Italy
The Ride of the Two Seas
4 night break riding from the sandy beaches of Emilia Romagna to the Tuscan Coast across Italy's stunning middle.
Is there a better long weekend of riding than this? Starting on the beach in Cattolica on the Adriatic, we ride East into the heart of Emilia Romagna taking in some of the climbs of the Nove Colli before heading to Tuscany with some gravel roads, rolling hills and sleepy hilltop villages. We finish on Saturday evening on the Tuscan in time to watch the sunset with a glass of prosecco. A perfect long weekend of riding.
Real Rider Reviews
Our ride starts in beautiful Emilia Romagna, home of the popular Nove Colli. We take on two of the hills from this sportive on the training roads of Marco Pantani.
Nearly all of this ride is over smooth tarmac but being in Tuscany we can't resist a short spin on the strade bianche. The gravel roads here are legendary due to L'Eroica and the new classic season starting pro race.
Emilia Romagna & Tuscany both claim to be the food capitals of Italy, and therefore the world. Fill your boots on guilty free calories and judge for yourself which region is the best.
Road Guide
Our main tour guide, Taylor was a professional cyclist for Madison Genesis as recently as last year. He will be at the front of the group (marking any attacks!) so he can be first to the coffee stops and feed stations!
Mechanic
Our resident mechanic, Adam is a qualified bike fitter and will make sure your bike will be on top form for the trip. Our support van normally stays at the back of the group with our second road guide jumping ahead every 40km to set up a feed stop.
Our four night break starts on the Adriatic coast in Cattolica and over three rides we ride across Emilia Romagna, Tuscany & finish near Pisa on the Tuscan coast. The rides are all rolling with some longer climbs (10km) and a few short, steep sections. Our road guides, mechanic and support vehicle will be there to help you all the way. Our rides are:
Cattolica to Bagno di Romagna: 105km, 1700m - starting with an ocean side route on quiet roads, we then hit the hills and finish in the spa town of Bagno di Romagna.
Bagno di Romagna to Chiant: 95km, 1600m - one of our longest climbs is right at the start of today and then we roll into Chianti through stunning scenery.
Chianti to Tirrenia: 133km, 1450m - the last day goes through the rolling hills of Tuscany through famous hilltop towns like San Gimignano before finishing on the flat plains by the coast.
The main climb in the famous sportive the Nove Colli, the Barbotto is a tough hill with some very hard sectors. Marco Pantani used to train in this area and you can understand why he was one of the great climbers. The final section contains 20% gradients and is a real battle to get to the top.
14 mins 00 secs
Our four night break starts on Wednesday with flights into Bologna and then a transfer down to the coast in Cattolica. The main rides are Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We move hotels each day, our team will take your bags from reception and they will be in the next hotel before you arrive.
Arrival day. Our transfer leaves Bologna at 11.30 getting into Cattolica for 1pm. We have time for a spot of lunch while the mechanics build bikes and then a short spin in the afternoon before our welcome dinner.
We roll out at 9,30am and head down the coast for a glorious stretch of road that hugs the Adriatic. We then turn inland to take on some of the climbs of the Nove Colli before finishing in the spa town of Bagno di Romagna.
After a relaxing evening we roll out at 10am and are straight onto one of our longest climbs that finishes on the border of Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, Today is in the very rural middle of the country and we finish in stunning Chianti.
A ride in two halves. The first part is on rolling terrain past famous Tuscan hilltop towns of San Gimignano and Volterra before we hit the coastal plains for some quick last kms before the finish. We ride into Tirrenia in time to watch the sunset over the Med.
Departure day. We will pack up bikes the night before so you can have a lazy breakfast and still get home to enjoy the most of your Sunday.
Our team will be in arrivals waiting for you. We run transfers on Wednesday from Bologna and Sunday back to Pisa.
Our team will be waiting for you in arrivals in Bologna. The transfer takes approx 1hr20.
On Sunday morning we leave our hotel at 9,30am for the short 20 minute ride to the airport.
Our four night breaks include return airport transfers, accommodation, breakfast, dinners and all your ride support. Our average group size is 8-12 and we have a road guide and mechanic in a support van to guide you on all the rides. Choose between a single room or twin / double package for two people.
| Date | Hotel Name | Room Type | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 - 6th Oct 2019 | 4 Nights in 3* Hotels (Cattolica, Bagno di Romagno, Chianti & Tirrenia) | Single Room | £799 | Book Now | ||
| Twin / Double Room | £1399 | Book Now | ||||
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