Sample Itinerary

(BASED ON OUR 2020 TOUR ROUTE)

DAY 1 - CONEGLIANO

After breakfast at our hotel in the heart of Conegliano we will get a short 2 hour ride in which will include the Sal Lorenzo climb. Then its back to the hotel to get ready for a big day of Giro action.

We are in for a treat today as the Giro starts less than 1km from our hotel. We can check out the start, see the buses and the riders before having lunch and finding a bar for the afternoon to watch the action on a big screen.

Tonight we will have our opening dinner in the famous Conegliano Castle and celebrate the start of our tour in one the many bars littered through the beautiful cobbled streets around the hotel.

DAY 2 - CONEGLIANO

A later start today so as to enjoy the beautiful breakfast the hotel has to offer, then we are off for a long day on the bike, our longest of the tour.

We have two ride options. The first includes the now famous Passo San Boldo, lunch in Vittorio Veneto then onto Piancavallo for the Giro stage finish with munchies and drinks. The second option is to ride the valley road to Piancavallo via Vittorio Veneto and meet the other group there for lunch. Then both groups can roll back to Conegliano together.

Around 130km and an absolutely fantastic day either way.

Afternoon drinks near the hotel, then its off to the local Conegliano Pub for a traditional pizza dinner.

DAY 3 - CORTINA

Today is a rest day in the Giro but not for us.

We’ll leave our hotel in Conegliano and drive around 90 minutes, heading to our accommodation at Cortina, in the heart of the italian Dolimites. From there, we’ll ride around 50km to the famous Tre Cime. This is such an iconic climb that will see us heading up hill immediately from the hotel driveway, all 25km of it.

Once at the top, we will regroup before descending, grabbing a bite to eat for lunch somewhere near the top or around Lago d’Antorno on the way down.

We’ll freshen up at the hotel before enjoy a relaxing afternoon in Cortina and a beautiful mountain restaurant dinner.

DAY 4 - CORTINA

Today you can enjoy another late-ish start as we choose to give the Giro stage a miss today and embark on one of the Dolimites great loops.

We start from our hotel in Cortina climbing Passo Fazarego and onto Passo Valdengo, followed by the Campalongo climb and finish by climbing the famous Passo Giau. This loop through the four passes will be around 70km and about 3000m of climbing. It’s going to be a challenging day, but we have all the time in the world to take in the scenery, climb at our own pace and enjoy lunch somewhere en-route.

Then its another relaxing afternoon in Cortina and a good chance to grab a drink and watch the Giro stage together on tv. It’s looking definitely like a stage for the punchy sprinters/opportunists. Then another nice local dinner to re-fuel the tanks.

DAY 5 - MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO

Today we leave our stay in Cortina and head to the Trento region. It’s a 2.5 hour drive to Comano Terme where we start todays 60-80km ride to Madonna di Campiglio. We’ll be riding to the finish of today’s Giro d’Italia stage.

Gruppetto came here 6 years ago and it was a ripper of a stage and we expect the same this year. Once we finish riding the last two climbs of the stage we’ll settle in and watch the Pros do it.

If you’re a bit sore and tired from yesterday, we’ll also include another route option for riders, a 30km ride descending from Madonna di Campiglio before doing a u-turn at the bottom to climb up with the others.

We can enjoy lunch and few drinks while watching the Giro race right past our hotel, then take a stroll through the town and see what teams you can see, getting an up-close look at their set ups. On to dinner in the village, maybe bumping in to commentators, team owners and celebrity photographers, as we’ve done here in the past.

DAY 6 - BORMIO

Today we start with a short drive from the hotel to Ponte di Legno before tackling the famous Passo Gavia climb from the eastern side, descending into Bormio, past our hotel and onto the final climb of the day to watch the Giro come through live.

Then we’ll roll back to our hotel for the night. Today’s ride should be 70-80km and watching the riders pass by with only a few kilometres to go will be epic - especially after the day they have had in the mountains, including climbing the Stelvio.

Tonight we will enjoy dinner at one of the famous pizzerias in the area!

DAY 7 - LECCO

Today we get to ride the famous Passo Stelvio.

We will leave Bormio and drive to the top of the Stelvio, before rugging up for the very beautiful and long descent into Switzerland. Rolling back around into Italy, we’ll then tackle the famous Prato side, climbing through all 48 switchbacks of the Stelvio.

Once we finish this 60km loop back at the summit, there will no doubt be a lot of hugs, high fives, laughs and even tears... We will enjoy some lunch before heading off in the van to Lago di Como for our stay at Lecco.

Lecco is a beautiful town on the eastern tip of the right leg of Lago d Como. This afternoon will be the perfect opportunity to take a walk, find a spot to have a drink by the lake, or catch up on some Giro action on TV.

Tonight we will take in the views of the lake while enjoying another Italian feast.

DAY 8 - MAMA’S (COSSATO)

Following breakfast, we’ll check out of our hotel, jump in the vans and head west, stopping just short of the French border. From there we ride another amazing loop with includes the Colle di Finestre and Sestriere. At Sestriere we’ll stop for lunch and watch the race come into town. After watching the Giro complete its final climb of this years race and the finish of the stage we will descend down the back of Sestriere to the vans.

The loop is 70-80km in length but for those who don’t quite have the legs today, there is a second option which would include the climb up the back to Sestriere to regroup with the others, watch the race and descend (30km). If you’re up top early enough and feel like a little more climbing you could descend the other side and join up with the first group as they descend towards you from Finestre, climbing back up again with them.

From there, it’s back to Mama's, the home of Gruppetto Cycling Tours. Tonight will be the first of two nights here, and hopefully you’ll be hungry.

DAY 9 - MAMA’S (COSSATO)

Our last ride of the tour will be shorter than usual, but we will include the classic climb to Oropa. Its a 40km loop and includes this iconic climb that has been apart of the Giro in so many editions. We’ll can take a few minutes to check out the awesome view and church at the top and definitely a get in a group photo for the book.

Then it’s back to Mama’s to freshen up and on to Milano to watch the final stage of the Giro D’Italia, which happens to be a time trial. We’ll have plenty of time to see every rider, take in Milan, enjoy the fantastic atmosphere and have a few drinks.

Then its back to Mama's for a farewell feast and celebration. You will love this authentic Italian family as you experience Italy in a way few others will!

DAY 10 - FAREWELLS

Unfortunately its time to pack up and head to Milan Malpensa for a 10am drop off. Those continuing on in Italy can pick up their car or transfer from here, and those heading home can board their flights back to friends and family ready to share the flood of new memories.

Until next time, it’s goodbye for now.