Ultimate Milan Sanremo and Nice Tour

ARRIVAL DAY NICE – TOUR START – LOCAL WARM UP RIDE MENTON – COL EZE LOOP

Welcome to the Milan Sanremo plus Nice Cycling Tour!

We’re pleased to present your tour program for your Cote d’Azure – Milan Sanremo + Nice, cycling Tour.

We’re very happy with the way the tour program, itinerary has come together on and off the bike to suit the Milan – Sanremo race, Sanremo Granfondo and highlight of the wonderful Cote d’Azure area including Nice, Monaco and Italian border region.

Below we’ve included our “Sample Itinerary”, we’ve outlined our program, itinerary in a brief format to suit the information we have from the Milan-Sanremo race, and the Sanremo Granfondo orgnanisation.

We supply this information to assist you to shine a light on the details for your French / Italian adventure.

We’ll continually monitor all the Milan – Sanremo race, and Granfondo information, to ensure efficiency, flexibility, choice and to maximize your overall experience, including rides, non-cycling program, and race interactions to take in the best of the Milan-Sanremo.

Where to fly to Nice, International Airport.

From Nice, International Airport we transfer east to our Team Hotel approx 50 mins in the direction of the Italian Border to the idyllic French seaside on the Cote d’Azure.

WhatsApp

We’ll all be connected via a WhatsApp chat group, we create the group chat well before your tour start, so that we can connect and communicate.

Bike Assembly – Meet Your Hire Bike

We rendezvous upon your arrival to assist with bike assembly and or meet your hire bike, we assist installing any personal accessories you may have.

Transfers Pick up – Arrival Information 

Pickup, Collection/Transfer options: 

8.00am: Nice International Airport, Cote d’Azur, France Arrival Hall, Baggage Carousels 

8.45am: Nice Train Station, pick up and drop off area. 

Timeline #1: For guests who are already at our Team Hotel ie (Day 0 – Pre Tour Arrivals) 

7:30am – 9:00am  

Welcome group breakfast at our team hotel. 

Meet the team and other guests in the group. 

8:00am – 9:30am  

Bike Building, and or Meet Your Hire Bike (if you haven’t already done this the evening prior) 

8:00am – 9:30am Non-Cycling: 

Free Program to explore the area around our hotel. Ask us for some suggestions, we can make recommendations for active running, walking, hiking routes, and or suggestions to explore our immediate surrounds. 

11.00am Ride option starts from our hotel 

7:30pm  Meet in the hotel lobby / restaurant.  

Welcome Dinner and Drink 

Timeline #2 For guests arriving today  

8:00am Pickup Nice Airport, France  

8:45am Pickup Nice Train Station, France  

9:30am – 10.00am Bike Building, and or Meet Your Hire Bike, Bring your pedals and accessories. 

11:00am Ride option starts from our Hotel 

7:30pm  Meet in the hotel lobby.
Welcome Dinner and Drink 

Today’s Ride: 35km Riviera Ride  

Today’s ride is relaxed in nature to make sure everything on your bike is working properly after your travel and to fire up your system ready for the tour ahead – an active recovery ride. 

 We’ll get acquainted, or re- acquainted with riding in Europe, first timers riding in Europe are always pleasantly surprised how polite and encouraging other road users are to cyclist, you’ll really enjoy today’s ride along the coast, we take in picturesque coastal roads and quaint villages. Our ride retraces much of the final Monaco – Nice Time Trail course from the 2024 Tour de France. We intercept the TDF race course and experience some of the roads and ride into the hills and stunning balcony roads above Monaco. Lastly, we’ll roll back through our local village centre to get your bearings en-route to our hotel. 

Evening:

Welcome dinner and drink. Tonight we gather at a favourite local restaurant for a 3 course welcome dinner and drink

Accommodation

4* Chic – Bike Friendly Hotel [1 of 2 Nights]

Location: Cote d’Azure, France

Timeline: 7:00 – 8.30am Breakfast

9.00am Ride starts from Hotel. Col du Madone

1.00pm Informal lunch and coffee stop Nice

3.00pm Return Hotel, afternoon free program to explore our local area and historic town.

More about our day – Today’s rides

Our Rides: 45km-95km

Climbing: 700m-1550m

This morning we depart from our Hotel on the coast and head inland.  Today we will have the chance to tackle one of the most famous climbs of the region: The Col de la Madone with its views over the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Col de la Madone was made famous by former Monaco resident Lance Armstrong, nowadays the KOM is held by another local resident Tadej Pogacar, he covered the 13.10 km climb in 31mins 38 seconds at an astonishing 24.8km/hr avg – will you get close to the KOM – QOM today?

Soon after we leave our hotel on the coast , we start the climb to the Col de la Madone. It’s a 13km climb averaging 7%, it’s tough in a few sections early on, yet it’s a great way to find your rhythm and enjoy the views of the coast below.

