The Battle of Monte Grappa was a series of 3 battles which were fought during World War I between the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy for control of the Monte Grappa massif. It is the entry point to the Dolomites, where the more famous cycling climbs of the world exist: Passo Rolle, Passo San Pellegrino, Sellaronda, Tre Cime di Lavaredo - all featuring in the world class pro tour race, the Giro d' Italia. The culture is rich, the food is a mix of centuries of diverse inhabitants, Italian, Hungarian, Austrian, German... you will be tantalised!

BRIEF ITINERARY

• Day 0: Arrival in Treviso, visit the original Pinarello store in the centre of Treviso and the NEW Bottega di Pinarello concept store. An early dinner in the restaurant where Tiramisu was invented and off to bed, ready to begin your adventure!
• Day 1: Treviso > Asolo: riding from Treviso we shall discover Montello, which is a cycling paradise where Pinarello tests all its bikes and where the World Champs were in 1985. We shall pedal to Asolo via several villas and those that want a challenge can ride Mostacin (which was in the 2016 Giro)
• Day 2: Prosecco: there is no time to waste, this is Prosecco land and there is Prosecco to be drunk, we shall ride the ‘Road of Prosecco’, stop at a vineyard, have dinner in a castle and be merry.
• Day 3: Asolo > Bassano: riding the lowlands, we shall hug the base of Monte Grappa through farmlands towards the historical Bassano where the country’s oldest Grappa House still exists and were the 2014 Giro hill TT was held. For those who feel like a challenge, you can take any of the 8+ climbs to the top of Grappa. We shall descend off the other side into Feltre.
• Day 4: Passo Rolle: your first Dolomites pass to 1800m, not hard, but consistent, you wont really notice it as you will be keeping your eye on the Pale di San Martino massif which starts small but ends up standing over you, making you feel like a Lego figurine. We shall descend and stay in the Fiemme Valley for a few days
• Day 5:  Hidden Anterivo: one of those rides only the locals know, we make our way towards the Cembra valley, immersing ourselves into an untouched environment where you feel like you are in the 1920’s, wooden huts, old farming machinery, all in working order. We end up down near the Avisio rapids and may catch some souls screaming down the rapids whilst Whitewater rafting. For those who want a challenge, ride the Passo Manghen , which was part of the 2012 Giro and sites at 2057m, this is a spectacular climb with overhanging thick pine forest.
• Day 6: Rest Day -  time to sit back and soak up the sun, there are a range of options today including heading up the ski lift to 2200m in search of dinosaur eggs, cheese tasting, beer and speck, a grappa distillery . For those who wish to ride, we can head up Passo Pampeago and Passo Lavaze’ (2012 Giro) - hard and challenging loop!
• Day 7: Valley Ride: today we depart Fiemme valley and make our way to the Fassa Valley – for those who want an easy ride you can take the 50km of perfect sealed bike track following the Avisio river all the way up the valley. For those who wish a challenge, you can ride up Passo Rolle part way, turning left into Passo Valles (my favourite) , down and test yourself up the gorgeous Passo San Pellegrino, this will descend into Moena where you then take the bike track up to the Fassa valley.
• Day 8: Sellaronda: I know one person who is training hard at the moment as she wishes to conquer this in style! This is the Queen ride of the Dolomites, it isn’t difficult whilst it does involve 4 passes – these being Passo Pordoi, Passo Campolongo, Passo Sella and Passo Gardena . You may recall it in the 2016 Giro where Esteban Chaves smashed 8 passes that day arriving in Corvara in record time. Trust me, somewhere along this route, you will have a tear in the corner of your eye… its very special.
• Day 9: Passo Fedaia and Passo Giau:  we shall conquer these climbs making our way into the VIP town of Cortina.
• Day 10:  Passo Falzarego or Tre Cime di Lavaredo  or Rest Day: today is your last day in the Dolomites and you can take it whichever way you like. Again if you would like a beautiful ride, we recommend out and back to Passo Falzarego, another famous Giro climb or there is also out and back to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (you may recall Nibali finishing here in the snow in 2013). For those who would like to take a hike or shop, there are thousands of options around. Enjoy it, this is where the who’s who hangs in the Dolomites
• Day 11: Transfer to Venice Airport (2-3 hours): returning to Venice is easy from here.

ESSENTIAL TOUR INFORMATION

• Start Date: Pick-up: Venice Marco Polo Airport
• End Date: Drop-off: Venice Marco Polo Airport
• Accommodation: Single or Double/Twin Room Accommodation in 4/5 Star Hotels
• Total Nights in Hotel: 10 nights
• Meals: all meals included
• Dinner: all meals are a-la-carte in fine restaurants
• Drinks at Dinner: water, soft drinks and 1/2 bottle of wine per person
• Tour Guide/s: for every  6-7  riding guests
• Support Van/s & Driver/s: for every 6-7 riding guests, carrying sprare tubes, tools, pump etc.
• Snacks & Drinks: the van will be equipped with water, soft drinks, electrolytes, fruit, muesli bars, fresh bread, cold meats, vegetables etc.

BIKES

You can choose to bring your own, or make the most of one of our beautiful fleet of Pinarello's

Extra Activities

The following activities will be included in the Tour Price:

• Visit Pinarello Store in Treviso
• Dine at the restaurant where Tiramisu was invented
• Prosecco Tasting and Winery Tour
• Dine at 5 Star Mountain Refuge
• Ski Lift to the Terrazza delle Dolomiti at 3000m asl.

exclusions

Our standard Exclusions apply, these can be found on our Booking Terms & Conditions page

Cancellation

Our standard Cancellation rules apply, these can be found on our Booking Terms & Conditions page