1. The Giro Rosa is the most important pro race on the women's calendar!

That's right it’s the biggest, toughest and longest stage race to feature in the women’s race calendar. The race was founded in 1988 and comprises ten stages. The 2019 race will be celebrating its 30th edition.

Legends such as Marianne Vos, Fabiana Luperi, Anna Van Der Breggen, Nicole Cooke and Emma Pooley have all competed in the Giro Rosa and fought for the pink jersey

2. The race route

The entirety of the course will be held in northern Italy. Starting with a team time trial in the small village of Cassano Spinola, located near Novi Ligure, the race will then head north to the Italian Alps before heading east towards Lombardy.

Stage 5 marks the halfway point but it also signifies the beginning of the big mountain stages. An exciting summit finish on top of Gavia is one not to be missed, and if it is to be anything like the 2018 Giro Rosa then we are sure there will be some exciting action rolling out in the final km's!

Stage 7 is the official queen stage featuring 5 classified climbs over 128.3km and an uphill finish at the top of "La Salita San Giorgio di Perlena". The race will finish in the beautiful city of Udine and the last 1,6km will feautre an uphill sprint to the finish on cobbles!

3. The Riders

Unlike other pro races, the Giro Rosa has somewhat of a relaxed atmosphere. And we think this is what makes the Giro Rosa so special. Walking along the promenade next to the start line you will find the riders, team buses, coaches and soigneurs preparing for the event.

Taking into consideration the riders and respecting their job, it's nice to interact with the chatty and personable competitors, and the team coaches are also willing to have a quick chit chat before the race gets underway. You really get to experience first-hand insight into the pre and post race preparation of an athlete!

4. Your guide : Kerry Hellmuth

If you're going to ride the Giro Rosa, then who better to share the experience with than a former pro who has competed in the event (in 2001)!

Kerry started guiding mountain-bike tours because she lived for a number of years in Bormio, the famous town nestled in the shadows of the epic Stelvio and Gavia passes. Kerry still loves climbing big mountains, but she 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 ... that are so unique, dramatic, and astoundingly beautiful that they have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kerry rode for pro team Carpe Diem Itera Cycling and competed in a number of the elite cycle events that feature on the UCI calendar from the Giro Rosa to the Tour de France!