After the Col du Madone we descend to the coast in Nice Harbour. Once in Nice we’ll enjoy the sights.  We’ll pause for an informal

lunch and coffee stop in Nice harbour. We stop at the “I Love Nice” viewpoint for a photo. Back on the bike we take a scenic route back along the coastline via bustling Monaco, take in sections of the famous Formula One track including the legendary Monaco tunnel, enjoy the views in Monaco Harbour and then continue along the coastal roads.

Optional extras are available if you fancy adding some more km’s in once we are back to our Hotel.

Accommodation:

4* Chic – Bike Friendly Hotel [2 of 2 Nights]

Location: Cote d’Azure, France

Timeline

7:00 – 8:00am Breakfast

8:00am Depart Hotel in Vehicle for Sanremo. Approx 1 hour

10am: Rides Starts from Hotel.

10.15amMen’s Race Starts Pavia [near Milano]

10.35am Women’s race start Genoa

2.15pm Women’s race finish Sanremo

5:00pm Race finish Sanremo

10am – 7pm: Collect race entries from VILLA ORMOND – Corso Cavallotti 113 – Sanremo

More about our day

This morning after breakfast we depart our hotel and transfer to our new hotel in the Sanremo region [approx 1 hour tranfer]. Upon arrival we’ll unload. It’s unlikely our room will be available until the afternoon, yet we’ll check in with our friendly staff. Should our rooms not be ready, we’ll change into our cycling kit and store our bags securely with the hotel while we head out on the bike.

Today’s rides.

Our Ride: 45km

Climbing: 650m

Today we depart our hotel on the bikes and preview the final sections of the Milan – Sanremo course and get a feel for the Sanremo Granfondo course.

From Sanremo we follow the coastal roads and bikeway south for approx 18km. Once we reach the small town of San Lorenzo al Mare, we swing around and commence on today racecourse, we ride onto the Cipressa and then onto the Poggio

 The Poggio is a great little climb situated in the Liguria region of Italy, above the coastal roads, and comes around 20 km before the finish line of the Milan – Sanremo race.

While not the most challenging climb on the Milan San Remo route, it still tests the riders with its steady gradient and its placement at nearly 270km into the race when fatigue sets in.

On our ride today, after descending the Poggio we make our way back to our hotel to check in, shower and change quickly then head out to see the race finish’s.

Women’s Sanremo Race: 156km

Sanremo Women’s race starts from Genoa, passes the Porto Antico on an elevated road until it reaches Sestri Ponente and enters the Aurelia state road. A few kilometers later, the professional race meets in Voltri and from there the race continues to the finish line, retracing the road that for more than 110 years has connected Milan to Sanremo. It then continues westward next to the sea along the Aurelia state road through Varazze, Savona, Albenga until it reaches Imperia. In San Lorenzo al Mare, after the classic sequence of the Capi (Mele, Cervo and Berta), the two climbs inserted in recent decades are tackled: Cipressa (1982) and Poggio di Sanremo (1961). The Cipressa exceeds 5.6 km at 4.1% to enter the very technical descent that takes you back to the ss.1 Aurelia.

Final km

9 km from the finish line, the climb of Poggio di Sanremo begins (3.7 km at less than 4% on average with peaks of 8% in the section preceding the summit). The climb has a slightly narrow carriageway and 4 hairpin bends in the first 2 km. The descent is very challenging on an asphalt road, narrow in some sections, with a succession of hairpin bends and curves and counter-curves until the junction with the Aurelia state road. The last part of the descent takes place in the town of Sanremo. The last 2 km are on long straights on city streets. Noteworthy is a left-hand bend on a roundabout 850 m from the finish line and the last bend 750 m from the finish line that leads onto the final straight of Via Roma, all on asphalt.

About the race: Notes from the race organisation Men’s race

The most successful rider with seven victories is Belgian Eddy Merckx. Italian Costante Girardengo achieved 11 podium finishes in the interwar period, winning the race six times. In modern times, German Erik Zabel and Spaniard Óscar Freire have recorded four and three wins respectively.

Milan–San Remo is considered a sprinters classic because of its mainly flat course, although the Poggio climb close to the finish has often been an opportunity for puncheurs and rouleurs.

The 2025 Milano-Sanremo starts in Pavia, heads north towards Milan—the historic start location of the race—and reaches the Certosa, where it merges back onto the traditional course. The route touches Casteggio and Voghera, Rivanazzano and Salice Terme, and then goes back onto the traditional course in Tortona.

