We love riding bikes

What is your Grand Tour Project?

Are you passionate about cycling?

Do you want to escape your busy everyday life to live a unique and meaningful experience on your bike with like-minded friends? Do you want to get inspired and challenge yourself on famous Alpine passes where the glorious history of cycling was made? Or ride off the beaten path and explore roads only known by the locals in the most beautiful regions of Europe?

In 2013, I rode every stage, and every kilometre of the three Grand Tours (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España), on the same day as the professional riders, just a few hours ahead of the peloton. In 100 years of Grand Tours history, this was the first time an amateur cyclist had achieved this, and even now only 34 pros have completed all 3 Grand Tours in one season. That was my Grand Tours Project (see the website here). It was not just a personal challenge, but also a journey to share the spectacle of the Grand Tours and promote the cause of environmental sustainability through various initiatives along the route. In 63 days, I rode through hundreds of villages, discovered some incredible scenery, made friends for life and pushed myself beyond my limits more than once.

Then came the idea to share this experience with fellow passionate cyclists ... you. How? By riding every kilometre of every stage of the Giro, Tour de France or Vuelta for a week, just hours before the pros. By participating in the most prestigious granfondo in the world. By exploring the Swiss Alps, the place we call home - an unheralded cycling paradise. And by tackling the Géant de Provence with style. We believe this must all be done with outstanding support: from the friendliest and most competent guides to vehicle backup and mechanical assistance throughout the trip.

Join us for the ride of a lifetime. We’ll celebrate the culture of cycling. We’ll push ourselves. We’ll stop for pictures, coffee and (too much) gelati. We’ll make new friends. We’ll smile while climbing, and laugh when descending. We’ll taste the local cuisine - and wines. We’ll reinvent ourselves on two wheels.

What is your Grand Tours Project?

Keith Tuffley


This company meets high standards of social and environmental impact ❯❯

OUR PARTNERS

PRESS

Sometimes we get our 15 minutes of fame while riding our bikes in the most beautiful places...

  • B Corporation

    Grand Tours Project has joined the global B Corp™ movement

    B Corp

    May / 30 / 2022

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  • Bicycling

    2020 Best Bicycling Awards - Winner of Best Epic

    Peter Flax

    Dec / 3 / 2019

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  • The Telegraph

    Ever wondered what it's like to ride a grand tour like the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia or Vuelta a Espana?

    John Macleary

    July / 26 / 2018

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  • The Telegraph

    Inside the Giro d'Italia with Grand Tours Project (the prologue)

    John Macleary

    May / 14 / 2018

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  • Cycling Weekly

    Amateur cyclist tackles all three Grand Tours

    Jul / 15 / 2013

    Read More

OUR TEAM

  • Founder

    Keith Tuffley

    A sustainable future for our world is exciting, fascinating, fun, full of opportunities, and achievable. Cycling can play a big role in creating this bright future. It's energy efficient, it gets you close to nature, it creates friendships, it clears your mind. This is why I created Grand Tours Project: I want our guests to live meaningful experiences on the road while having the best holiday of their lives. Cycling is not just a sport: it’s a lifestyle and a philosophy.



  • Chief Executive Officer

    Uri Martins

    When I was 10 years old, I won my first bike in a design contest. I totally fell in love with cycling and followed the "cycling dream" until I became a professional. It has been the greatest adventure of my life and the way to know the world. I have spent 16 years as a competitive cyclist, the last 6 years as a professional in the Amore e Vita professional cycling team. I was 2 times Mexican National Champion and competed in 3 UCI Road World Championships. I love sharing the passion for cycling, the unique atmosphere, and the excitement of this amazing sport. I believe in cycling as a means to make this planet a better world, have a positive impact on society and play an important role in the environment. Cycling for me is the best way to know your self, grow, experience, discover, share, travel and enjoy life.

  • Creative Content Associate

    Yvette Yeates

    My first bike as a tiny 5-year-old was a big single speed with back pedal brakes. No training wheels, just a 'huge' hill, my Dad, me and the bike! By the end of the afternoon, I was wobbling around the paddock. Fast forward and you can find me at Clarence Street Cyclery in Sydney, selling helmets and cycle kits and where I met this crazy guy who had just completed an endurance race across New Zealand - Keith Tuffley. Now we live in Switzerland with 4 teenagers. When I am not kid chauffeuring or being GTP support, I am organising family summer adventures on bikes around Europe.

