Our hotel in Saluzzo |
Day 1
SUNDAY June 14 › Welcome to Italy
Our
trip starts at Turin airport where our staff will be there
to welcome you before the short transfer to our hotel in Saluzzo.
Lunch, orientation meeting, build up the bikes and then an afternoon ride to loosen up the legs before tomorrow's big day.
Today's Ride Summary: 30 miles / 1,650 ft elev. gain
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Today's Major Climbs |
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Climb |
Elev. Gain (feet) |
Average Grade |
Length
(miles) |
Profile
(m/km) |
Difficulty
Index |
No major climbs today |
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Climbing the Colletto del Moro in the 2005 Giro d'Italia
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Day 2
MONDAY June 15 › Colle della Lombarda
Today we follow the route of the 2005 Giro d'Italia Stage 17. First up is the short but incredibly steep Colletto del Moro with it's 16% grades! From the Moro we have a brief respite before facing the 7km climb to Madonna del Colletto with some really tough 13% sections.
After descending the Colletto we ride along the Stura valley to Pratolungo where we start the 13 mile climb to the Colle della Lombarda and the border with France.
Today's Ride Summary: 95 miles / 13,125 ft elev. gain
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Today's Major Climbs |
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Climb |
Elev. Gain (feet) |
Average Grade |
Length
(miles) |
Profile
(m/km) |
Difficulty
Index |
Colletto del Moro |
1,135 ft |
8.9% |
2.4 miles |
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91 |
Madonna del Colletto |
1,752 ft |
9.4% |
3.5 miles |
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95 |
Colle della Lombarda |
4,747 ft |
6.8% |
13.2 miles |
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138 |
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The Col de la Bonette - Europe's highest road |
Day 3
TUESDAY June 16 › Col de la Bonette
Our ride today includes one of the most spectacular climbs in the Alps, the 2,800m Cime de la Bonette.
From our hotel, enjoy the first 7km of downhill to the junction with the road that leads to La Bonette. The next 26km are all uphill, fortunately the grades are fairly steady but be ready for the last km which averages out at almost 15%. At the top you can enjoy the sweet satisfaction of having ridden the highest paved road in Europe!
Today's Ride Summary: 40 miles / 5,250 ft elev. gain
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Today's Major Climbs |
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Climb |
Elev. Gain (feet) |
Average Grade |
Length
(miles) |
Profile
(m/km) |
Difficulty
Index |
Col de la Bonette |
5,420 ft |
6.4% |
16 miles |
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144 |
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The Col d'Izoard
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Day 4
WEDNESDAY June 17 › Col de Vars & Izoard
From our hotel in Barcelonette we have a 16km warm-up along the valley to Les Gleizolles where we start the climb to the 2100m Col de Vars.
The descent from the Col de Vars takes us into Guillestre where we start the ride through the Combe de Queyras, a magnificent route through deep gorges and canyons. The road eventually opens out and we start climbing toward the 2300m Col d'Izoard, another Grand Tour favorite!
Today's Ride Summary: 65 miles / 8,700 ft elev. gain
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Today's Major Climbs |
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Climb |
Elev. Gain (feet) |
Average Grade |
Length
(miles) |
Profile
(m/km) |
Difficulty
Index |
Col de Vars |
2,618 ft |
5.7% |
8.8 miles |
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90 |
Col d'Izoard |
3,593 ft |
6.9% |
9.9 miles |
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124 |
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The "maglia rosa" group on the Finestre in the 2005 Giro d'Italia |
Day 5
THURSDAY June 18 › Colle delle Finestre
Every cyclist will remember the 2005 Giro d'Italia and the fascinating penultimate stage on the Colle delle Finestre. Paolo Savoldelli lost 2 minutes on the gruelling slopes of the Finestre only to fly down the descent and save his maglia rosa by a mere 28 seconds from a seething Gilberto Simoni!
Today is our turn to tackle this monster climb with it's average grade of 9.2% over almost 19km with the final 8km on a gravel road!
Are you ready...???
Today's Ride Summary: 95 miles / 13,780 ft elev. gain
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Today's Major Climbs |
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Climb |
Elev. Gain (feet) |
Average Grade |
Length
(miles) |
Profile
(m/km) |
Difficulty
Index |
Col de L'Echelle |
1,283 ft |
2,3% |
10.6 miles |
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38 |
Colle delle Finestre |
5,558 ft |
9.1% |
11.6 miles |
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193 |
Colle del Sestriere |
4,682 ft |
3.8% |
23.5 miles |
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82 |
Col de Mongenevre |
2,228 ft |
5.9% |
7.1 miles |
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68 |
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2744m - on top of the Col d'Agnel |
Day 6
FRIDAY June 19 › The Agnello
We end the trip with two more legendary and massive climbs. From Briancon we head back over the Col d'Izoard and down the other side to Chateau Queyras.
Just after Chateau Queyras the road starts to steepen as we start the long climb to the Col d'Agnel which at 2744m is the 3rd highest paved mountain pass in Europe.
From the Col d'Agnel enjoy the 50km descent and a final small climb before we arrive back at our hotel in Saluzzo.
Today's Ride Summary: 80 miles / 9,850 ft elev. gain
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Today's Major Climbs |
|
Climb |
Elev. Gain (feet) |
Average Grade |
Length
(miles) |
Profile
(m/km) |
Difficulty
Index |
Col d'Izoard |
3,743 ft |
5.7% |
12.4 miles |
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108 |
Col d'Agnel |
5,696 ft |
4.1% |
26.1 miles |
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146 |
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Day 7
SATURDAY June 20 › Arrivederci!
End of our trip and final transfer to Turin
airport. |
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