The Giro D’Italia showcases the best of all things Italian – the landscape, the culture, the people, and some of the best cycling the world has to offer. This year’s event traversed across quintessential Italian landscapes – from Tuscany to the Italian Alps, culminating in a Roman finish with the race finale taking place against the breathtaking backdrop of the Colosseum.
Ride International Tours’ Ultimate Ten Day Giro D’Italia tour ensured our guests got up close and personal with all the racing action, while experiencing the best of Italy on and off the bike, and witnessing Pogacar’s decisive Maglia Rosa [Pink Jersey] victory.
Milano to Lake Como
Our Italian Giro experience began near Milano, where 26 eager guests met our Ride International “Giro” guide team. The team included Thierry, Guido, Nicolas, Pat, Rudy, Liz, and our fantastic team bus driver Sebastian.
After a hearty group breakfast, we set off in various groups:
- Short, medium, and long riding groups
- Non-cycling cohorts
Thierry, Nicolas, Pat, Rudy, and Guido led the cyclists to the iconic Lake Como, famous for its spectacular views and as the home of George Clooney. The riders then tackled the renowned Madonna DiGhisallo ascent
A Taste of Bellagio for Non-Cyclists
While the cyclists were pushing their limits, our non-cycling group enjoyed a different kind of adventure:
- A guided tour of Lake Como with Liz in our dedicated non-cycling van
- A stop in the charming lakeside town of Bellagio
- An opportunity to soak in the hustle and bustle and sample some of the famous local gelato.
This diverse itinerary ensured that both cycling enthusiasts and leisure travellers could experience the best of the region in their preferred way.
Exploring the Madonna Di Ghisallo Church
Our Ride International van made its way to meet our riders at the famous Madonna Di Ghisallo church. This charming 17th-century church sits high above Lake Como and houses a remarkable painting of the Virgin Mary, known as the Madonna di Ghisallo. In 1949, she was officially proclaimed the “patroness of cycling”.
Adjacent to the church, a museum celebrates the rich history of cycling. It showcases the numerous cycling events that have concluded at the summit of this iconic climb.
Evening in Lecco
Upon arriving at our hotel in Lecco, we were treated to a delightful welcome with stunning views down over Lake Como:
- A refreshing glass of Prosecco [Local, Italian Sparkling White Wine]
- A selection of local wines
- A sumptuous three-course dinner featuring regional produce from the Lombardia region
From our base on the eastern side of the lake in Lecco, we chatted over dinner and prepared ourselves for a personal challenge and the race excitement awaiting us the following day.
Racing the Pros on the Mortirolo
After a hearty Italian breakfast that included great Italian coffee and Italian breakfast cakes, our riding contingent were off to ride on today’s Giro d’Italia race course, and “race” the pros up the Passo Mortirolo, to then catch the race in the town of Bormio before the final climb for the race for the day.
Conquering the Fearsome Mortirolo Climb
The Mortirolo has a well deserved reputation as a fearsome climb, averaging 12% gradient for 12km, yet it was manageable by everyone in the group when broken down into smaller sections, and or the superb valley ride into the Italian Alps.
Expertly guided by our team of Pat, Liz, Nicolas, Rudy, Guido and Thierry, today’s adventure, aptly coined by our rider, Mel, was “respect what you might find” – that is, “don’t go too hard in the beginning as you might encounter a gradient that deserves respect in order to make it happen!”
Embracing the Cycling Culture
Despite everything sounding fearsome, there was still plenty of fun to be had by:
- Stopping for regular photo’s to pay homage to Marco Pantani, underneath his iconic statute
- Soaking in the carnival-like atmosphere at the summit
- Joining streams of race fans awaiting the pro riders
Experiencing the Race Atmosphere in Bormio
Our riders then enjoyed the descent on racecourse towards Grosio, meeting up with our non-riding group to share our experiences.
Some riders decided to catch a lift towards Bormio, and others rode the steady climb up the Valtellina valley to our new Hotel for the next few nights.
Thanks to the excellent pacing of former Belgian professional rider Rudy Rogiers, our group arrived in Bormio just in time for the main event. We experienced the thrill of watching the Giro d’Italia peloton zoom past at breakneck speed.
Here’s hoping everyone saw us on TV waving our flags on the side of the road!
Alpine Adventures in Bormio
Our group enjoyed two beautiful nights in the Alpine village of Bormio, it’s one of our favourite places in Europe, we readied ourselves to climb the mighty Passo Stelvio.
Exploring the “Mini Stelvio” – Torre di Fraele
At 2750m, the Stelvio Pass is the highest paved pass in the Italian Alps. Additionally we all got to experience riding the beautiful Torre di Fraele climb to Lake Cancano, otherwise known as the “Mini Stelvio” climb.
While not as long or as high as its big brother, the Torre di Fraele delivers equally stunning views, just in a more compact form, complete with a lake at the top!
Apres ride, we were able to enjoy other aspects of Bormio, such as a relaxing lunch in the main market square, soak in the thermal springs, enjoy the lovely shops, restaurants and bars as well as some hiking and trail running options.
