83km route from Bormio to Passo del Mortirolo and return. The first section is an easy enough 30 kilometres down the valley to Mazzo di Valtellina, mostly downhill. Mazzo di Valtellina is the beginning of the climb of the Mortirolo and the same direction as the Giro usually does. From here the climb up Mortirolo gains 1317 metres in 12.8 kilometres, a brutal average of 10.3% gradient and maximum of 18%. It is as hard and unrelenting as it sounds. If it tires you out you have the option of returning from Mazzo di Valtellina in the comfort of the bus, reducing the ride down to 52 kms. There is also an easy option for those that don t want to do any hard climbing today to ride from Bormio to Mazzo di Valtellina and return, meeting the riders after they ve climbed the Mortirolo. 26kms. Torre di Fraele This is a ride for the climbers to Torri di Fraele, high above Bormio. It s like a mini Stelvio with magnificent views and 16 switchbacks with a 770 m climb that finishes at the old military towers high above Bormio. It may be a short ride but it s up to 2000 meters and it s normally chilly at the top so take your warm gear for the descent. Or perhaps a little 50k round trip up the Gavia and back?
DAY 7, 17 TH JUNE This morning we will leave Bormio and head to the lakeside town of Lecco to experience another of Italy s famous rides to the Madonna del Ghisallo. From the hotel we ride along the lake shore to the pretty town of Bellagio for coffee, then climb to the small chapel which holds the shrine to cyclists. Only in Italy could anything like this be found! The Beata Vergine Maria Del Ghisallo was made the patron saint of Italian cyclists by Pope Pious XII in 1949 and her chapel is a shrine to cycling s past and present greats. The site has recently been extended to include a large modern cycling museum dedicated to the bikes and the people that have made the sport famous. There is the bike ridden by Fausto Coppi to victory in the Giro in 1949 and the machine used by Moser for the hour record in 1984. COMO OR LECCO, TO BE CONFIRMED POSSIBLY NH PONTEVECHI, LECCO DAY 8, 18 TH JUNE This morning we will spend the morning travelling across to the Alps. We will be heading for the town of Pinerolo at the base of Sestriere. We will arrive in Pinerolo for lunch, followed by the beginning of our ride. It s a very steady 50k climb to the ski village of Sestriere so it shouldn t cause too much damage! Once we arrive in Sestriere we will have a coffee and descend down to the Oulx Valley and along the valley to our final destination for the night in the border town of Bardonnechia. BARDONNECHIA, TO BE CONFIRMED
DAY 9, 19 TH JUNE This morning it s back in the van for the short drive to St Michel de Maurienne where today we will tackle the epic Col du Galibier. Our drive will take us under the mountains, through a 13 kilometre tunnel that separates Italy from France. So we will enter in Italy and pop out in France! Part one of your ride will be to the Col du Telegraphe at 1566 metres. It s not an easy climb but easier than what is to come. Grab a drink at the top and then we descend down to Valloire where we can stop for lunch before tackling the Galibier which tops out at 2646 metres, about 111 metres lower than the Stelvio. It s brutal and relentless but you ll get there. Once at the top you can gather your breath and take a few photos before descending down to the Col du Lautaret. It s not often you descend down to a col so enjoy it. On the way down you will see the memorial to Henri Desgrange, the creator of the Tour de France. Once at the Lautaret it s a left turn and continuing down through the town of La Grave to the valley floor. Here you will cross a dam wall and then it s an immediate left turn for your final challenge of the day, Les Deux Alpes. At the bottom you are at around 1000 metres elevation and Les Deux Alpes is just less than 2000 metres so it s not sooo difficult although it will feel a bit bigger after your long day. Our hotel tonight is in the resort village. LES DEUX ALPES, TO BE CONFIRMED
DAY 10, 20 TH JUNE The climb that everyone will want to try, Alpe d Huez... We will start from the hotel and descend down and turn left making a 5 km warm up on a flat road to Le Bourg d Oisans where the climb starts up Alpe d Huez. When you first start the climb you wonder what you have got yourself in to as the first 1.5 km is a steep ramp with gradients of over 10% until you round the corner on the first of the 21 switchbacks. The switchbacks are numbered in descending order from 21 at the bottom of the climb. Each of the switchbacks has a sign showing the elevation and commemorating one of the famous riders over the years who have won a stage on Alpe d Huez. It s worth making a stop to take a photo at one of the signs, and a really good excuse to catch your breath. At the top of the climb in the village there is a podium where you and your friends can get the ultimate souvenir photo. To head down we will follow the race route of 2013 down the Col Sarenne, a small winding isolated mountain road. At the bottom of Col de Sarenne we will turn right and then left to head back up to Les Deux Alpes. Maybe you re happy to jump in the van today which is fine. Your job is done! LES DEUX ALPES, TO BE CONFIRMED
DAY 11, 21 ST JUNE Our last day in the Alps, so we ll take advantage of our location and complete our Alpine challenge rides with a trip up the Col du Glandon and Crox de Fer. Riding from the hotel we will descend down to the valley and through Bourg d Oisans before turning right at Rochetaillee for the climb of 1924 meters to the Col du Glandon. It s a long but gentle climb from Allemond to Glandon with fabulous views all the way. From this side it s not too steep with an average gradient of 4.8%, although it does have the usual kick in the pants of many French cols and the last couple of kms are reasonably tough going, although a series of hairpins provide some relief and a bit of fun. From Col du Glandon we can turn around to head back down to the turn where we go left to add one more col to the day. From Glandon you descend a short distance before climbing for 2.5 kms up to the 2067 meter Croix de Fer (Iron Cross). Like the Glandon, the Col de la Croix de Fer has appeared in the Tour de France many times, most recently in 2012. After a quick stop for coffee at the café on the summit we will start the exhilarating descent to Saint Jean de Maurienne where we can have a bite to eat, clean up and head back to where it all started, Malpensa Airport. It shouldn t take more than 3 ½ hours so I expect we will arrive in time for beer o clock and the end of our trip. Tomorrow the hotel shuttle will be available to take you to the airport. It s farewell from us. We hope you ve enjoyed it and that we see you again soon. MALPENSA AIRPORT, TO BE CONFIRMED