Location
LOMBARDY, DOLOMITES & ROME
Duration
8 days | 7 nights
Length
60 - 100 km daily
Climb
200 m up to 2,200 m daily (depending on ability)
20 May 2024 - 27 May 2024
The final week of the Giro is always an epic one, and the 107th edition is set to be a classic. From the beautiful Livigno to the mighty Dolomites - and the Grand Finale in magnificent Rome... And as an "Official Premium Tour Operator" of the Giro, we'll be as close to the race action as you can possibly get, including riding the best 60-100km on the race route just a few hours ahead of the pros.
"This experience of riding on the same course as the pros, and just a few hours ahead of them, is unique in the sporting world. The atmosphere is simply incredible." Keith Tuffley, Founder - Grand Tours Project.
Week 3 is about mountains. This is the week where climbers have their moment, where breakaways attempt superhuman efforts for the glory of themselves and their team; and where the peloton reels them back…or not. It's tactical, exciting, filled with the drama of spills, mechanicals and commentators stirring the pot. Love it!
On our Week 3 Experience of the Dolomites and Rome you will ride portions of the race route each day, on the day of the race, ahead of the pros. World famous passes such as Foscagno, Stelvio, Santa Cristina di Val Gardena, Cime Sappada and Monte Grappa. But we will also guide you along quieter routes, through mountain river valleys, past quaint villages and towns with opportunities to stop for espressos and pastries. You will be able to access a VIP Start area to observe and chat with the support crews, maybe take a selfie with one of the riders and then enjoy the spectacle before the stage starts. We have also included access to the Giro VIP Finish area where you can relax and enjoy the Italian food and drinks, watch the big screen and then cheer, along with other madly passionate fans, the riders on as they sprint, race and then exhaustingly pedal over the finish.
But that's not all! On one stage, you will be able to cross the official Giro d’Italia Finish, the same as the pros, and then mount the Giro Winners’ Podium for photos and posterity.
As an "Official Premium Tour Operator" of the Giro d'Italia 2024, we have special access to the full race route, so we will have our support vehicle with us the whole distance, all the way to the finish line each day. Riding on the race course just a few hours before the pros makes this an unforgettable experience. Check out this story from one of our 2018 guests to be convinced!
If you are looking for a more challenging tour, please have a look at our Giro d’Italia Ride Every Kilometre tours.
Total price: From €4,980
Benvenuto in Italia!
We will meet you at a nearby airport (Bergamo or Milan) and transfer you to your hotel in Bormio. Our team will help you to check in and unpack your bike or set up your rental bike. After a light lunch or snack, we’ll test ride the bikes on the nearby roads and return. Back at our hotel, we can adjust the bikes, and then explore Bormio before dinner and the tour briefing.
GIRO STAGE 16 - BORMIO, STELVIO PASS & MERANO
Up to 100 km | 1,600 m
Diving straight into the deep end because the 3rd week of the Giro is ALWAYS like that - Passo Stelvio is our target. Starting form our hotel, Passo Stelvio it is about 22 km of climbing with welcome switchbacks to break the monotony of long straights and to ease the steeper gradients. The support van will either meet you here or find a safe place to store your warm kit (the support van may need to leave before the road is closed to traffic) for the long descent to Prato Allo Stelvio - a 24 km and 1,832 m descent, enjoy! Once everyone has regrouped, we will ride into the beautiful “Pista Ciclabile” to Merano where we will watch the race pass by before a transfer to your hotel in the Predazzo area where you will have time to relax.
GIRO STAGE 17 - PREDAZZO - PASSO DEL BROCON
50 km | 1,060 m or 74 km | 2,220 m
Wake up to fresh mountain air and a couple of big climbs. BUT if riding 2 passes is not for you, we have a shorter option too. After breakfast, you will ride the Stage 17 of the Giro route from Predazzo to Passo del Brocon…only once though! This route is so lovely - a sinuous trail through alpine meadows, larch forests and surrounded by mountains. Passo Rolle (1,989 m) ski resort first and then a super long 27 km and 1,300 m descent to Imer! Next up, 26 km and 1,230 m of climbing to Gobbera and Passo del Brocon. The support van will be nearby to transfer you to your hotel.
GIRO STAGE 18 - RIDE FIERA DI PRIMIERO TOWARDS VALDOBBIADENE + VIP START AREA & PLUS PROSECCO VISIT
53 km | 860 m
A full experience day today. First up after a leisurely breakfast, you will access the VIP Start Zone. You have the chance to see your favourite team and riders getting ready, possibly chat with the support crew or even a pro plus get that selfie! Watching the spectacle and the increasing excitement as the riders are called up and presented to the huge pink adorned crowd lining the start area. It doesn’t take much to find yourself cheering like the loudest fans. And then the race starts. You will also start a lovely ride through the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park to Belluno. Once checked into your hotel, the team will take you to a Prosecco DOC tasting venue…hmmm!
GIRO STAGE 19 - Pieve di Cadore - Comeglians - Cime Sappada
Up to 82 km | 2,050 m
A big day today. After breakfast, the team will transfer you to Pieve di Cadore. The team will then guide you along a quiet route and some sinuous hairpins up to Sella Ciampigotto (1,798 m). Then it's downhill until you join the Stage 19 route at Comeglians, the base of final climb. At Cime Sappada, you will join the fans lining the route and cheer the pros as they ride past. Then back down to the van and a transfer to your hotel.
GIRO STAGE 20 - Monte Grappa Loop
45 km | 1,600 m
The aim today is to ride one loop of the Monte Grappa route. This means an early start to complete the ride before the roads are closed. At the base of Monte Grappa, we will watch the breakaways and peloton fly by and then regroup at the van to allow for a quick getaway - there is a speedy train to catch! Once in the GTP van, we will transfer you to Venice Mestre to take a fast train to Rome Termini. The GTP van will continue the journey with the bikes. In Rome, we will ensure you are safely taken to your hotel.
Stage 21 - Rome circuit and VIP celebration!
30 km Flat
After breakfast, we will find our way to the start and ride the route to the coast and stopping for light refreshment at a lido. The return journey follows the same race circuit as last year, taking you past some of the major Roman landmarks, before crossing the Stage 21 Finish to cheering from passionate fans and then mounting the iconic Giro Stage 21 Winner's Podium. You will return to your hotel to refresh and change before we head back to the Giro d’Italia hub and enter the VIP zone right at the start/finish to watch the race. And if that wasn’t enough, you also have access to the Awards Ceremony area - the Italian organisers know how to throw a ceremony party and one never to be forgotten! At the conclusion of the ceremony we will have a final dinner and celebrate the end of our journey together.
DEPARTURE - ARRIVEDERCI
What a week! Are you invigorated and ready for summer? Inspired to continue your col challenges?
The 107th Giro d’Italia is completed but in about a month’s time the Grand Tour of France will start - will you join us there? If not, drag up the armchair and turn on the tele for another 3 weeks of intense racing…and remember your week of challenges in the Dolomites.