On the opening stage, you’ll experience the special connection between coastline and mountain rides in Sardinia. You start from Alghero and ride south to Bosa on one of the most renowned coastal roads on Sardinia.

The medieval village of Bosa is one of the best preserved on the island and it’s worth visiting. Enjoy an unforgettable ride through the narrow streets of the old town and stop for a quick meal. After lunch you leave the sea behind you as you head inland.

The approach is trough the smooth hills of the Nurra region, up to Cuglieri. From there you continue climbing into the mountains of Montiferru. You finish the day descending into the small gem of Santu Lussurgiu, a small medieval town where a Sardinian traditional dinner and a very comfortable accommodation await you.

We ride deep into the core of Sardinia, the region called Barbagia: an area of Sardinia that has had the least external influence and so preserves - with pride - its strong traditions.

The stage is split into two different parts. The first half is quite easy: downhill in the beginning, then flattish as we head towards the center of the island riding eastwards.

The second part is much harder: after the bridge over Tirso lake, we start a series of long and progressive climbs that take us from the western to the central portion of the Gennargentu mountain range, within the Barbagia region.

We'll ride through many small, lazy villages as we approach the most important centers of Barbagia, such as Tonara - known for superb nougat - and eventually Fonni, a winter holiday resort in the heart of a Med island. A comfortable accommodation at three-star hotel in Fonni.

We leave Fonni and ride north toward the largest town of central Sardinia and one of the administrative capitals: Nuoro. The first 50km have a descending trend and despite two climbs, you lose about 1000m of elevation.

From there we begin the first of the two main climbs of the day: 12 kilometres to Orune, and later an amazing climb along the - extraordinarily white - Molte Albo mountain range. Many of the peaks of that famous limestone bastion are over a thousand metres high; evergreen Mediterranean scrub is all around. After a long descent, you'll find the valley of the Torpè lake and nowadays a natural park oasis: almost eight thousand hectares of unspoilt forests, trails, springs, rivers and ‘dunes’ in the territory of Bitti, Lodè, Posada.

Posada is another historical village that features a nice old town and one of Sardinia’s best preserved medieval fortresses - Castello della Fava - that rises up from the village and is rife with ancient mysteries and legends. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? That's why Posada is also the place where we've arranged for your accommodation in a three-star hotel.

We leave Posada and ride southwards on a very easy first part of the stage. We cross through the village of Irgoli before we reach Galtellì. A stop in this awesome old town will immerse us in the history of the island. Galtellì has been awarded the Touring Club Italiano’s orange flag rating for excellence. The streets, traditions and sensations of the old town center inspired the author and Nobel Prize Grazia Deledda when she set her book Canne al Vento here. After a good cappuccino we keep riding to the south.

Soon after Dorgali we reach the main climb of the day: it's about 20km long and it will take us atop Genna Silana Pass. Unfortunately for KOM hunters the Strava KOM was set during a stage of the 2017 Giro d'Italia.

Mentioning is not just a joke: as on that day in 2017 it wasn't just 150 of the best pro riders racing up this climb, but there was also a massive tailwind. This makes any attempt to break the record - for the entertainment of your Strava followers - almost certain to end in failure.

All levity aside, after reaching the top you will be rewarded with a lunch stop right in front of the Gorropu gorge, the deepest canyon in Europe.

A thrilling descent will take us back to the coastline, at Santa Maria Navarrese. Another glorious day of cycling ends in a comfortable accommodation at a three-star hotel.

We leave Posada and ride southwards on a very easy first part of the stage. We cross through the village of Irgoli before we reach Galtellì. A stop in this awesome old town will immerse us in the history of the island. Galtellì has been awarded the Touring Club Italiano’s orange flag rating for excellence. The streets, traditions and sensations of the old town center inspired the author and Nobel Prize Grazia Deledda when she set her book Canne al Vento here. After a good cappuccino we keep riding to the south.

Soon after Dorgali we reach the main climb of the day: it's about 20km long and it will take us atop Genna Silana Pass. Unfortunately for KOM hunters the Strava KOM was set during a stage of the 2017 Giro d'Italia.

Mentioning is not just a joke: as on that day in 2017 it wasn't just 150 of the best pro riders racing up this climb, but there was also a massive tailwind. This makes any attempt to break the record - for the entertainment of your Strava followers - almost certain to end in failure.

All levity aside, after reaching the top you will be rewarded with a lunch stop right in front of the Gorropu gorge, the deepest canyon in Europe.

A thrilling descent will take us back to the coastline, at Santa Maria Navarrese. Another glorious day of cycling ends in a comfortable accommodation at a three-star hotel.

What we like best - as cyclists - are those days on the bike where you get surprised by dramatic changes of setting. Today is one of these days! Leaving Orroli, the first 60km are on easy rolling hills, as soon as we cross the SS131 - the main Sardinian highway - we meet a long, totally flat section, crossing the cultivated fields of the central western Sardinia. Riding through Guspini signals we are once again entering a mountainous region. This is the ancient mining region of southwest Sardinia: an area exploited for diverse minerals from the time of the Phoenicians until the 1970s, and thus neglected by tourism. Since the closure of the mines, nature has worked to reclaim much of this land. Mass tourism didn't develop here due to the lack of infrastructure and... well, you just need to wait and see the amazing outcome of this historical process. From Guspini on, we cycle through one of the wildest areas on the island and end the ride at an awesome beach in Portixeddu. Today you'll again sleep by the sea, at a three-star hotel in Portixeddu.

If someone were to ask me one road to include in a dream cycle tour, I would struggle between the west coast road that cuts through the old mining region between Fluminimaggiore and Nebida, and the long southerly stretch that goes from Porto Teulada to the awesome sandy beaches of Chia. Rather than choose I have combined them to create the last stage of the Ultimate Sardinia.

You will start and finish the day riding these remarkable undulating coastal roads. The middle of the section is easy on flat roads or rolling terrain. It's hard to describe what you'll see without piling up adjectives, and to do so does this stage a disservice. We truly believe this stage should be on every cyclist's bucket list. This series of up and downs will bring you past beaches, cliffs and coves with the stunning turquoise sea as your constant companion.

The trip ends in Pula, where the last hotel is! Dinner will be a great occasion to do something that often happens at the end of our trips: arguing about which stage was the best. You will find that this can be just as strenuous as the queen stage of the tour.