Giro delle Dolomiti
Be enchanted by the breathtaking beauty of the Dolomites and explore the roads of the Giro d’Italia.
FROM OETZ TO OETZ
Ciao ragazzi! The Italian Dolomites, located in South Tyrol, are among the most beautiful cycling areas in Europe. Perfectly maintained roads run through beautiful, rugged mountains. We start and finish in Oetz, located in Tyrol (Austria), to save some travel time and because you must have cycled the beautiful Grand Cols of the Ötztaler Radmarathon at some point. We cycle a tour with seven stages. Along the way we climb the following mythical Grand Cols: Küthai Sattel, Passo di Sella, Passo Pordoi, Rifugio Auronzo, Passo di Giau, Passo di Fedaia, Mendelpass and Timmelsjoch. In this cycling tour you can choose between a tough black route or an easier red route almost every day. The black routes add up to 720 kilometers and 18,250 meters of elavtation gain. The red routes cover 620 kilometers and 12,400 meters of elevation gain.
STAges
7
overnight stays
7
best time of year
June
September
TOUGHNESS
Distance (KM)
Red routes: 700
Elevation gain (M)
Red routes: 17,500
Explanation Toughness routes
Is this your first cycling tour in the mountains and are you wondering if you can handle our routes? Or are you an experienced climber and are you curious whether the challenge is interesting enough for you? Using our five-point scale, we help you gain insight into the toughness of our routes. Based on the number of polka dots you can easily see if the routes of this cycling tour match your level and ambition!
all fit cyclists
reasonably trained cyclists with some climbing experience
trained cyclists with climbing experience
trained cyclists with a lot of climbing experience
well trained cyclists with a lot of climbing experience
Within stages we often offer different routes so that groups with cyclists of different levels can participate in the cycling tour:
red = easier route
black = tougher route
If you are unsure whether the routes are suitable for you and your cycling friends, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re happy to help you!
START OF THE ÖTZTALER RADMARATHON AND SELLARONDA
Stage 1 of the Giro delle Dolomiti starts in Oetz, Austria, in the Ötztal. We’ll jump right in with the first two cols of the famous Ötztaler Radmarathon: Kühtai Sattel (2,017 meters) and the long Brenner Pass (1,370 meters). We finish after the descent in Sterzing, Italy. In stage 2 we enter the Dolomites via the difficult Passo delle Erbe (1,991 meters). From Corvara we climb the first Grand Col of the great Sella Ronda: the breathtaking Passo Gardena (2,121 meters). In stage 3 we continue our way on the Sella Ronda with Passo di Sella (2,244 meters) and Passo Pordoi (2,239 meters). In this area, known from the Maratona dles Dolomites, few flat meters are to be found; you climb or you descend. Finally we climb the Passo di Falzarego (2,109 meters) and finish in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
‘Perfectly maintained roads run through the beautiful, rugged landscape of the Dolomites.’
STEEP, STEEPER, STEEPEST
In stage 4 we ride from Cortina d’Ampezzo towards the northeast. We quickly gain altitude on the short, ultra-steep climb Tre Cime di Lavaredo, to the beautifully situated Rifugio Auronzo (2,357 meters). Great champions won here in the Giro: Gimondi, Merckx and Nibali. The view at the top is wonderful! The fantastic Passo di Giau (2,236 meters) and the equally beautiful Passo di Fedaia (2,057 meters), which we climb in stage 5, also have very steep finales. Perhaps that is why Hindly waited until the last kilometers pf this climb to make his decisive attack in the Giro d’Italia 2022. We complete stage 5 with two beautiful, less difficult climbs, including the Passo di San Pellegrino (1,918 meters) before we finish in the area of Cavalese.
DIE WEINSTRASS AND MAGNIFICENT MERANO
We ride west and leave the rugged Dolomites. Don’t worry, there are still a few beautiful Grand Cols waiting for us! The landscape changes; we ride through the beautiful wine region of South Tyrol, climb the Mendel Pass (1,363 meters) and head for the romantic mountain town of Merano, where empress Sissi often stayed. In the final stage we return to the route of the Ötztaler Radmarathon. We ride back to Austria via the Timmelsjoch (2,474 meters), or Passo del Rombo in Italian. This long, tough final climb of the Ötztaler Radmarathon is a worthy way to end our adventure, both in terms of challenge and landschape; there are few cols that are so heavy and so beautiful! After descending the Timmelsjoch we arrive in the winter sports village of Sölden. What remains is the descent through the Ötztal, back to Oetz, where we conclude the Giro delle Dolomiti.
What's included in the price?
The price includes:
- Hotel accommodation in nice, cycle-friendly hotels (minimum 3 stars) on the route (double room, 7 nights)
- Breakfast (7 times) and dinner (7 times)
- Participation in the stages prepared by Grand Cols Cycling Tours (7 stages)
- Professional, digital road book with all relevant route information
- GPX files for uploading routes to navigation devices
- Picnic lunch, coffee stop with good coffee and sports nutrition (sports drink, water, bars, etc.) during the stages
- Support during the stages with a support car, for example: handing over clothing and carrying out minor repairs
- Luggage transport from hotel to hotel
- The use of a bicycle pump, lubricant and bicycle tools
- Grand Cols Cycling Tours cycling jersey (contact us if you would like to design a custom jersey)
- Participation in the VZR guarantee scheme
The price does not include:
– The outward journey to the starting location and the return journey from the finish location
– Personal insurance, such as travel and cancellation insurance
– Drinks during the dinners
– Equipment (you participate with your own equipment, such as: bike, helmet and clothing)
Optional extra:
- Upgrade to a single room € 275, –
- Additional overnight stay (without dinner) before the start of the cycling tour (double room): € 100, –
- Commonly used spare parts, such as: tyres, cleats and batteries (at cost price)
Anything else? Let us know!
Want to know more?
Discover the Giro delle Dolomiti
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A SELECTION OF OUR CYCLING TOURS
Take up the challenge and discover the most beautiful routes of the Grand Cols with us.
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