File - Bubbas Bikelab

Presents
Italy Cycling Tour 2016
The Ultimate 12 day Italian cycling experience
Italian Alps & Dolomites
August 31 to September 12, 2016
Bormio, province of Sondrio
Cortina d’Ampezzo, province of Belluno
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Cycle the Mountains of Italy with Bubba’s Bikelab in 2016
Italy is home to two of the most dazzling cycling regions in the world, the Italian Alps, home to the mighty
Passo Stelvio, and the enchanting Dolomites, where scenery leaves most struggling for superlatives. In 2016
Bubba’s Bikelab will take you to both. This list of famous passes that awaits is almost endless and the beauty
is truly indescribable, throw in the legendary Italian hospitality and you have a cycling tour for the ages. You
will be amazed by the nature of the Italians, the country kind of takes you in this warm embrace, instantly
you are under her spell, Italy is an incredible place to visit and a very difficult place to leave.
Make no mistake though, the cycling here is tough. Most climbs are long and generally steeper than those
encountered across the border in France, you will need to bring some good legs. That said, in cycling terms,
the rewards are the equal of those on offer anywhere in the world, most days your breath will be taken away
by the majesty of these two most divine regions of Italy.
Cycling in Italy: Can only be described as the cycling treat of a lifetime and provide un-paralleled rewards
that come from conquering some of the most difficult climbs in world cycling. The passes in Italy (especially
in the dolomites) tend to be steeper than in France, so a very good level of fitness and endurance is required
to ride them. The best advice would be that the fitter you are before you arrive in Italy, the more you will
enjoy these most majestic mountains.
Bormio: Bormio is one of Italy’s busiest ski towns in winter and a real cycling Mecca in summer. The town
has a delightful old world feel with small streets and a main town centre without cars. As with most parts of
Italy, the food is great and the main square has some wonderful opportunities for alfresco dining. It is in a
valley surrounded by giant peaks and is the “start town” for both the passo Stelvio and the passo Gavia, two
of Italy’s most iconic climbs. Usually the favourite town of every cyclist who visits, Bormio is simply
unforgettable.
Our accommodation will be in self-contained apartments, twin share (for singles) and options for “own
room” for couples. They are in a fantastic location, easy walk to the centre of town with stunning views of
the mountains all around. Bormio is Italy’s most popular cycling town and it is very easy to see why.
Beautiful Bormio, surrounded by the giants of the Italian Alps
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Cortina d’Ampezzo: Cortina is quite a large town with a thriving village square and a closed pedestrian
mall that showcases quintessentially Italian cafes and restaurants. It is also dwarfed all around by the
cathedral rock faces of the Dolomites, with high mountains vividly in view in every direction, from Cortina,
the only way out is up. The town is the perfect base for a dolomiti cycling experience. So close to the great
passes such as Tre Cime di Lavaredo, passo Tre Croce, passo Giau & passo Falzarego, to name but a few. In
Cortina we are right in the heartland of Italian cycling and you will feel its energy everywhere we go.
The storybook village of Cortina d’Ampezzo
Itinerary
August 31: Arrive Milan Malpensa Airport – Transfer to Bormio. BBL will meet you at the airport and take
you to the apartments in Bormio.
September 1: Ride Day One, Lago Cancano with an option for adding Bormio 2000. (55km or
75km / 3 hours or 5 hours ride time)
The first ride of the Italy tour 2016 is the delightful climb up to Lago Cancano. There is a small climb out of
Bormio before leaving the main road that takes you up to Stelvio, and heading down the valley in the
direction of Livigno. A right turn from the valley road and we will commence the climb to Lago Cancano. The
road has a few steeper pinches in the first 4km and then as you reach the famous hairpins, the gradient eases
to a manageable 6%. Once you reach the small tunnel and old fort ruins, you have pretty much finished the
climb and the final stretch is on a very nicely graded unsealed road. We will stop for a coffee at the café overlooking the lake and then back down to Bormio. In total the ride is just 55km and for those looking for a little
more, we will ride the 10km climb at 8% up to Bormio 2000. This road goes straight out of town and therefore
adds just 20km to the day’s total.
Lago Cancano 12km @ 7.1%
Bormio 2000 10km @ 8.4%
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The little known but extraordinary Lago Cancano
September 2: Ride Day Two, Passo Gavia return, (60km or 104km, 3 hours or 6 hours ride
time)
The Gavia pass in northern Italy is one of the country’s most feared and loved climbs. On a clear day the
views at the summit are close to the best in the Italian Alps and the road is wild and at times quite rough. It
is both the tradition and the beauty that has created the legend of the Gavia and once you have ridden it
you will understand why. Today there is the option for just the single ascent from Bormio or for those with
the energy, we will head down the “more difficult” side to Ponte di Legno and climb both sides of this iconic
Italian beauty.
