Are you serious about biking? Well, why not bicycle Italy with a pro? Maybe someone who was the first (and is still the only) American to win the Giro d'Italia?
Imagine attacking the leaders in the climb over Italy's Gavia Pass, the highest point in the race. Conditions are brutal; your clothing is heavy from earlier rain, now snow whips you in the face. It's below zero and a blizzard rages around you. You endure; your legendary climb and wickedly fast descent propels you into the leader's jersey, which you'll keep to the end.
Folks, meet Andy Hampsten, winner of the 1988 Giro d'Italia. Today, Andy makes top quality bikes in Oregon (Hampsten Cycles). He also spends considerable time in Tuscany on bike tours.
Cinghiale Cycling Tours
In 1997, Hampsten started Cinghiale Cycling Tours. While Mr. Hampsten rides with you on these tours, he's usually not interested in pushing you to the limits of your endurance, unless you count the dinner table--but you'll have to be in reasonable biking shape. He rates the rides by "piggies," with one piggy signifying the sort of flat ride for wimps that I might be able to do, with five piggy tours reserved for people passionate about muscle-thrashing climbs up mountains.
Individual tours highlight some aspect of Italy you have to like: food and wine being some of the top draws. Occasionally, tours will hit islands like Elba and Corsica. Check Cinghiale Cycling Tours for the latest rides and cycling tours.
Thinking of an Independent Bike Tour in Italy? A Cycling Hotel in Tuscany
Many of the Cinghiale tours stay where Italian Bicycle teams train, the Zi Martino in San Giusto, near Castagneto Carducci. The hotel is in a rural area of Tuscany near the coast, where few cars zip the well-mainained country roads that are ideal for all sorts of biking. If you're looking for a hotel to stay at while you tour Italy on your own bike, this may be the place to bed for the night. Zi Martino is near several nature preserves as well as olive oil and wine producers--fun for all levels of bikers or family members who don't ride.
Cycling Routes and Tours in Italy
If you're interested in taking your bike to Italy, or doing a bicycle tour, we have compiled a list of resources for you: Bicycle Italy - Italian Bicycle Routes and Tours
Endnote: Andy Hampsten and the Gavia Pass
Read Hampsten's account of the Gavia Pass on June 5 1988 (PDF)
