Tuscany
with Brian Mueller

Your trip starts at your hotel in Florence where our staff will meet you before the transfer to your Hotel Borgo San Luigi.

After a brief orientation meeting, lunch and bike build-up, you’ll head out on our warm-up ride, a beautiful route through the Tuscan vineyards and olive groves. Our destination today is the unique, medieval village of Monteriggioni. Often described as the most spectacular walled village in Tuscany, within the impressive fortifications you’ll find an incredibly charming village with cobbled streets and piazas, perfect for a coffee (or gelato) stop.

Shorter ride option: 19km, 266m elevation

Today you’ll visit the world-famous medieval town of San Gimignano, a UNESCO world heritage site. The town is especially famous for the 14 remaining medieval towers, that remain inside the city walls each one constructed, in the 12th and 13th century by powerful families, keen on proving their wealth by building the tallest tower.

Shorter ride option: 31km, 576m elevation

Tonight we’ll enjoy a tour and dinner in the magnificient city of Siena

Today’s ride features Tuscany’s most famous wine region, Chianti. You’ll enjoy a magnificent ride featuring the most scenic routes, and most challenging climbs through these famous vineyards.

From the hotel enjoy the first relatively flat 10km to Spedaletto where the first climb to Castellina in Chianti starts. From Castellina, the next 70km are simply stunning as you ride through Greve in Chianti, Lucolena and a fabulous descent through vast vineyards to Radda in Chianti, where we always stop at a wonderful gelateria. After a well-earned gelato the ride heads back to Castellina in Chianti before the final stretch back to the hotel.

Shorter ride option: 105km, 2107m elevation

The magnificent, walled mountaintop town of Volterra is the main highlight of today’s ride.

To get to Volterra, you’ll head into some rugged terrain in the beautifully remote region of Tuscany, between Castagno and Villamagna. At the 40km (25 miles) mark you’ll see the medieval walls of Volterra, perched high on the hill above you, signalling the start of the steep 5km (3 miles) climb from the valley floor to the town gates. Ride through the town gate into the medieval town and stop at one of the magnificent plazas for a coffee or a gelato (or both!).

Shorter ride option: 42km, 595m elevation

In the evening we’ve organised a wine tasting in a local winery followed by an authentic Italian dinner. La vita è bella!

We’re in Eroica territory today so we thought we’d give you the opportunity to take on one of the first strada bianca sections of the famous race, the climb to the Castello di Brolio. From Brolio, you’ll jump back into asphalt and ride through the Crete Senesi to Asciano, with the quintessential Tuscan landscapes of rolling hills and lines of cypress trees leading to hilltop farms.

Shorter ride option: 86km, 1660m elevation

100,000 fans turned out on the steets of Bologna on June 30th, primarily on the climb to the San Luca monastery, to watch the finish of Stage 2 of the Tour de France. Today is your turn to ride this iconic Italian climb, it’s short – but be ready, it’s steep!

In the evening we’ll enjoy dinner in the beautiful old section of town .

Our final day and we’ve planned a sensational ride into the Apennine mountains that lie to the south of Bologna, covering parts of the annual Diece Colli Gran Fondo, one of the most prestigious gran fondos in Italy.

Riding from the hotel you’ll head out through the Parco dei Gessi Bolognesi to Zena and the start of the 11km climb to Quinzano. From Quinzano, enjoy super-quiet roads as you head northwards back towards Bologna, but be ready for a few steep “surprises” before the final long descent back to the hotel in Bologna.

Shorter ride option: 75km, 944m elevation

In the evening, we’ll meet up in the Hotel Bar to toast a sensational week in Italy with a few celebratory drinks before dinner.

Unfortunately, your trip across Tuscany and the Apennines, has come to an end.

Our private shuttle will drop you off at Bologna Airport.