Our updated policies for Coronavirus (Covid-19)

To all our friends, guests, and future guests,

As you are aware, Europe is in various stages of lockdown ... that is, schools, hotels and resorts have closed; sporting and entertainment venues are closed; there are restrictions of the size of groups; some national and provincial borders have restricted access; and in the case of Italy and Spain, people are not allowed to leave their homes except to buy food and go to pharmacies. We anticipate more stringent rules to come into force throughout the rest of Europe, in an effort to lessen the load on our medical services and to protect the vulnerable in our communities.

This unprecedented pandemic is devastating to all businesses, and in our case, to all tour operators and sporting events companies. As has already been announced, RCS has postponed the 2020 Giro d’Italia. They will make an announcement sometime after 3 April of the new dates for the Giro. The organisers of the Maratona dles Dolomites are closely monitoring the ever-changing developments, as are Santini who are the organisers of Stelvio Granfondo, and both will communicate any changes to us in due course.

The economic repercussions to small and large sporting and tourism businesses, to their employees, and their communities cannot be emphasised enough. The potential for this pandemic to bankrupt family businesses, for people to lose their jobs and lose their income during summer, normally the busiest time of year, is very real.

However, the health and wellbeing of people in our communities is of paramount importance and we support the authorities’ policies to combat the spread of COVID-19 and yet find a way to lessen the impact on the local and national economies. In order to act as a responsible corporate citizen:

• We have cancelled all cycle tours through to 30 April 2020.
• All GTP Giro d'Italia tours have been postponed until further communication with RCS.
• We are closely monitoring and evaluating the evolving situation. GTP tours scheduled to depart after 30 April 2020 will be assessed on a case by case basis. Decisions will be based on the situation in each country and the travel restrictions put in place by various governments.
• We will inform you of the status of your trip 30 days prior to departure. If the tour is confirmed to run, the full balance is due 21 days prior to the start day. If a GTP tour is cancelled 30 days prior, you will receive a credit of the funds paid (+100 euros) to a future GTP trip of your choice with a departure date before 31 December 2022.
• We understand that due to the ongoing uncertainty, we have provided more flexibility to allow changes to your plans. From today, you are welcome to switch your current tour to any of our other tours with a departure date before 31 December 2022, with a credit of funds paid (+100 euros).
• Furthermore, we have suspended collecting deposits and balances for our trips until further notice.

In keeping with the current situation, we have updated our terms and conditions policies, which can be found here. We will be communicating with our guests who have been affected by recent cancellations and postponements directly.

Communication and supporting your communities are important elements in the fight to overcome COVID-19. We suggest you directly support your local shops when you can, go to your local bike shop or call them and purchase a smart trainer, so if when the time comes for you to remain isolated by personal choice or government directive, you can join the growing horde of cyclists in Zwift’s virtual world and the Grand Tours Project family; and be ready to ride in the real world when it is safe for you, your family, your friends and the wider community.

Stay safe and look after each other

The Grand Tours Project Team

* Update: 30 April 2020

Due to the continued uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe and globally, we have updated our policies for trips booked in 2020 and extending past the previously cited 30 April 2020. It is in the best interests of our guests that we are able to offer flexible booking conditions in such uncertain times.

• For trips scheduled to depart before 30 August 2020: if you are not sure whether you want to travel, you may transfer the credit of the funds paid (+100 euros) to a future GTP trip with a departure date before 31 December 2022. We will continue to assess and confirm with you the status of your trip at least 30 days before departure. If the tour is confirmed to run, the full balance will be due 21 days before the departure day. If the tour is cancelled, you will receive a credit of the funds paid (+100 euros) to a future GTP trip of your choice with a departure date prior to 31 December 2022.
• For trips beyond a departure date of 30 August 2020: we will continue to monitor the situation and will share any changes promptly.

In this ever-changing environment, we reserve the right to make changes to these policies as necessary.