Epic Mountains and the Giro d'Italia
A fabulous tour beginning in the Prosecco Hills, with a spectacular grand finale taking in the Giro atop the fabled Dolomiti Mountains.
May 22nd - May 28th 2023
The Giro d'Italia always visits the Veneto and the Dolomites, and 2023 is no exception. Get ready for an unforgettable cycling tour through the lands of Venice, the Prosecco Valley, and the mighty Dolomites. This itinerary gradually builds as it starts from the flat of the Pianura Padana and progresses into the hills and the pre-alps, culminating in epic climbs of the fabled Dolomiti Passes.
Prepare yourself for an epic week of fantastic riding, beautiful accommodations, and Maglia Rosa battles!
Included in this trip
- 6 nights accommodation in select boutique hotels including breakfast.
- All transfers, incl. pick-up from and drop-off to the airport.
- Support with set-up of rental bike, or assembly/disassembly of own bike.
- Orientation meeting on day 1.
- Daily CyclingHero van support.
- Exclusive access to the CyclingHero Companion App with daily multiple route options and local insights.
- Access to Hammerhead Karoo-2 bike computer with pre-installed CyclingHero route options.
- Bike box storage for the entire duration of the trip.
Tour Map
Trip at a Glance
Start Location:
Finish Location
Days Riding:
Total Distance:
Total Climbing:
Climbs:
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
Day by Day Breakdown
From Treviso, the hometown of Pinarello, a short ride brings you to the beautiful Pinarello flagship store located just outside of town. The route then reaches the edge of the Montello where there is the option to stretch the legs on the climb that featured in the 1985 World Championship road race. After passing over the Piave river at Ponte della Priula it's time to enter the Prosecco Hills via a climb up to the beautiful Collalto castle. The more ambitious can take in the Ca' del Poggio climb before reaching the charming village of Soligo.
From Soligo, the ride starts with a beautiful, mostly flat stretch that hugs the Prosecco Hills. The climbing starts as we approach Valdobbiadene, the most important town in the region and home to numerous well-known vintners.
The more ambitious can head up the challenging Pianezze climb before looping back to Soligo; the less mountainous route heads back along the ridge road through Guia, which also affords wonderful views of the vineyards below.
Leaving Soligo, a final bit of the spectacular Prosecco Hills scenery around Rolle awaits before heading to the main challenge of the day, the Passo San Boldo. Not the hardest or longest climb in the area, but arguably one of the most spectacular feats of road engineering in the world. From the top of the Passo it's a beautiful downhill and flat run all the way to Belluno.
If the legs are up for it, turn right on the way down from the San Boldo pass and add in the Valmorel and Nevegal climbs that reward with fantastic views of Belluno. For those interested in more riding, but less vertical, a further rolling loop is mapped out that takes in the lago del Mis before returning to Belluno.
It's Giro Day! Heading East from Belluno, the route first takes on the beautiful Vena d’Oro climb, before descending down to the Lago di Santa Croce. After hugging the lakeshore for a stretch, the mountain goats turn right and take on the challenging climb up to the town of Tambre and further along a short unpaved section to Malga Cate, before descending back down to the valley.
The less vertically-inclined continue along the lake a bit further and rejoin the hillier option for the climb up to Pieve D’alpago, a challenging 5 km uphill that offers the perfect vantage point to take in the first passing of the Giro peloton as it heads towards the stage finish in Val di Zoldo. Giro procession witnessed, it's mostly downhill then gently rolling back to Belluno, as the route follows a beautiful bike path that appropriately passes by a giant pink bicycle statue.
After breakfast, a short van transfer touches down in the small town of Pieve di Cadore. From here there are two routes to the Giro: Chill and Challenging.
The Chill option follows the dedicated bike path created from the old train route that runs all the way to Cortina. There is climbing to be done, but it's fairly harmless. This is the perfect option for those wanting to have an easy day and catch the pros as they pass through Cortina and start up the Tre Croci climb.
The Challenging option heads up the Cadore valley through Auronzo, then climbs up to Lake Misurina. From here, it's up to you to decide: ride the whole of the Tre Cime climb and see the pros near the finish of the climb, or catch them on the lower slopes and view the finish on TV. Whichever you choose, the experience promises to be unforgettable. This is the hardest climb of the hardest stage of this year’s Giro. There WILL be fireworks! After the last stragglers in the Gruppetto have passed, one relatively tame climb up to the Tre Croci pass has you on a wonderful downhill into Cortina in time for Aperitivo.
For the final day of this adventure, its time to head deep into the Dolomites for fantastic views and more bucket list climbs. First up it's the relatively tame 15 km climb to Passo Falzarego, before descending down to Cernadoi, where the route joins the famous Maratona dls Dolomites gran fondo circuit. Things get more challenging from here, first with the shorter Colle Santa Lucia, then the main event of the day, the Passo Giau. One of the legendary climbs of the Giro, the Giau is 10 kms of unrelenting uphill that will test your resolve. The reward is an unbelievable panorama that is as breathtaking as the climb itself.
Another option is a longer loop with less intense climbing that bypasses the Giau and heads instead up the Campolongo and down through Corvara, before returning via the Valparola and Falzarego Pass.
And of course you could always just do the Falzarego climb, go a bit further up to the Valparola pass to take in some spectacular views, then take the downhill all the way back to Cortina and spend the rest of the day getting to know Cortina better and deciding on the best option for your final dinner in the Dolomites.
After a last breakfast, it’s time for the transfer back to Venice for your trip home or further explorations in the area.