  • Tour & Logistics Manager

    Jack Butler

    I have always loved travelling and try to spend most of my time exploring new places and meeting new people. I am passionate about sustainable energy and strive to reduce my environmental impact as much as possible. I realised that I didn't want to fly because I didn't want to be responsible for too many air miles for my hobby. As such in 2018 I cycled from France to China on a self-designed and built 100% Solar power-assisted e-bike. I have been on many long cycle tours since then across many countries. Hoping to cycling in Kazakhstan again as soon as possible as the next cycle trip! And this summer, I'm looking forward to joining the Grand Tours Project team and helping guests achieve their goals!

  • Digital Marketing Specialist

    Elnura Akperova

    While I'm more of a city biker than a cycling enthusiast, my passion lies in marketing and tourism. I love the idea of giving people unforgettable experiences through our tours.

    In my role, I focus on sharing the unique stories and exciting adventures that each of our tours offers. I believe in the power of discovery and the joy of connecting people with new experiences. My goal is to ensure that every tour we offer isn't just a journey, but a memorable adventure that resonates with our travelers long after they've returned home.

  • Bike Guide & Technical Support

    Fay Hondeman

    I live in the Netherlands studying engineering at university in a beautiful old city Delf. I am. Being Dutch,I have been riding a bike since I could walk. When I was 10 years old, I got my first road race bike. The next day, my dad took me for a 70 km ride and although exhausted I was very proud at the finish line. Besides riding in our "flat" country (below sea level), I first rode in the mountains when I was 14 years old during the Maratona dles Dolomites. Now I love riding in the mountains. In 2019, I joined Grand Tour Projects for the first time, helping the GTP quests during their rides in and around the Alta Badia area. So I am excited to be a part of the GTP team again and looking forward to start a new adventure this summer together with you!

  • Bike Guide & Trip designer

    Michiel Van Ooteghem

    8 years ago, my father invited me on a cycling trip to the French Pyrenees. I accepted and – after only 3 practice rides in my home country, Belgium – I immediately fell in love with cycling in the mountains. 2 years ago I decided to move to Switzerland to start a new job as a physiotherapist. I rode there by bike and those days on the road were some of the best experiences in my life. Now 2 years later I’m putting my work as a physio on hold to put all my energy into being the best cycling guide I can be. Another passion of mine, photography, will surely come in handy in those amazing places we’ll visit together. To be your guide during these wonderful cycling adventures is truly a dream come true and I’m very much looking forward to it!

  • GTP Bike coach, Bio mechanic & Bike guide

    Marco Benfatto

    Marco started cycling at the age of 10 and participated in his first cycling road and indoor professional tournaments in 2013. Overall, Marco has achieved around 200 victories in various categories. Marco continues to grow personally by studying F.C.I. professional cycling and becoming 2020 a coach for young riders; obtained the Certificate of “biomechanics applied to cycling” with Bikeitalia in 2019 in Milan; and will soon graduate in “Science of motor and sports activities” following a 3-year curriculum. Currently, Marco is working in the fitness industry as an athletic trainer and biomechanical for cyclists. Enjoying a healthy lifestyle always. His motto is “sport is a long journey to self-discovery”. In 2022 Marco joined the GTP Team and is already a fun and friendly team player.

  • Middle East Representative

    Ebrahim Abdulla

    I started my cycling journey in 2012 in a small shop trying to find a bike that fits my needs, and I opened my eyes finding my self between road bikes and mountain bikes. Triathlon was my choice as I participated in several triathlons and had 6 Iron Man medals, yet my heart belongs being a cyclist. Riding a bike is like flying from a place to another, like exploring the hidden parts of the world. It’s a challenge between you and yourself to see whether you can reach the real finish line or not and if you can put the last missing piece of the picture. It’s very easy to let the air run into your hair and skin, it’s very easy to compete and experience the challenge, which makes it easy to live your life. I am 35 years old, but I am never too old for cycling.

  • Chief Mechanic

    Vaughan Caseley

    As a teenager I started cycling on the BMX track, later progressing into the then new sport of mountain biking. Work and career intervened until my mid 20's when my doctor advised me to lose weight and I rediscovered my passion for cycling. Fast forward 25 years having pedalled on thousands of kilometres of trails and roads, coached skills to all levels of cyclists, managed the Australian Mountain Bike Marathon team and scaled numerous mountain passes I find himself living in the wonderful Swiss Alps. I now spend my days guiding, coaching, repairing bikes and sharing my passion for cycling over a coffee or 3!

