Bicycle tours – Dolomites and Veneto *road bike*

Day 1 – Arrival in Venice

Arrival in Venice. Transfer to the booked hotel Overnight.

Day 2 – Venice

Full day at disposal to visit the city. Guided visits and activities can be requested and included in the itinerary. Overnight

Day 3 – Venice – Bolzano

Morning at disposal. In the afternoon transfer to the train station and train to Bolzano. Located along the Isarco river, bilingual Bolzano has always been at the crossroads between the Mediterranean and central Europe. Today it is an important commercial and tourist centre. Overnight

Day 4 –   Bolzano – Corvara – Dobbiaco (120 km, + 2,200 m, 6.30 h)

Private transfer in the morning to Corvara, the well-known ski resort in the Sella Ronda park. Here 4 passes await you, one after the other, ascents that have written the history of cycling and of champions like Coppi, Bartali, Merckx, Pantani and Contador. Once you get to Corvara, having finished the Ronda, you drop down into Brunico and from here the final kilometres are easy on a marvellous cycle path to Dobbiaco. Variation (80 km). Private transfer in the morning to Brunico, “the pearl of the Pusteria valley”. The bike stage takes you up to Badia valley, where the road levels out and you soon arrive at La Villa and Passo Valparola (a demanding 4
km climb). After a stretch of apparently flat ground that actually slopes slightly downhill and the last 10 km all uphill (up to 10% gradient over the last km), you ride down towards Passo Falzarego, then to Cortina and finally to Dobbiaco. Overnight.

Day 5 –   Dobbiaco – Cortina (100 km, + 2,500 m, 6 h)

With Dobbiaco behind you, you follow the cycle path along the Landro valley, at the foot of the three peaks of Lavaredo. A slightly uphill stretch brings you to Passo Cimabanche, then it’s down and southwards to Cortina d’Ampezzo and from here up again towards Passo Falzarego, a difference in altitude of 1,200 m over 17 km. Then there’s a fast downhill stretch to Colle Santa Lucia from where you pedal up His Majesty the Giau, a 1,000 m difference in altitude over 10 km, the last 3 through the most amazing scenery. Variation (70 km, + 1,700 m, 4.30 h). Variation without Passo Falzarego: from Cortina you ride directly up to Passo Giau, 18 km uphill of which the last 10 are really challenging. You reach the top at 2,300 m and then return along the same road to Cortina.. Overnight.

Day 6 –  Cortina – Belluno (100 km, + 2,500 m, 5.30 h)

From Cortina it’s up again to Passo Giau: from here, an extremely fast downhill ride with lots of hairpin bends towards Selva di Cadore, then up to Forcella Staulanza pass, 6 km with an 8% gradient and long straight stretches at first. From Forcella Staulanza, you ride down to Zoldo and Dont di Zoldo where the Passo Duran starts, with an initial 12% gradient which then eases up a bit, only to finish with a truly tough 8 km. Today’s stage finishes in Belluno with a 40 km downhill run. Variation (80 km, + 1,000 m, 4.30 h). From Cortina a gentle downhill stretch to Venas di Cadore, where you start to climb towards Cibiana di Cadore, along Passo Cibiana (10 km, + 800 m). A fast descent takes you to Forno di Zoldo and Longarone, where you continue for Belluno. Overnight

Day 7 –   Belluno – Valdobbiadene (70 km, + 1,000 m, 4 h)

From Belluno you pedal over slightly hilly terrain that recalls the Tuscan landscape and then arrive in Valdobbiadene, surrounded by the famous Prosecco
vineyards. Today’s stretch takes you up to Passo San Boldo and Pianezze, two historic ascents for the professionals who train in these hills. You might even
meet Bruseghin, Pellizzotti, Ballan, Pozzato or many others and, why not, raise a glass of excellent Prosecco with them! Variation (50 km, + 1,000 m, 3 h). You ride up and over Passo San Boldo and some of the Prosecco hills, heading directly towards Valdobbiadene. Overnight

Day 8 –  Valdobbiadene – Treviso (70 km, + 1,000 m, 3.30 h)

From Valdobbiadene you pedal south to the bridge over the Piave River, then up Montello on one of the many roads that lead to the top. After the descent you
come to the Po valley and this takes you to Treviso, the city of water, at the confluence of the Sile and Botteniga Rivers. On the way you go through Maser, where you can admire Villa Barbaro, a jewel of architecture by Andrea Palladio. Overnight

Day 9 –    Treviso – Mestre (50 km, + 300 m, 2.30 h)

You leave Treviso and follow the Sile River to Casale. You come across the interesting Cimitero dei Burci (a “cemetery” of half-wrecked, sunken rafts and boats along the canal, a real paradise for water birds, plants and animals). Accommodation is in Mestre. Overnight

Day 10 – Mestre/departure

Free transfer to the train station or airport and end of the tour (or proceed with your Italian trip)

Difficulty: PROFESSIONAL

This is a demanding tour because the itinerary reaches many famous climbs for the Giro. However, different or shorter ways to reach the next hotel are proposed, too.
Activity level
Challenging routes with steep hills and longer uphill stretches. Suitable for fit, experienced cyclists only