Stelvio pass became part cycling mythology in 1953, after a 34 year old Fausto Coppi, was able to grab his last Giro d’Italia by dropping the GC leader, Hugo Koblet from Switzerland, in a legendary day. Stelvio was a dirt road at the time, and bikes were not as sophisticated and lightweight as now. Romantic cycling, as they call it.

“I’m still that eight-year-old kid who rode up the Stelvio. I’m still that kid in my legs, in my head and in my heart.”
–Ivan Basso, former pro cyclist.

There’s big debate among cyclists on which side of Stelvio is the nicest: the Lombardy side, from Bormio or the Trentino side, from Prato allo Stelvio. We don’t want to influence your opinion, so we give you the opportunity to choose for yourself. We ride up from Bormio, go all the way down across Switzerland, and up again from Prato allo Stelvio, allowing you to enjoy each of the 48 switchbacks on the way to the top. Accommodation and dinner at hotel in Bormio.

Return to the origins could be the subtitle of this stage. Largely because much of the history from the heroic age of cycling was written on dirt roads, and races are now reviving this tradition by using bits of mountain roads still not covered with tarmac. The last  8km of the iconic Colle delle Finestre is a prime example of bringing dirt back. The first stage of this new - old fashion - trend was the Savigliano to Sestriere stage of Giro 2005, that featured two ascents up Sestriere and finally Colle delle Finestre. It’s been a blast seeing the riders climbing up in a cloud of dust and it showed worldwide race organizers that bringing cycling back to its origins was worth the risk. Only big climbers have completed this climb in the lead.  But do you remember Chris Froome’s legendary attack from the very beginning of this climb, taking him to victory of both the stage and the 2018 Giro. It brought modern cycling 50 years back in time. Well, we need to go there, right? Stage start and finish are at Sauze d’Oulx. Accommodation and dinner in an excellent three-star hotel.

We do a quick transfer beyond the French border and start our ride in Briancon. It’s the door to another bucket list climb: Col de l’Izoard. Coppi, Bobet, Bartali, Bahamontes, Pantani and many other famous cyclists had glorious days, flying over the last climb’s hairpins, known for its lunar aspect. We ride all the way up, at 2361m, enjoy a meal at the Refuge Napoleon at 2200m, and cycle down to cross Briancon and ride the Col del Lautaret, Serre Chevalier side. After this very long climb with gentle gradients, we enjoy the lovely descent to the hotel, in the little village of La Grave. Accommodation and dinner in an excellent three-star hotel.

Again mountains with two rideable sides, and both fantastic. We start with the Lautaret, which is not among the tallest mountains with its 2058m, but it’s the door to Galibier, one of the highest peaks of this tour, at 2645m, and very often the tallest mountain climbed during the Tour de France. Tour de France has included Galibier 59 times, and, as is often the case with high passes, everytime time it is featured there is a chance to add to the history books. The special nature of Galibier is highlighted by the two monuments built here by the French. One is to Henri Desgranges, founder of Tour de France, the other is to Marco Pantani, who made French enthusiasts fall in love with him because of his racing style and spectacular actions on the most important climbs. It’s a place we cannot miss. And we won’t. We ride back to La Grave and have dinner at hotel.

It’s the Tour de France climb par excellence. You might think it’s because is a very tall mountain. But this is not the case, being just 1885m ASL. It’s instead because of its consistently challenging gradient - around 8% on a 14 km leg - that puts cyclists, even pro riders - to the test. Especially when it comes after so many elevation meters gained during the week. We get there cycling down from La Grave to Le Burg d’Oisans: from there, in a pretty sudden way, we start going up on a immediately steep slope. We’re sure we won’t break the sub 37 minutes record set by Marco Pantani in 1995. And for sure neither Pantani, nor the pro cyclists who raced there next, could have enjoyed a well deserved beer on top of the mountain, as for sure we’ll do. The privilege of being slow riders. Our stage ends there. Accommodation at Alpe d’Huez at three star hotel.

We move to the lovely French region of Provence to enjoy the last two days of this amazing trip. It’s a long way in the van from Alpe d’Huez to Bedoin. We’ll have time for a light lunch at the hotel and go for a short but awesome ride through the Gorge de la Nesque natural monument. Small gradients, wild nature, and spectacular views make  the best appetizer for a lovely dinner accompanied by a local red wine. Accommodation and dinner in a four-star hotel in Bedoin.

Is there a better way to end a cycling adventure like this than climbing Mont Ventoux? We don’t think so. Mont Ventoux is another giant of cycling lore. Like Alpe d’Huez, it is not among the tallest mountains, but fans of the Tour de France will have their memories jogged by this massive mountain that pops up from the hills of Provence, with its white cap caused by the total lack of vegetation on its limestone slopes. We know what you’re thinking? Will the view be the same as I’ve seen on the TV, watching the Tour? Yes, it will. In the last 4 km you’ll find yourself immersed in the same unusual, desertic, dazzling white top, with the television tower that indicates where the finish line is. This will be your last stage, and, even though the climb is very long - 15km, 7.7% AVG gradient - and your legs very tired, you won’t want the ride and this amazing trip to end. We stop at the refuge, on top, to enjoy a lunch with view, then we enjoy the very long and quick descent to Bedoin. Accommodation and dinner in a four-star hotel in Bedoin.