  • Bike Guide & Trip Leader

    Elena Valentini

    From fast ice skates to the bike, I was only 8 years old, but this is how my adventure started. I was born in Bolzano and from there I began my journey - 7 years in pro road cycling in major teams like Top Girls Fassa Bortolo and Alè Cipollini. When 12 years old, I discovered cyclocross, achieving the most beautiful sporting results of my career: 3 Italian champion titles, a fourth place at the European Under 23 championships, 3 times winner of the Giro d'Italia in cyclo-cross and wearing the blue jersey at the world championships, world cups and Europeans. I graduated in sports science, sports massage therapist. For me, cycling is emotion, freedom and there is nothing more beautiful than seeing the world around us with our own eyes and passing on our emotions to our travel mates.

  • Bike Guide & Road Support

    Loic Chopard

    I grew up playing competitive ice hockey in Switzerland and only discovered the pure bliss of cycling in my early 20s. I’ve been in love with cycling ever since. Be it road cycling, mountain biking, track, gravel, bikepacking - being on a bike simply turns me into a happy kid! My second biggest passion besides cycling is traveling and meeting people, and is there any better way of seeing the world, getting to know cultures and meeting people than on a bike? I believe not. When I’m not riding, you’ll find me cross-country skiing or having coffee while planning my next cycling adventure. I can’t wait to go with you to places where we can feel all the legacy of cycling history and share my passion with you.

  • Bike Guide & Trip designer

    Luka Furjan

    Born in Ptuj in Slovenia, Luka studied Sinology at the University of Ljubljana. At that point his hobbies of his included running, rock climbing and travelling. It was only in 2013 while studying Chinese in Taiwan that he discovered his passion for cycling. This is also the time he started working as a cycling tour guide. Seemingly endless climbs in Taiwan filled him with lust on tackling the European peaks as well. He has since worked with Chinese language one way or the other in various parts of the world while trying to keep fit and expanding his cycling heatmap on as many of the sealed and unsealed roads as possible.

  • Bike Guide & Trip Leader

    Andreas Pescoll

    Andreas has always had a deep passion for the mountains. Born in 1987, he learned this from his father at an early age; as a child he started hiking during summer and skiing in winter. This led to several years skiing competitively. The following year he began to learn to paraglide, but this was quickly trumped by bicycling – his real passion. It all began with a road bike. Amazed by the beautiful scenery of the Dolomites, he began riding. In 2010 he qualified as a bike guide, and started work at a cycling company in Alta Badia. In Andreas’ free time, he trains for various amateur cycling races and of course for the legendary “Maratona dles Dolomites” where he consistently places well. Andreas currently lives in La Villa in Alta Badia. He is a native Ladino, and speaks Ladin, German, Italian, and English.

  • Bike Guide

    Kerry Hellmuth

    Kerry started guiding mountain tours because she lived for a number of years in Bormio, a town nestled in the shadow of the epic Stelvio and Gavia passes. A former professional cyclist who still loves climbing big mountains, Kerry is just as happy to ride at the tail-end of our group enjoying Italy’s most famous passes at a more leisurely pace. Married to an Italian, Kerry now lives in Trento where she teaches at a high school, studies toward a PhD, raises her two sons Gino and Giorgio, and savours la dolce vita with a steady diet of local wine, cheese, and of course, gelato. You can often find her out on two wheels enjoying her local territory--the Dolomite mountains, so unique, dramatic, and astoundingly beautiful that they have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • Bike Guide & Trip Leader

    Peter Murdoch

    Cycling... what a passion it has become. What started off as a exploration into triathlon to lose weight, ended up being a discovery of a deep passion. I have always enjoyed the freedom of riding a bike and exploring, but it came to me in my early twenties, the desire to ride a road bike and go and appreciate our surroundings whilst undergoing challenges. I currently reside in Le Châble just below Verbier in the Swiss Alps with my wife and our dog. I came here to follow another passion of skiing, and in the winter I am a full time ski instructor as well as coaching new and current instructors. When I'm not teaching in the winter, I head out into the mountains ski touring with my dog. Outside of cycling or skiing, you'll find me in the kitchen experimenting with cooking or baking".