Gavia 26km @ 5% / 18km @ 8%
The scenery on the Bormio side of passo Gavia
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September 3: Ride Day Three, Livigno return (passo Foscagna). (95km / 5 hours ride time)
Today’s ride takes us out of Bormio on the same road as day one, only this time we continue through the
valley to passo Foscagna, an 18km climb through small villages and beautiful alpine meadows. At the summit
we drop down for 7km then back up (3km) to passo Eira and descend again to Livigno. Livigno is one of Italy’s
most popular cycling towns and home to many pro teams who train there at various times of the year. After
a stop for some fuel we head back up passo Eira, on to the Foscagna and then descend all the way back to
Bormio.
Passo Foscagna 18km @ 6.5%
Looking down to Livigno from passo Eira, BBL tour 2015
September 4: Ride Day Four, Passo Stelvio. (45km or 96km / 3 hours or 6 hours ride time)
For many cyclists (me included) the Passo Dello Stelvio is the greatest cycle climb on the planet. I am not
100% sure why but it certainly has everything; tough gradients, length, varied terrain and scenery that is the
equal or better than anything other great climbs have to offer. Today you will have the chance to climb it on
your bike and BOTH sides if you dare. The Stelvio is Italy’s highest pass and probably its most photographed
road, there is truly nothing quite like it in the world of cycling. Bring your energy, your camera and your best
legs, you will need all three.
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Stelvio 21km @ 7.2% from Bormio / 26km @ 7.8% from Prato
The mythical Prato side of Stelvio. Yes that IS a road up there!
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September 5: Ride Day Five, Passo Mortirolo. (95km / 5 hours ride time)
The Mortirolo is one of the most feared climbs in world cycling. Today we are heading to its famous summit
(which it must be said is very low key), only we are going via the slightly less difficult and MUCH more
beautiful climb from Grosio. For those desperate to climb the very hard “traditional” road from Mazzo, we
will be splitting and re-grouping at the summit to compare stories.
Mortirolo 12km @ 10.9% from Mazzo, 17km @ 8.1% from Grosio
The visually stunning (and slightly less difficult) road to Mortirolo from Grosio
September 6: Transfer to Cortina d’Ampezzo. We will need to pack the bikes in Bormio and head out
straight after breakfast. The drive to Cortina d’Ampezzo is around five hours and although it is a while to be
sitting in the vehicles, the scenery will have you transfixed the entire way.
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September 7: Ride Day One, Sella Ronda via passo Falzarego. (115km / 6 hours ride time)
The Sella Ronda is a cycling loop famous the world over and for very good reason. In just 52km it packs in
four climbs and a visual feast that is very hard to do justice with words or photos. Today we will ride the
famous loop in an anti-clockwise direction but also add both sides of the wonderful passo falzarego, which
stands between the famous loop and our base in Cortina d’ampezzo. You are in for the cycling treat of a
lifetime, it is a long day in the saddle but none of the climbs include steep gradients. There is no more
spectacular scenery anywhere and the day will leave you hungry for more.
Falzarego 16km @ 5% / Gardena 13km @ 6.5% / Sella 9km @ 7% / Pordoi 13km @ 6.8% / Falzarego
12km @ 6%
The dazzling Sella Tower, the dolomites at their finest
September 8: Ride Day Two, Cibiana / Staulanza / Giau loop. (95km / 5 hours ride time)
The passo Giau has been ridden many times by the riders of the Giro and is the feared penultimate climb of
the mighty Maratona del Dolomiti gran fondo, one of the world’s most popular cycling events. Today we will
take it on as part of a loop that includes the passo Cibiana and the Forcella Staulanza. Cibiana is only 10.5km
long and the average gradient is just 6.5%, but the final 5km average 9% so it is somewhat more difficult
than the numbers suggest. The gradients on the Staulanza are mostly fairly manageable at 6-7% but there
are a couple of sections that rise to 10%, a beautiful Dolomiti ascent that will have you well warmed up for
the main event. The Giau is around 10km at just under 10% and the first 5km is the more difficult half, it is
one of the really tough challenges of this part of the dolomites. From the stunning Giau summit we descend
back to Cortina, it will be one cracking day on the bike in this most exquisite region.
Passo Cibiana 10.5km @ 6.5% / Forcella Staulanza 13km @ 6.8% / Passo Giau 9.8km @ 9.5%
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The summit of Passo Giau, a beautiful end to a really tough climb
Passo Cibiana, first climb of the day….extraordinary!
