If you’re an avid cyclist this might appear to be a dumb question.

Those of us that ride, not only have a love affair with our bikes but also with the distant places our bikes take us.  This is particularly true when we have the opportunity to ride the sacred streets of places like Tuscany, Italy,  Girona, Spain or the Basque Country.  So, if you have an avid cyclist on your Valentines Day list and want to give them an extraordinary gift, blow them away with a romantic bike vacation this summer.  We promise, they’ll love YOU even more.  Below is a list of our fave bike vacations that fit into the category of ‘Romantic’.

1.  La Rioja & the Basque Country - Off the beaten tourist path are two regions that let wine, food and slow rural roads rule.  Start in La Rioja where the wine rolls on and off the tongue .  Ride the romantic Camino de Santiago pilgrimmage road into Pamplona for tapas like none other.  Stay in a luxury Basque-style auberge nestled in the green rolling Basque hills.  Finish the trip with a ride into Espelette where spicy dark chocolate tempts every passing cyclist.

2.  Provence & Mt. Ventoux - With Cotes-du-Rhone wines, quintessential French villages and chambres d’hotes du charme, a Provence & Mt. Ventoux bike vacation is a lover’s delight.  Love can be challenging so we go easier on the rides!  Off the bike lover’s activities can  include cooking classes, wine tasting or lounging at a hip streetside cafe.

3. The Dolomites & Italian Alps - Is there any place more romantic than Italy?  Keep love adventurous by riding into the mountains that havemade the Giro d’Italia famous.  We’ll ride iconic climbs all day, enjoying Italian Prosecco, gelato and other aphrodisiacs at night.

Make any of these trips even more romantic by booking your own private or custom trip!  Email us at info@ridestrongbiketours.com

With a new race director at the helm, organizers have promised a ‘safer’ tour with less transfers.  But Italians can’t do boring and safe is a relative term.  Instead, in their never ending quest to upstage ‘Le Tour de France’, Giro organizers have recently leaked some granddaddy stages.

Most impressive and impossible for most of us mortal cyclists is the penultimate stage on Saturday May 26th that finishing at the summit of the Passo Stelvio (2757m) .  Starting on the deceivingly flat roads of the Val di Sole, the course proceeds to go straight up and straight down for the next 218 km.  There won’t be any early successful breakaways because the last two climbs will require over 100% of their effort.  Never mind the Passo Tonale and Aprica, they appear early on.  It will be after 150 km of riding and climbing that the pros face the ominous wall of Mortirolo.  Ascending from a non-traditional mule path, the pass (also referred to as the Passo Fauppo) climbs 11.4 km at an average of 10.4% pitch.  Averages are just that and don’t be surprised if they look a little slower than usual — the slope max’s out in places at 21%.  From the Mortirolo, it’s a nice descent into the valley then a gradual 30 km up all the way from Grosetto through Bormio where they begin the final ascent of the Passo Stelvio.  The Stelvio needs no introduction.  If the day’s efforts don’t get the riders, the altitude in the last few kilometers of the Stelvio will!  In total, the etappa (stage) will total over 19,000 ft (5,900m) of vertical ascent.

Summit Passo Giau

If the penultimate stage is the most difficult stage EVER in the Giro d’Italia, the Dolomitii stage on Wednesday, May 23 is definitely the most beautiful.  Set in the heart of the craggy Dolomitii peaks, the 2012 stage climbs 4 scenic passes in succession: the Valparola, Passo Duran, Staulanza and out of this world gorgeous Passo Giau.  It finishes with a 17 km fast descent into the pearl of the Dolomites, Cortina d’ Ampezzo!  Stunning as the stage is, it will also prove a formidable challenge for the last week of the Giro.  The Giau itself  is fairly relentless with an average grade of 9.1%.  If only the riders had a chance to stop and check out the view.

Other rumors continue to dribble out including an early time trial in the Veneto region before heading down the Adriatic coast.

Stage May 23, 2012 Giro d'Italia

We’ll likely have two bike trips to ride and watch this unforgettable year of monumental challenges for the Giro d’Italia 2012.  Climbers will want to join us in the last week for the Dolomites and Italian Alps challenges.  Our first tour will likely incorporate our Prosecco/Monte Grappa tour with a the time trial in Veneto.   We’ll be posting our trip as soon as the official Giro d’Italia route is announced.  Keep an eye on www.ridestrongbiketours.com.

All Grappa in Bassano del Grappa

I used to have fond memories of Grappa.  It reminded me of a time well over a a decade ago when I had a love affair with a man who preferred it.  Something about getting the quickest buzz with the least amount of alcohol.   In its simplest form, Grappa is fire water made from the leftovers of the winemaking process (the stems, skins and seeds of the grapes).   While there are now thousands of different varieties of Grappa, they are all stiff ranging between 35% – 65% in pure alcohol.