  • Bike Guide & Purposeful Tours Specialist

    Jacqui Coward

    My passion for cycling started in the late 90’s as a teenager, growing up in the Canadian Rockies. In my early 20’s I mountain biked across the Alps in a week and it changed me forever, introducing me to endurance cycling. I have since traveled around the world with my bikes and I find nothing more joyful than exploring a new culture by bike. With experience in outdoor education and a background in organisational leadership, I find great value in using outdoor sport as a means to deepen the awareness of an individual or a connection of a group. I currently live in Vevey, Switzerland, where I enjoy bike racing and the endless network of road cycling routes in high mountain passes from my doorstep.

  • Bike Guide & Technical Support

    Sam Berry

    Sam has been riding bikes his whole life and has raced all around Australia and New Zealand on both the road and the track. When Sam is not riding on or off the road he is often somewhere in the mountains. Sam is from Perth, Australia but has lived in France for the past 6 years. The summer of 2022 has been Sam's first season working with GTP. Sam also works as an Outdoor Educator in Switzerland. This summer Sam spent 2 months facilitating summer camps for students in Costa Rica.

  • Bike Guide & Pro Masseur

    Josep Miralles

    Since I was 12 years old, from Mallorca throughout Spain and Europe, cycling has been my way of travelling and enjoying every corner and every moment, as a cyclist, professional cyclist and now as a cycle support guide. Between 2015 & 2017, I raced professionally and after retirement from racing, I continued to follow cycling, supporting many teams as a professional masseur, mainly for the pro-Movistar team. The bicycle has been present always as a way of life.

  • Bike Guide & Technical Support

    Nicola Dal Santo

    Hi! I'm Nicola. I live in Italy specifically in Verona, the City of Love. My life as a cyclist was born many years ago when I was a kid, I started with cycling competitions at the age of 8, and I continued up to 27 years of age, the last 4 years as a professional cyclist. I thank my sport because I had the opportunity to discover the world, other countries, other people and to have many friends! My hobbies are walking in nature, in the mountains or at the lake, it doesn't matter; I like to travel alone or with my family; I like to cook; I often invite friends to my house for a BBQ in the garden or for pasta or rice (my specialty).

  • Bike Guide & Technical Support

    Christian Paul

    Born in 1967 in Germany. Started cycling as all boys; riding to school and to the pool. Moved to Switzerland at age of 19, when I started to discover mountain biking. Exploring more and more terrain. Entering mountain bike racing at age of 24 and still racing marathons such as Grand Raid Verbier – Grimentz. Then I discovered road biking. I love long-distance rides and Grand Fondos, such as the Fausto Coppi in Cuneo, Mallorca 312, Tour de Mont Blanc, Tour des Stations in Valais or just for fun riding long days and endless alpine passes. The best experience though was 2019 Eroica. Can’t wait to go back there, meet more crazy cyclists and nibbling some tasty Chianti. I am a Swiss cycling guide, and it will be my pleasure to share my passion for biking in the beautiful Swiss Alps!

  • Bike Guide

    Marcos Lembo

    Having tried every sport in the world, from climbing to diving to parachuting to surfing and some other “ing”; when I had 17 years old, going downhill in a road bike at too many kilometers to count, after an endless climb, I stumble (not literally) at my favorite sport. It, and its variations, had it all: suffering, rejoicing, history, adrenaline, and some more suffering. Years after, and still trying some new sports from time to time, cycling is present in my daily life as much as breathing (again: not literally). And through it, I found friends, cultures, jobs and travelled the world (yes, literally). Some people have abs at their core, I beg to differ: I have cycling at my core, and like any proper cyclists, no abs to be seen.

  • Road Assistance & Technical Support

    Joel Cuenya

    I grew up in Bariloche, I lived in different neighbourhoods, I grew up with snow, winter, mountains, lakes, that is one of the reasons why I am now living in Switzerland, something very similar to my beloved Bariloche, a place in Europe similar with beautiful mountains. My father is a bicycle lover since I was little and I saw him a lot on the bicycle during the summer seasons. I am passionate about supporting our guests to achieve their goals, be it on street tours like Grand Tours Project or where you explore on vacation. I think that cycling allows you to better appreciate and observe the landscapes and everything around you making new friends.

  • Bike Guide

    Marcello Usala

    Born in Sardinia, Marcello is a Mediterranean man through-and-through, and proud father of Emma and Tommaso. His other passions apart from cycling are cooking and music. He has designed itineraries and guided cycling tours throughout Italy for the last 15 years and he wishes to keep doing it for the next 50!