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Our "King of the Mountains" series of trips continue to set the bar for Performance Bike Trips. In May our King of the Mountains trip focuses on the dramatic mountain stages of the Giro d'Italia.

As always the GIRO organizers have designed a thrilling itinerary with several fantastic race-viewing opportunities in the Dolomites.

 

Witness The Giro d'Italia "LIVE"...

Join us and witness the TOP 3 Giro d'Italia Mountain Stages in the Dolomites and Italian Alps.

• LIVE Viewing of the finish of Stage 15 on the Passo Fedaia
• LIVE Viewing of the Stage 16 Mountain TT on Plan de Corones
• LIVE Viewing of Stage 20 on the daunting Mortirolo

And there's much more to our trip! We've prepared 9 days of the best and most challenging riding you'll find anywhere in Europe.

Join Peter and our experienced ride leaders on the Gavia.... Mortirolo.... San Pellegrino.... Plan de Corones.... Sella.... Campolongo.... Pordoi.... Giau.... and many more famous climbs!

Click here to view the complete list of famous climbs on this trip.

 

Top Support in the Industry...

Throughout the trip you can relax and enjoy the rides knowing that you have the best Support Team in the industry right behind you all the way!

 

Trip Highlights

• LIVE Viewing of the Stage 16 Mountain Time Trial on the climb to PLAN DE CORONES
• LIVE Viewing of Stage 20 on the MORTIROLO. Ride the climb just hours before the pros!
• LIVE Viewing of the Finish of Stage 15 on the Passo Fedaia (max. grade = 18%!)
• Ride the legendary Passo Gavia, the Cima Coppi of the 2008 Giro d'Italia.
• Ride the famous Ronde Sella over the Pordoi, Sella, Gardena and Valparola passes.
• Choice of rides most days - the A Group averages 64 miles/day, the B Group 52 miles/day
• Over 58,000ft of climbing in 9 days (A Group rides)!
• 4-star hotels throughout the trip
• As always the top support in the industry!

Stay 1 extra day and see the Final TT in Milan...

In 2008 the final stage of the Giro d'Italia will feature an Individual Time Trial through the streets of Milan.

Click here for full details if you'd like to stay on for the Final Time Trial in Milan.

 

Your Daily Rides

GROUP A Rides:

Day	Route Summary	Hotel Location & Category	Ride Distance (miles)	Elevation Gain (feet)
1	Alleghe › Forcella Aurine › Alleghe	Alleghe 4-star	34	2,500
2	Alleghe › Passo Giau › Passo Falzarego › Passo Fedaia › Alleghe	Alleghe 4-star	57	9,250
3	Alleghe › Passo Campolongo › Plan de Corones › Passo Campolongo › Alleghe	Alleghe 4-star	90	8,250
4	Alleghe › Passo Pordoi › Passo Sella › Passo Gardena › Passo Valparola › Alleghe	Alleghe 4-star	70	7,500
5	Alleghe › Passo San Pellegrino › Passo Costalunga › Passo Nigra › Bolzano	Bolzano 4-star	60	5,600
6	Bolzano › Lana › Merano › San Genesio › Bolzano	Bolzano 4-star	53	6,950
7	OPTION 1: Bolzano › Passo Mendola › Passo Tonale › Passo Gavia › Bormio OPTION 2: Bolzano › Passo Stelvio › Bormio* * Weather permitting (The Stelvio is usually closed until the 1st week in June - if it opens ahead of schedule we WILL ride it!)	Bormio 4-star	93 80	11,700 9,500
8	Bormio › Passo Mortirolo › Bormio	Bormio 4-star	55	6,875
RIDE GROUP A › Total:			512	58,625
RIDE GROUP A › Daily Average:			64	7,328

 

GROUP B Rides:

Day	Route Summary	Hotel Location & Category	Ride Distance (miles)	Elevation Gain (feet)
1	Alleghe › Forcella Aurine › Alleghe	Alleghe 4-star	34	2,500
2	Alleghe › Passo Fedaia › Alleghe	Alleghe 4-star	25	3,500
3	Alleghe › Passo Campolongo › Plan de Corones › Longega	Alleghe 4-star	55	5,600
4	Alleghe › Passo Pordoi › Passo Sella › Passo Gardena › Passo Campolongo › Alleghe	Alleghe 4-star	60	5,750
5	Alleghe › Passo San Pellegrino › Passo Costalunga › Passo Nigra › Bolzano	Bolzano 4-star	60	5,600
6	Bolzano › Andriano › Merano › Bolzano (Recovery Ride!)	Bolzano 4-star	32	1,150
7	OPTION 1: Bolzano › Passo Mendola › Passo Tonale › Passo Gavia › Bormio OPTION 2: Bolzano › Passo Stelvio › Bormio* * Weather permitting (The Stelvio is usually closed until the 1st week in June - if it opens ahead of schedule we WILL ride it!)	Bormio 4-star	93 80	11,700 9,500
8	Bormio › Passo Mortirolo › Bormio	Bormio 4-star	55	6,875
RIDE GROUP B › Total:			414	42,675
RIDE GROUP B › Daily Average:			52	5,334

