DAY 1 – Friday 9th October, 2026
Welcome To Lombardy – Official Arrival Day – Lake Como Ride
Ride Distance: 30km – 40km – 72km
Climbing: 61om – 1160m – 1475m
Meals: [Breakfast for pre-tour Day 0 guests] Welcome Dinner and Drink
Timeline #1: For guests who are already at our Team Hotel (Day 0 – Pre Tour Arrivals)
7:00am – 9:00am: Welcome group breakfast at our team hotel. Meet the team and other guests in the group.
8:00am – 9:00am: Bike Building, and or Meet Your Hire Bike (if you haven’t already done this the evening prior)
9:00am Non-Cycling: Free Program to explore our immediate area, enjoy morning tea prior to our ride, or non-cycling activities.
9:45am: Meet in the hotel lobby: Official welcome.
10:15pm: Long Ride starts from hotel
10:30am: Non-cycling and shorter ride options transfer to Como
11:20am: Ride options 2 and 3 depart from Como
4:00pm: Return transfer to our hotel
7:30pm: Meet in the hotel lobby / restaurant 3 Course Welcome Dinner and Drink
Timeline #2: For guests arriving today – Thursday, 1st April
7:30am: Pickup Milan Malpensa Airport, Italy
9:00am: Alternatively, we’ll meet you at our local train station, Edinburgh area, Scotland
9:00am – 9.45am: Bike Building, and or Meet Your Hire Bike, take some morning tea prior to our ride
9:45am: Meet in the hotel lobby: Official welcome.
10:15pm: Long Ride starts from hotel
10:30am: Non-cycling and shorter ride options transfer to Como
11:20am: Ride options 2 and 3 depart from Como
4:00pm: Return transfer to our hotel
7:30pm: Meet in the hotel lobby / restaurant 3 Course Welcome Dinner and Drink
Pick up – Arrival Information Morning Pickup, Collection/Transfer options:
7.30am: Milan Malpensa, Italy
Arrival Halls Meet Point: Outside Arrivals Hall in Bus Parking Area
Vehicle transfer to our Team Hotel approx. 30mins (traffic dependent)
8:00am: Meet at our Local Train Station (10min walk to our hotel)
*NB. If you’re travelling with a bike (or a bike in a bike bag) ensure you book your bike on the train too.
More about our day – Welcome to Lombardy, Northern Italy – Explore Lake Como
An actioned packed first day, it’s our Official Arrival Day, we will explore the beautiful Lake Como area, and climb the famous Madonna del Ghisallo.
Non-cycling options
Plenty of options available today, this morning is a great chance to familiarise yourself with our immediate surroundings to our hotel. There’s plenty to see and do in the elegant centre of where our hotel is located, including visit local markets, galleries, historic frescos in our local church, museums, points of personal interest. Or, If you’d like some suggestions for more active, walks, runs etc we can make some suggested routes, and places of interest around our hotel.
Alternatively ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations for the area.
After breakfast join the group in our vehicle/s to explore the Lombardy region, follow part of today’s ride route through the picturesque area along the shores of Lake Como, it’s stunning, we’ll pause for morning tea on the lake.
We meet up with the riders in our group at the top of the Madonna del Ghisallo climb, here we visit the historic chapel and cycling museum. After we have explored the historic chapel and musuem we will make our transfer back to our hotel in our vehicles.
Today’s Ride Options:
Lake Como – Chapel Madonna Ghisallo
Distances: 32km – 40km – 72km
Climbing: 610m – 1160m – 1475m
After breakfast, guests who are already at our hotel, Day 0 Pre Tour guests, can choose to either transfer in our vehicles or join the day’s long ride starting directly from our Hotel to Lake Como.
*Guests who arrive this morning can choose from today’s short and medium ride options; we transfer from our hotel in our vehicle/s to Como and depart on the bike from Como on Lake Como.
As always, each day we have plenty of supported ride options to suit your needs and how you are feeling, each day we have a minimum of three supported, guided options. Today there are options to commence and finish at various points along today’s long ride route, talk with us to discuss your preferred option.
Ride options start at various locations to suit your needs, distance and amount of climbing you prefer including, riding from our Hotel, or starting from Como on Lake Como. Details and options below.
Today’s Climb:
Ride Options 1 and 2:
The climb up to the Chapel of the Madonna Ghisallo is one of the great climbs in Italy / Europe. The climb is considered part religious pilgrimage, combined with a healthy dose of satisfying hard work for a cyclist, and a decisive climb in the Giro di Lombardia race.
Madonna Ghisallo is considered a little climb, it’s 10km – 600m climbing, although it’s not a long or hard climb it has some steep ramps in the climb at various points, there are some solid sections, and some easy ones too.
The climb starts reasonably hard, so take it easy and spin into the climb to allow your body and aerobic system to warm up, the climb softens a little towards the top.
Max Gradient 18%, Avg gradient 6.8%, it’s a climb with tight switchbacks, a few steep ramps, easier sections and beautiful views back down to the lake below.
While you are locating your climbing legs, and lungs today, it’s a good idea to pause regularly and ride slowly around the switchbacks to increase your recovery time in each switchback.
We’ll pause at the helipad on the ridge near the top of the climb to take in the vistas and snap some photos. Once at the top at the chapel, we spend some time looking at all the magnificent cycling artefacts and history in the small chapel.
Tonight’s Soiree:
Tonight, our chefs will prepare a special dinner of seasonal produce of the Lombardy region. Our evening group meals are 3 course set menu, these meals are organised well in advanced to allow the restaurant staff and kitchens to accommodate our group.
Accommodation:
Milan Area, Italy
