Who will win the 2019 ‘Fight for Pink’? Our 2019 Giro d’Italia tour line up

The 2019 Giro d’Italia route has been announced!

On Wednesday 31 October R.C.S, the event organisers of the Giro d’Italia hosted an opening ceremony in Bologna to confirm the route of the 102nd Giro d’Italia route for 2019.

We have now launched our 2019 Giro d’Italia guided tours line up. We offer a variety of tours with different durations so you can witness the fantastic atmosphere that the race provides. We are the only international tour operator who has official partnerships with all 3 Cycling Grand Tours and the 5 Monuments of Cycling. We provide an unrivalled offering of travel options to provide sports fans as well as the travelling amateur cyclists access to a whole host of amazing events throughout the year.

1. The 3 Grand Tours – 3 week multi-day tours; Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana
2. The 5 Monuments of Cycling – Milan San Remo,  Tour of Flanders, Paris – Roubaix, Liege Bastogne Liege, and finally Giro Lombardia

We have been operating tours to the Giro d’Italia for over 20 years and our team of drivers, bike mechanics, bike guides and tour hosts have unrivalled knowledge and expertise of this incredible event. Our partnership with the Giro d’Italia means our tour vehicles have special accreditation stickers so we can go where others can’t. We include exclusive VIP access into all our tours for cyclists and spectators to ensure our customers have the most authentic and unforgettable experience whilst in Italy. Our hotels are in the best locations for stage access and we attempt to keep hotel changes to a minimum.

Italy’s greatest cycling event will be the first Grand Tour of the year in 2019 and after starting outside of Europe for the first time last year, we are back in Italy for both the start and the finish. The only foreign visit is a little trip to San Marino.

Our tours for the 2019 Giro d’Italia

On all our Giro tours accredited vehicles give access where others can’t go and our team of drivers, bike guides and mechanics support you all the way. Willier bike rental is available and exclusive 2019 Giro d’Italia VIP access is included. Hotels are in excellent locations for the stages and we keep hotel changes to a minimum. For what’s included with each tour, please click on the below links to the individual tour’s pages.

2019 Giro d’Italia VIP one day experiences – Saturday 11 May until Sunday 3 June, 2019

The Giro d’Italia will have its 102nd edition in 2019. Sports Tours International is an official Tour Operator for the 2019 Giro d’Italia and therefore we have some fantastic VIP options available on every single stage of the 2019 Giro d’Italia. From the ‘Grande Partenza’ in Bologna to the finish in Verona 3 weeks later, the daily options are: start and finish-line hospitality, a day in an official Giro d’Italia car and a Giro Helicopter experience.

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2019 Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza Bologna – Saturday 11 May and Sunday 12 May, 2019

The big start of the 102nd edition of the Giro d’Italia will take place in Bologna. The big start of the 2019  Giro will include an ITT and a stage start in Bologna. We offer exclusive VIP experiences to the 2019 Grande Partenza in Bologna including a day on the course in an official car and start and finish VIP access on both stages.

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2019 Giro d’Italia – Bologna to Como – Monday May 20 until Monday May 27, 2019

From the Adriatic Sea to the shores of the Lago di Como, this tour takes you on a Giro d’Italia journey through the vineyards and olive tree groves of the Po Valley before crossing the Appenine mountains and the Italian Alps and reaching the Lago di Como and the roads of the race of the falling leaves, Il Lombardia.

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2019 Giro d’Italia – Lake Como to Verona – Saturday May 25 until Monday June 3, 2019

Join us on this fully supported 10 day tour to ride and watch the final stages of the 2019 Giro d’Italia. We follow the race all the way from Como to Verona and you will witness the Queen stages in the Alps and the Dolomites. Both spectators and cyclists will enjoy VIP hospitality on the mountain stages and cyclists will like the opportunity to tackle famous Giro climbs like the Madonna del Ghisallo, the Stelvio and the Mortirolo.

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2019 Giro d’Italia – Passo Stelvio to Verona – Monday May 27 until Monday June 3, 2019

Watch the battle for Pink unfold on this fully supported 8 day tour to ride and watch the stages of the final week of the 2019 Giro d’Italia. Arrive on the Giro rest day and we follow the race all the way from Bormio at the foot of the Stelvio to Verona and you will witness the Queen stages in the Alps and the Dolomites. Both spectators and cyclists will enjoy VIP hospitality on the mountain stages and cyclists will like the opportunity to tackle famous Giro climbs like the the Stelvio and the Mortirolo.

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2019 Giro d’Italia – The Final Weekend in Verona – Friday May 31 until Monday June 3, 2019

The 2019 Giro d’Italia has its spectacular final in Verona. Our hotel is in the city centre within walking distance of the finish of the final stage. You have the choice to book 2 or 3 nights at the hotel and a great addition to your weekend away will be booking some fantastic Giro d’Italia hospitality.