 

Climb these Famous Cols

In just 1 week climb many of the legendary cols in the Italian Alps & Dolomites! Here's the list of cols included in our itinerary (sorted by Difficulty Index).

Climb	Elev. Gain (feet)	Average Grade	Length (miles)	Profile (m/km)	Difficulty Index
Passo Mortirolo	4265	10.5%	7.7		186
Plan Stelvio*	5930	7.4%	15.1		172
Plan de Corones	4160	7.5%	10.4		161
Passo Gavia	4470	7.9%	10.7		147
Passo Fedaia	3475	7.5%	8.8		133
Passo Giau	3025	9.1%	6.3		122
Passo San Pellegrino	3750	6.3%	11.3		97
Passo Mendola	3145	6.5%	9.2		89
Passo Valparola	2630	5.8%	8.6		88
Passo Tonale	3015	6.0%	9.4		85
Passo Falzarego	2995	5.6%	10.2		83
Passo Pordoi	2090	6.8%	5.8		73
Forcella Aurine	2300	5.8%	7.5		69
Passo Sella	1309	7.3%	3.4		61
Passo Costalunga	1345	4.1%	6.1		53
Passo Campolongo (from Arabba)	970	7.4%	2.5		51
Passo Campolongo (from Pederoa)	2365	3.6%	12.5		47
Passo Campolongo (from Corvara)	1007	5.0%	3.8		44
Passo Gardena	820	4.2%	3.7		36

What's Included

• 9 days / 8 nights fully accompanied trip
  
• All breakfasts
• 3 dinners
  
• 3 lunches
• Pick-up at Venice Marco Polo Airport
• Drop-off at Milan Malpensa Airport
• All ground transportation
• All luggage transfer
• Services of our expert guides
• Support vehicles
• Thomson Bike Tours maps, cue sheets and elevation profiles

What's Not Included

• Airfare
• Travel and personal insurance
• Additional hotel expenses i.e. phone charges, mini-bar, gratuities

The Thomson Bike Tours Difference Your trip to Europe may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you deserve the best! Performance cyclists now rate Thomson Bike Tours as the premiere provider of performance trips to Europe. Here are a few details that set us aside from the rest: LESS VAN - MORE BIKE: NO Van Transfers between your hotels and the start/finish of the bike rides. Each day we ride from and back to the hotel. Our local knowledge, extensive planning and vast experience mean that you spend less time in a van and more time on the bike! Best-in-class Support & ride leaders: another key to our success! Sag van and ride leader for every 10 riders. Highest Staff to Customer Ratio: 1 staff member per 4 customers! LIVE Satellite TV coverage in English: our strategically placed mountain-top race vantage points have become the reference for the industry and the envy of the mountain! No-one else has LIVE Satellite TV coverage in English! THE THOMSON RIDES: over the years we've also gained a reputation for providing the best (and most challenging) rides. 25 years experience riding in the Dolomites counts! Choice of rides: shorter distance options are available on most days. Limited Hotel Changes: we've designed the trip so you stay 4 nights in the same hotel in Alleghe, 2 nights in Bolzano and 2 nights in Bormio.

 

Final Day Time Trial in Milan

Not everyone will want (or be able) to stay an extra day to see the Final Time Trial in Milan so we have decided not to include this in our trip package. Instead we'll facilitate the logistics for those who'd like to see this event - see below:

1. We have scheduled to drop everyone off at Milan Malpensa Airport on Sunday June 1st at approximately 9:30am.

2. If you'd like to watch the final day time trial you can then take the Malpensa Express Train into the center of Milan and make your way to the time trial course which is within walking distance of the train station.

3. We will transfer your luggage and bike boxes to a designated hotel at Milan Malpensa Airport.

4. After the race has finished you can take the Malpensa Express Train back to the airport and then take the shuttle service to your hotel.

5. In the morning take the shuttle to the airport to get your departure flight.

Here is the list of designated hotels at Malpensa Airport where we can transfer your luggage:

Hotel Cardano

Hotel Ascot

Hotel La Pista & Hotel Sempione