Welcome to Sardinia!

Cagliari airport is about an hour from your starting point: a stunning seaside town. Once you've settled into your hotel, our guide will help you fine-tune your bike fit. You'll then have plenty of time to explore the beach of Su Giudeu, close to the hotel and one of the island's most beautiful.

Big news! This year, Epic Sardinia's starting point is Chia, one of the most beautiful seaside destinations in the island's southwest. Southern Sardinia doesn't have tall mountains or a major mountain range, but that doesn't mean the riding here is easy or free of long climbs.

Experienced cyclists know that a series of medium or short climbs can hurt far more than a couple of long ones. Well, this stage has a bit of everything, so you'll be able to judge for yourself. After a flat start and a false flat, we ride through a rolling stretch along the extraordinary southwestern coastal road. The stage is split into two parts, each featuring its own standout coastal segment — you'll soon understand why many consider these among the best coastal roads in the world. The day's first and only long climb begins right after Gonnesa. It's a well-known stretch, and one that can be hard to ride without stopping — not just because of the gradient, but because the spectacular views practically demand a pause. We wouldn't call this a particularly tough stage. There are plenty of short climbs, but they're generally manageable and rarely very steep. Still, as the pros like to say: "It's not the route that makes a race hard, it's the riders." So stay calm — Epic Sardinia has only just begun! Overnight stay at a hotel in Portixeddu, with an outstanding traditional dinner.

From the west coast, we head toward the center of Sardinia, crossing more than half the island's width before reaching Orroli.

Along the way, the scenery, the landscape, and the type of riding — pretty much everything — slowly but decisively changes. We start the day with a long, winding climb. Every bend in the road seems purpose-built to let you soak in the sea view from above — an unforgettable way to kick off another Epic day.

From there, we ride through a long stretch of grain fields across the plain of central-western Sardinia, before tackling the second half of the stage, marked by rolling hills and short climbs, all the way to the old village of Orroli.

Marmilla is the name Roman invaders gave to this area, likening its rolling hills to the shape of a breast — the ancient, and rather more poetic, way of describing what cyclists simply call rolling hills.

Accommodation and dinner are at an "albergo diffuso" — a scattered hotel spread across the historic village. The setting is wonderfully authentic, and the meals rank among some of the best traditional dishes you'll find anywhere in Sardinia.

This third stage survives the major changes introduced in this new edition of Epic Sardinia — there was no reason to abandon a winning stage! From Orroli, we head toward Sardinia's wildest region, Barbagia.

We ride north and, after a spectacular, winding descent, reach the lowest point of the route: Lake Basso Flumendosa. From here, the day's longest climb begins, with the lake on our right.

After a short flat stretch, we tackle the day's second real climb: seven kilometers, but at an easy gradient. With most of the climbing now behind us, we get to enjoy a true gem among Sardinian roads: the old SS389, winding its way along the eastern flank of the Gennargentu mountain range.

It's an incredibly remote and wild stretch — roads like it are hard to find anywhere else in Europe. Every time we ride it, we feel the true privilege of being cyclists, free to take our time and soak up all the beauty and freedom our sport has to offer.

All good things must come to an end, but fortunately the end of this magnificent road is close to a 4-star hotel: a peaceful, comfortable place to stay, with dinner included.

After years of experience running bike tours, we've ridden this island from end to end. So when we get asked the inevitable question — "What's the most beautiful climb in Sardinia?" — you can trust our answer: the Talana climb.

And after today, you'll be able to tell us what you think. To enjoy every single bend of it, we first have to drop down almost to sea level. The climb, which tops out at 1,100 meters on Monte Genziana, actually starts very low, at just 15 meters above sea level.

From there, it's about 17 km uphill: the first 5 km ease you in gently, preparing you for the moment the climb rears up like a wall in front of you, leaving "only" 12 km to go, at an average gradient of 6.9% — a walk in the park, and the island's one and only "Hors Catégorie" climb, for anyone into pro-cycling stats.

We'd suggest not going all-out for a KOM here, since the stage doesn't finish at the top. In fact, we're only just past the halfway point, with another long climb still ahead.

That said, the road up to Correboi pass — 10 km at 3.6% — feels almost like a warm-up compared to Talana. The summit of Correboi pass, at 1,246 meters, is truly spectacular, feeling like a terrace offering views both east and west. It's also close to our destination: a charming Agriturismo in the village of Fonni. Quality food (and plenty of it) and great comfort will be your reward.

We'll see how gentle the Gennargentu can be, offering moderate gradients for most of the route. But we'll also discover it can be brutally tough if you don't respect the final climb up to Bruncu Spina pass, on the way to conquering the island's highest road.

We set off from the agriturismo near Fonni, at 1,100 m above sea level, for a counterclockwise loop. After a long descent, we tackle the day's first two climbs, neither of which is particularly long or steep.

The longest climb of the entire tour begins just before Tonara and continues all the way to the Tascusì pass junction (1,250 m). It's a second-category climb, almost 23 km long, with an average gradient of 3%.

Don't worry — we've planned a stop halfway, in Tonara, for a coffee and a piece of the famous Torrone, a nougat this village proudly ranks among the finest producers of.

Leaving Tonara with our pockets full of Torrone, we're ready to finish the climb up to the pass. From there, we enjoy a short descent before the final challenge: the last climb up to 1,560 m on Monte Bruncu Spina, home to the island's ski facilities.

There's no time — or weather — for skiing, but we can ride back down to our starting point. After a truly glorious day on the bike, we'll spend another night at the same hotel in Fonni.

Back to the Sea' could well be the title of stage six. For anyone thinking this one will be easy — it really won't. On this stage, we'll take on some of Sardinia's most fascinating and famous hills.

Starting from Fonni, we descend toward the east coast. Midway through the descent, we'll stop in Orgosolo, where you can enjoy a cappuccino among the celebrated murals that draw thousands of visitors every year.

The tour's final climb isn't far off. It begins after the town of Dorgali and, over roughly 20 km, takes us up to Genna Silana pass. Unfortunately for KOM hunters, the Strava record on this climb was set during a stage of the 2017 Giro d'Italia.

And that's no small detail: that day, not only were there 150 of the world's best professional cyclists racing up this climb, there was also a strong tailwind pushing them along. Which makes any attempt to beat the record — however much your Strava followers might appreciate it — almost certainly doomed to fail.

Jokes aside, once you reach the top at your own pace, you'll be rewarded with a lunch stop right in front of the Gorropu gorge, the deepest canyon in Europe. While your legs might be relieved to know all the climbing is done, we hope your heart and mind feel otherwise, since this marks the end of the tour.

A long, fun descent awaits before we reach our destination: the beautiful resort of Santa Maria Navarrese. We'll spend the night at a three-star hotel near the beach.

Transfer to airport (when included in the package).

End of services — and, we like to believe, the beginning of new friendships. Eight remarkable and varied days, more than 600 km, and a journey through the many faces of Sardinia: from the western shorelines to the timeless charm of the inland, weaving together the island's interior with some of the most spectacular coastal roads in the Mediterranean.