From there, the race follows it all the way to the finish, along the route that has connected Milan to the Riviera di Ponente for over 110 years, through Ovada and the Passo del Turchino, dropping into Genoa in Voltri. From there, it continues westwards, by the sea, following the Statale Aurelia through Varazze, Savona, Albenga (avoiding the Manie climb, which only featured in the route from 2008 to 2013) and Imperia. In San Lorenzo al Mare, past the classic sequence of the Capi (Mele, Cervo and Berta), the peloton will negotiate the two climbs that have entered the race route in recent decades: the Cipressa (1982) and the Poggio di Sanremo (1961). The Cipressa is 5.6 km long with a gradient of 4.1%. The highly testing descent leads back down to SS 1 Aurelia.

The ascent of Poggio di Sanremo begins with 9 km remaining to the finish (3.7 km, average gradient less than 4%, maximum 8% in the segment before getting to the top of the climb). The road is slightly narrower, with 4 hairpin turns in the first 2 km. The descent is testing, on asphalt switchback roads, narrow at points and with twists and turns as far as the junction with SS 1 Aurelia. The final part of the descent enters urban Sanremo. The last 2 km are on long, straight urban roads. There is a left-hand bend on a roundabout 850 m from the finish line. The last bend, leading into the tarmac home straight on the Via Roma, is 750 m from the finish line

Tonight’s Soiree

Free program. We’ve kept this evening as free program to encourage exploring the area, it’s a great chance to indulge in some cultural immersion via food, wine and its bars, Restaurants, and Cafés.

Accomodation: [1 of 2 Nights]

4* or 5* Chic Bike Friendly Hotels [1 of 2 Nights]

Location: Sanremo Region, Italy

Timeline

7:00 – 8:00am Breakfast

9.00am Depart hotel on bikes for Granfondo start area:

10:am Granfondo Start at Salvo d’Acquisto seafront, Sanremo [short ride from our Hotel]

3:30pm Pasta Party – Awards Ceremony, Sanremo

4:30pm 4 Day Tour finishes

5:30pm Transfer to Nice international airport for flights after 8:30pm

More about our day

Today is Sanremo – Sanremo granfondo day, we love riding in Italian granfondo’s they are super fun, passionate events

The start of the Granfondo route in Sanremo is near Lungomare Salvo d’Acquisto, San Remo, a short ride from our hotel. After the Granfondo finish we will enjoy the traditional pasta party at the finish area.

Later on, for our 4 Day guests we will help take all of your personal accessories from your hire bikes, and transfer to Nice International airport for flights departing after 8:30pm.

Our 7 day tour guests will transfer to our hotel to continue on our Nice Cycling Tour.

Notes from the event organisation:

The Granfondo Sanremo-Sanremo “La Classicissima ”  is the opportunity for true cycling enthusiasts to experience the electrifying atmosphere of the great Milan-Sanremo classic, being able to test themselves first-hand on the roads trodden by the greatest champions, as well as appreciating the hospitality of Sanremo and its territory.

Our Rides: 100km

Climbing: 1850m

Accomodation: [2 of 2 Nights]

4* or 5* Chic Bike Friendly Hotels [1 of 2 Nights]

Location: Sanremo Region, Italy

Timeline

7:00 – 8:00am Breakfast.

*Bring bags down to the lobby prior to taking breakfast, we’ll pack our vehicle for a prompt departure. Please check out and settle any personal room expenses.

8:00am Vehicle departs from our Sanremo Hotel, transfer to Nice  Hotel [approx 90 minutes]

More about our day

After our morning transfer we arrive to our new hotel in Nice where you spend the next 2 nights.

Our Rides: 40-62km

Climbing: 300m-655m

Today’s recovery ride details. From our hotel in Nice we climb a little for some views over Nice and it’s surrounds, we make our way down to the coastal road and ride to Antibes for coffee.
After our coffee, lunch stop we return along the coastal roads back to Nice and onto our Hotel.

Accomodation: [1 or 2 Nights]

4* Hotel Cycling Friendly Hotel, Nice Region

Timeline

7:00 – 8:30am Breakfast

9.00am Depart Hotel on bikes

More about our day

This morning we depart from our hotel in Nice and head north into the hills behind Nice, today we’re aiming to ride up to the top of the Col du Braus.

The Col du Braus featured in the 2024 Tour de France stages that were held around nice. It’s a beautiful climb and area, the views down over the switchback you’ll ride up are superb, have your  camera ready.

Our Ride: 40-77km

Climbing: 500m-1600m

Today is all about the Col du Braus, yet we have a nice ride planned that departs from our Hotel and traverses north via the gentle river valleys prior to starting our climb up the Col du Braus.

We return to Nice via an alternative route on some smaller roads.

Accomodation: [2 or 2 Nights]

4* Hotel Cycling Friendly Hotel, Nice Region

Timeline

8:00-9.30am Farewell Breakfast

10.00am Check out of Hotel Room

10.30am  Depart Hotel transfer to Nice airport for International Flights after 2.30pm

More about our day

This morning we have a relaxed morning, we gather over our farewell breakfast, it’s a great chance to enjoy a relaxed breakfast, chat about the tour, and prepare for onward journeys.