Giro d'Italia "Ride Every Kilometre" Week 3 - LOMBARDY, DOLOMITES & ROME

We will collect you from Milan / Verona /Bergamo airport and transfer you to our hotel near Salo. Our team will help you to check in and unpack your bike. After a light lunch or snack, we’ll test-ride the bikes and head along the lakeside and return. Back at our hotel, we can make final tweaks, and then meet up for an apero or two, followed by a briefing of the coming week’s tour and then enjoying dinner together.

A very early start and into the deep end, first day of week 3 and 5,200 metres of altitude! The first 60 kilometres is relatively flat and Lago di Garda remains on your right. At Bolognano is the start of the first climb to Passo di Santa Barbara and views back to the valley and lake. Lots of hairpins and thereafter are several climbs creating the vertical ascent total. Drop dead alpine scenery and villages, the Trento Autonomous Region is magic to ride through.

The GTP van will meet you at the finish with warm clothes and refreshments before taking you to your hotel in Trento.

After yesterday, the route swings to the opposite of vertical! A flat descent. Some cyclists think this is easy, but don’t be deceived - this is a tough and fast day, and you will be racing ahead of the caravan and peloton. So no time to rest if you want to get to the finish before them.

Heading towards the Venetian plains, you will pass through intensive agricultural terrain and skirt around Treviso before hitting the Adriatic coast north of Venice and eventually the finish in the seaside town of Caorle.

Back in the van to your next hotel.

Not so many kilometres and no epic high-altitude climbs …but still a big day in the saddle with accumulated climbs and some brutal ramps (19%!). Heading north along the Piave river valley and into the stunningly beautiful Dolomites. The beauty of your surroundings - the river valleys, lakes and forested climbs, will distract you from the odd steep bit.

You can extend your ride another 7 kilometres and descend to Logarone where our van will meet you and take you to your hotel nearby.

Today is the final mountain day and it is where the phrase, “the toughest race in the world´s most beautiful place” lives up to its claim. You need to start very early to stay in front of the race. First up an easy ride back along the Piave river to Belluno, then north along the Cordevole river to Lago Alleghe. Eventually, the first of the famous cycle cols of both the Giro and the GF Maratona dles Dolomites but in reverse order - Campolongo, 1,875m. Valparola 2,196m, (descending to Falzarego 2,105m) and then the stunning and legendary Giau 2,236m. BUT wait, there's more! Passo Tre Croci 1805m and finally the penultimate climb of the tour Tre Cime di Lavaredo 2,304m. If the weather is kind, stay to watch the pros ride to the finish, if not, then in the van and to the hotel.

The third and final Individual Time Trial is today. Only 18.6 kilometres BUT with a wicked final 7.5 km of out-of-the-seat excruciatingly slow climbing. Averaging 15% for the first 5 kilometres, easing off a bit before almost 12%. Hidden in the mix are 22% inclines. I feel the pain just writing this!

There is also a long transfer to Rome, so we suggest doing this stage first thing, changing and watching the first few riders arrive, before leaving for Rome. *A special transfer will be provided.

Final day of the Giro d’Italia and the Grand Tours Project Ride Every Kilometre. Ten laps of the race route in Rome, passing numerous iconic and popular tourist sites.

One last early morning rise to enjoy the peace and beauty of Rome before the crowds arrive and before the route is closed. We will all cross the finish line and jump into the podium.

We’ll return to the hotel to refresh and change and then return to the crowds to cheer on the sprinters and eventual winner of the pink jersey from the Giro VIP Lounge.

We’ll stay for the award presentation and then return to our hotel and our final dinner together.

Do not book an early flight! Have a sleep in and enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

This week was tough. Did you Ride Every Kilometre? If yes, well done and huge kudos to you. If not, no stress, the third week is always the hardest, being in the Dolomites. To ride every kilometre some of the stages is epic enough and now you know what to expect next year.

We’ll help you check out and pack up your bike and then transfer you to Rome airport for your journey home or your next destination.

We hope you loved the 106th edition of the Giro d’Italia with Grand Tours Project and look forward to seeing you on the road again.