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September 9: Ride Day Three, Tre Cime Return via Tre Croce. (45km / 4 hours ride time)
Tre Cime di Lavaredo is one of the hardest climbs in the region and has at its summit some of the most
spectacular views in the dolomites. The final push to the summit is less than 6km long but it has some brutal
gradients that regularly go above 15%. It is an absolutely stunning place and extremely popular with hikers
and cyclists alike. We are riding just 45km today but will head over the passo Tre Croce on our way to Lake
Misurina. Tre Croce itself is a tough challenge, straight out of town in Cortina, it has long pinches above 10%
so it is a rather stiff test all the way to the Tre Cime summit. The good news is, it’s mostly downhill on the
way home.
Tre Croce 12km @ 8% / Tre Cime 5.6km @ 9%
The final super steep stretch to the summit of Tre Cime
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Shelley Climbs Tre Croce 2015
September 10: Ride Day Four, Falzarego / Fedaia / Falzarego, (100km / 5 hours ride time)
Passo Fedaia is known to cyclists all over Italy as one of the toughest challenges in cycling. Don’t be fooled
by the average gradient, as the top half of the climb is one of the hardest stretches of our entire Italian tour.
It contains a section known as the “graveyard of champions” for its tendency to crack even the best. Luckily
for us we will not be racing up its challenging slopes. We head to Fedaia via the passo Falzarego already
climbed on day one in Cortina, Falzarego has much more generous gradients and is a fantastic climb from
the Belluno side, a perfect way to end a stunning day, not to mention the 16km descent back to Cortina.
Passo Falzarego 16km @ 5% / Passo Fedaia 14km @ 7.5% / Falzarego 12km @ 6.0%
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The super steep hairpins above the “graveyard of champions”. Passo Fedaia
Cycling at its best! The top section of passo Falzarego
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The Fedaia profile, a very difficult “top half”
September 11: Ride Day Five, Giau / Campolongo / Valparola, (95km / 5 hours ride time)
To finish this fantastic 2016 Italy tour we are riding a stunning loop that takes us over the “easy” side of the
Giau, followed by the short passo Campolongo and finishing with the very challenging passo Valparola. This
is a magnificent and challenging loop and a very fitting way to respectfully say goodbye to the dolomites for
2016. The easy side of the Giau (when measured from Cortina) is long, at 13.6km and has a challenging
average gradient, even if not quite as tough as the other side. There is plenty of other climbing along the
way and this will be a fitting end to our journey. As will have been the pattern, it is challenging everywhere
we go but the beauty of the place will leave you breathless. Take note, the final 5km of our final climb (the
passo Valparola) is very difficult and will keep you in the climbing zone right to the very end. From the top
you will descend for almost 18km, smiling all the way home to Cortina.
Giau 13.6km @ 7.8% / Campolongo 4km @ 7.4% / Valparola 14km @ 5.8%
Average gradients can deceive, the Valparola sounds easy but has a very hard final 5km
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September 12: Transfer to Milan Airport for return flights or onward travel.
Today we pack the bikes for the final time and head off for the transfer to Milan which is 5-6 hours’ drive
time, depending on traffic. Some will be flying home after the best 12 days of cycling ever, others will be
heading on to new experiences. All will be feeling extremely satisfied (even if a little sad) at what they have
achieved).
All kitted up and ready to ride. Bubba’s Bikelab European Cycling Tour 2015
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Travel Logistics
Airfares are not included in the tour package. However we strongly recommend flying Emirates / Qantas out
of Australia (or other locations) due to the outstanding service, very generous baggage allowances and
convenience of flying into / out of Milan. Early bird fares are generally available in two stages; the first expires
31.12.2015 and the next on 31.1.2016. Very soon BBL will be advising recommended flights for participants
and will then encourage each person to secure tickets ASAP.
BBL will be there to meet you on arrival and take you to our accommodation. We will of course also transfer
you between Bormio and Cortina d’Ampezzo, as well as to Milan for your departure or onward travel.
BBL recommends Emirates, due to generous baggage allowance and airport logistics
Taking Your Bike
We STRONGLY recommend that all tour participants pack their bikes in a Sci Con bike bag. These bags are
relatively lightweight and will allow you to put almost all of your bike gear, clothing etc, in with your bike
and still be comfortably under the weight limit of 30kg for economy flights. These bags are also very easy
(and quick) to pack / unpack and make transfers between airports and lodging much easier.
The Sci Con Aero Comfort Bike Bag – a MUST on tour
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Included in the Tour Package
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All accommodation (twin share) in three star apartments or chalets
Nine evening meals, morning pastries and coffees
Commemorative pro-level cycling kit.
All transfers
Guiding planning and support on all rides
Not Included in the Tour Package
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Airfares and travel insurance
Lunches and ride nutrition
All alcohol consumption is at the individual’s expense
Three evening meals
Bicycles and component parts that may need to be replaced on tour due to failure
Tour Price: $AUD 3,995pp (subject to change due to exchange rate prior to final payment being
received)
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