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Our 2019 Giro d’Italia route review

The 2019 Giro d’Italia starts on Saturday 11 May with a hilly time trial in Bologna. From Bologna we head into Tuscany on stages 2 and 3 with a finish in Fucecchio and a start in Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. Stages 4 and 5 will most likely result in sprint finishes and on stage 6 San Giovanni Rotondo is reached. This is the southernmost point of the Giro d’Italia on the Adriatic coast. After  stage finishes in Aquila and Pesaro on stages 7 and 8, the first week of the 2019 Giro d’Italia comes to a close with an individual time trial of 34.7 kilometres between Riccione and San Marino.

Gran Fondo Nove Colli

If you wanted to join us a few days earlier in Bologna, we are already there!. We will be at the Gran Fondo Nove Colli so you can arrive on Friday, take part in the Gran Fondo and then join us on our Giro tour afterward. More information here

Stage 10 on Tuesday 21 May from Ravenna to Modena is at 150 kilometre flat stage, ideal for the sprinters. Stage 11 is another long, flat stage at 206 kilometres in the Po valley with a sprint finish almost certain. Nove Ligure was the home of Italian cycling legend Fausto Coppi for many years. Stage 12 on Thursday 23 May from Cuneo to Pinerolo heralds the start of the mountains for the 2019 Giro d’Italia although this particular stage is not too trying. The Colletta di Rossana and Colletta di Paesana are the appetisers whilst the climb up to Montoso at 1250m and percentages up to 9% is the toughest climb at 40km from the finish in Pinerolo.

Stage 13 from Pinerolo to the Colle del Nivolet in the Gran Paradiso National Park in Piedmont which has never been used in the Giro before. The highest point is at 2,612 metres but the finish is at 2,247 metres which means 20km of climbing to get there with steepest sections at 9%. The day after, stage 14 to Courmayeur is a proper mountain stage with 4,000 of climbing crammed into a route that takes in the climbs to Verrayes (7km at 8%), Verrogne (13.8km at 7.1%), Col de Combes (8.2km at 7%) and the Colle San Carlo (10.5km at 9.8%). The final climb up to the ski resort of Courmayeur is 8 kilometres long but not very difficult. The finish is near the Skyway Monte Bianco which is a cable car to the Punta Helbronner at an altitude of 3,400 metres. The stage is in part promoting this area of the Mont Blanc massif and the local ski industry.

On stage 15 on Sunday 26 May between Ivrea and Como the last 100 kilometres copy the route of the Giro Lombardia, the autumn classic which alternates between a start and finish in Bergamo and Como. From the Lago di Como the riders tackle the Madonna del Ghisallo which is 9 kilometres with an average of 6%. The average belies the difficulty as there is a section  of 14% and long sections of 9%.  The Colma di Sormano usually features in Il Lombardia ahead of the Muro di Sormano, but the Giro follows the regular road to the summit at 1,124 metres. The route does 2 loops of the same climbs. The Civiglio and the San Fermo della Battaglia. In 2015 and 2017 Vincenzo Nibali won the Tour of Lombardy on this route.

Monday 27 May is a rest day in Bergamo and we offer you the opportunity to arrive today for our final week of the Giro d’Italia tour from Bormio at the foot of the Stelvio to the finish in Verona. We provide airport transfers from Milan Malpensa airport today.

Stage 16 on Tuesday 28 May from Lovere to Ponte di Legno is the queen stage across the Alps with a 5,700 m elevation gain over a route of 226 km. The route takes in climbs up Passo della Presolana, Croce di Salven, Passo Gavia (Cima Coppi) and Passo del Mortirolo (along the legendary Mazzo di Valtellina side). On stage 17 after Lago di Santa Giustina the Passo della Mendola comes just before a descent to Bolzano and a short climb to Naz and then Terento. Stage 18 on Thursday 30 May is a flat and fast stage with some long downhill stretches. Ideal for the fast finishers. Stage 19 is a short stage with a summit finish.

Stage 20 on Saturday 1 June from Feltre to Croce d’Aune – Monte Avena is the queen stage across the Dolomites, with over 5,000 m elevation gain. The route takes in climbs up Cima Campo, Passo Manghen and Passo Rolle, and a closing climb up Croce d’Aune-Monte Avena. The stage course covers the historical route of the Gran Fondo Sportful. The last summit finish features long climbs (over 15 km), with gradients exceeding 10-12% at points. Tullio Campagnolo  invented the rear derailleur in 1927 and cycling has never been the same again. The Croce d’Aune is a stunning climb which sits at 1,015 metres and it’s a nice place to finish the 2019 Giro. Legend goes that Mr Campagnolo failed to get his rear wheel off his bike in freezing conditions and it inspired him to invent the quick release skewer.

The 2019 Giro d’Italia ends in Verona. The city’s Roman amphitheatre hosts the finish of an individual time trial of 15.6 kilometres.

You can see the action unfold in 2019 with us on our official Giro d’Italia trips. BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW HERE.

The post Who will win the 2019 ‘Fight for Pink’? Our 2019 Giro d’Italia tour line up appeared first on Sports Tours.

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