Ride International cycling como
Chasing the Giro to the Dolomites
After two nights in Bormio, we were up for our first transfer day, chasing the Giro to the Dolomites – but not before some of us tackled the Gavia pass in shall we say politely, character building inclement weather, the ride started in lovely conditions, then schooled us in respecting the mountains.
Braving the Gavia Pass
Led by Rudy, Thierry, Pat and Liz, the weather swung from cloudy but dry to torrential rain in a very short space of time – however, we are equipped with expert preparation and support during these times with Guido in the support van – and the mixture of rain, cool temperatures on the descent, all in all it ended up becoming cherished memories in the form of war stories to regale with riders that had decided to stay indoors, or explore locally, and our non-riding cohort, who were enjoying Giro highlights on the big screen in the bar.
Our transfer took us to the Dolomite Mountains for two nights – and if we all thought the scenery around Bormio was special, we were about to be blown away by the beauty of the Dolomites.
The highlight was experiencing the beauty of the Sella Ronda loop, either in our non-cycling van or by bike – as well as watching the mighty Pogi dominate the climbs in the race up close and personal.
Dolomite Mountains and the Sella Ronda
To experience the Sella Ronda, our riding cohort split into different groups, based on their preferred pace and distance we wished to ride at.
Our non-riding group enjoyed a tour of the Sella Ronda and race interactions by van, meeting up with the riders at strategic points along the circuit.
Conquering Four Cols in One Day
It was an amazing opportunity to achieve climbing four cols for the day – the Passo Sella, Passo Pordoi, Passa Gardena and Passa Campolongo – not to mention witnessing the very best race action.
Best of all, we were back at our Hotel to see the race finale on the big screen at a pizza café with the locals. Bellissimo!
Venetian Region and Monte Grappa
Wondering if anything could outdo the first half of our Giro tour, we followed the race to the Venetian region of Monte Grappa. We enjoyed a mostly downhill traverse on bikes to the town of Bassano del Grappa and our accommodation for the next two evenings.
Bassano Del Grappa is a medieval city founded in 2 BC. We wished our cycling rockstar, Tracy, a very happy birthday and celebrated the next day by climbing the Monte Grappa with Guido, Thierry, Rudy, Nicolas and Pat and again, witnessing the excitement of the tour.
Exploring Asolo and Padova
Liz led a recovery ride option to Asolo to meet our non-riding group for coffee and views. Asolo is known as the “Pearl of the province of Treviso” and also as the “city of one hundred horizons, due to its mountain views.
We also stopped for gelato on Bassano Del Grappa’s wooden Ponte Vecchio bridge, the centrepiece of the city. It was originally built in 1209, then redesigned in 1569 by Italian architect, Andrea Palladio. It’s also been destroyed many times as part of strategy in war, the last time being in World War Two.
After a big day of climbing the Monte Grappa, our riders relished the chance to traverse downhill towards Padova, an Italian city that is steeped in charm and culture.
Led by Rudy and accompanied by Thierry, Guido, Liz and Nicolas, we made our way towards Padova, forming quite a pro standard peloton. Pat and the non-riding crew followed us in the van, with Pat sharing his extensive knowledge of his adopted home, on all things Italian along the way.
Once in Padova, it was time to explore the city squares and partake in an Aperol spritz or two, before catching the fast train to both our and the Giro’s final destination, Rome.
Grand Finale in Rome
Rome is a wonderful juxtaposition of both modern and traditional architecture and is loud, bustling and energetic – a perfect place to wrap up our Giro D’Italia tour.
Dawn Ride Through Iconic Roman Landmarks
We still had some surprises in store for our guests, starting with a dawn ride around the city visiting iconic locations such as the Trevisi Fountain, The Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica and the Spanish steps.
Along the way, we crossed paths with our non-cycling group who were enjoying a guided tour of Rome at dawn, in a private charter “golf buggy tour”.
Witnessing the Giro d’Italia Finish at the Colosseum
The icing on the cake had to our visit to the Colosseum before the race start. Words cannot adequately describe its scale and size. We unanimously decided that seeing Rome by bike and golf buggy was only way to do things properly.
After breakfast on the hotel roof top terrace, where Guido educated us about the ergogenic properties of Roman cream buns, we had a little free time before a quick walk to the Colosseum (via the gelateria!) to experience the thrill of the Giro d’Italia finish.
The combination of the backdrop of the Colosseum and the pros racing bikes on a perfect Italian spring day provided a sense of exhilaration as the teams positioned their sprinters for the last hurrah. The atmosphere and energy delivered an exciting final day of our tour.
A Magical Giro d’Italia Experience
Back at our hotel, we celebrated our traverse across Italy and the Giro d’Italia – Italy in style, enjoying roof top views from our rooftop terrace restaurant as we regaled our adventures over the last ten days, the curtain setting on what was a magical Giro d’Italia tour, Ride International style.
Big thanks to all our guests for joining us at the Giro d’Italia, and many thanks to our passionate Ride International Tours team who expertly supported our cycling and non-cycling groups.
Places for the 2025 Giro d’Italia are at around 90% capacity – contact…. For more info – Giro d’Italia tour information here.