Bassano del Grappo in the northern Veneto region of Italy is the heart of Grappa making country.  I would argue the most prominent and potent feature of Bassana del Grappa is not the Grappa itself but the mountain rising up just to it’s north – Monte Grappa. Unless you’re an Italian World War 1 buff, hiker or professional cyclist you probably haven’t heard of this massif.  But amongst locals and cyclists in the know, Monte Grappa is a climbing paradise.

Views of Veneto plains (KM 5)

I woke this morning in my inexpensive Italian villa in Crespano del Grappa and decided I’d give Grappa a go.  I had a rough plan of riding up to the summit, descending a different route and continuing onto a more gentler 80 km day through the towns of Asolo and Bassano for a beer.

Of the alleged 9 different paved ascents of Monte Grappa, I got my first taste just 6 km down the road in Semonzo.  As I geared down, a rush of adrenaline filled my legs.  Feelling fresh I spun past several other cyclists (albeit older and wider than myself), soaking in the panoramic views of the Veneto valley below. Between each hairpin (‘tornate’ in Italian) where the road gave respite, the slopes got steeper and shots of adrenaline were running out.  Spray-painted on the road were various kilometer markings to the summit but they counted up, not down.  I had no idea how long I’d be at this slog.

Monte Grappa-Views looking back

After the Vacancsoleil rider motored past but before  I had a clear view of the summit I resolved that my choices were limited.  I could only go so fast.  There were more ups and downs that really give you a false average profile and then turning the corner I could see several switchbacks to the top.  The last few kilometers riders approach from all sides and it’s a bit reminiscent of Ventoux only more confusing and more beautiful.

To the left of the parking lot there’s a large war sanctuary holding the bodies of 10,000 Italian soldiers killed during the battles in WW1.  On the other side are more tombs of Austrian-Hungarian soldiers, statues and flags.  I opted to take in only the endless views.  The chain of the Dolomites to the north and the plains of Veneto and even Venice to the south.

Now, it was time to find my alternate route down.  From the cemetery I retraced my steps 3 km down to a largely unmarked intersection.  There was no indication that this road would not turn into an unpaved goat path so I hesitated long and hard until 5 road cyclists flew past.  I followed.  The road didn’t turn into a goat path but it did turn into a paved mule path.  It’s so narrow that a small car and a cyclist cannot share the road simultaneously.  Add in the wild mules, rock tunnels and sheer cliffs and the scenery was off the planet.

The Mule Path - more mules in tunnel

But I had had too much Grappa.  This became abundantly clear when the mule path ‘descent’ kicked back up into a 13-15% grade.  I had absolutely nothing left.  At the top of the second surprise ascent, the gang of 5 stopped at yet another unmarked intersection where a smaller road fed into and literally off of the cliff.  After a brief Italian pantomime discussion the boys confirmed that this trail was my road down!  They warned me of 20% grades and the such so I took a big gulp, dropped to my bars and took notice of the sign saying something to the effect of ‘this road is not maintained, go at your own risk’.   I went.

After the first few hair raising turns and 20% grades down, the road narrowed into the tunnels of maple trees and pines.  Perhaps it was all the war history I was reading about but it reminded me of being on the Ho Chi Minh trail.  Simultaneously, I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere but still on top of the world.  A few more unmarked turns, good guesses and a car full of Austrailians looking to go eat some snails, I landed right back in Crespano del Grappa and hung up my riding shoes for the day.

From Semonzo, the climb of Mt Grappa is 19 km and a gain of over 5,000′.  It’s as stiff as the liquor by the same name and, if you’re like me, you’ll get a much better buzz.

Gulp - the way down!

Perhaps an addition to Ride Strong Bike Tours Italy trips for next year?

The Turn Off for the Mortirolo

Most people who climb the Mortirolo base themselves in Bormio and enjoy a 30 km gradual descent to the start of the climb in Mazzo.  It’s tempting to turn off in Grosio which, geographically, is before Mazzo and also takes you up one of the three ascents of the Mortirolo.  But that’s not the real deal.  So, joining 90% of the other cyclists, I start the climb from Mazzo but not before one last shot of espresso at the ‘Funny Bar’ just 50 meters from the start.  I now wonder whether that name isn’t an insider joke amongst locals.

The Mortirolo Summit!

Of the numerous conversations and incoherent thoughts I had with myself in the 1hour and 50 minutes to the top, most are not for public sharing.  Every now and again I ‘came to’ and noticed things like how easy a 10% grade felt, how much I enjoy the strong scent of pine, how absolutely beautiful the Mortirolo is and how much I actually want this climb to go on forever.  Yes, it’s a sickness.  But I was in good company with several other sick cyclists testing their strength and, more importantly, perhaps their mental fortitude on one of the greatest climbs in Europe.

For the Mortirolo climb profile.

Our next ascent of the Mortirolo will be early September 2011 on our Ride Strong Bike Tours trip to the Dolomites and Italian Alps!