When: 10-15 September 2020
Where: Italian Alps (Bormio)
Cost: £1100
Fundraising target: £1,000
Registration: Click here
Registration fee is £400 with the balance due by 30 June 2020
Contact details: Simon Pullan
Mobile, Whatsapp, Telegram: +39 391 478 1303
Email: simonpullan@changefdn.org.uk
To mark the 40th birthday of The Change Foundation, we have devised a fiend of a cycling challenge for you in the Italian Alps. Can you complete 40,000 ft of vertical climbing in 40 hours of riding? That’s an average of over 3000m per day for 4 10-hour days in the saddle.
Challenge yourself against some of the most famous climbs in world cycling. The Alps is a playground for the keen cyclist looking for great hospitality and even better riding. Take in these wonderful roads while raising money to support the work of The Change Foundation in what is likely to be the toughest cycling challenge you have attempted.
You will be looked after from start to finish by the fabulous team at Italy Bike Tours, official tour company for the Giro d’Italia and local experts. Ride some of the world’s most famous climbs and experience for yourself why the Stelvio, Gavia and Mortirolo are considered some of the toughest and most beautiful climbs in Europe. This is not for the faint hearted and includes 12200 metres of vertical climbing. To give some context, this is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest one and a half times, 10 times up Ben Nevis or 41 times the height of the Shard in London!
Our accommodation will be Hotel Alpen, which offers riders a luxurious place to unwind and relax when not on the bike. Monica and her team of dedicated staff are passionate about cycling and cyclists and they have great rooms and an incredible spa.
Our team of support staff, including the very best mechanics, guides, drivers and tour managers will be with you throughout the weekend to ensure that you get a ‘pro’ feel when riding.
Package includes:
5 nights Half Board at Hotel Alpen
Light lunches with nutrition on the road
Ex Pro Guides
Mechanical support
Support vehicle
Private transfers from airport
Massage on two evenings for riders
Photographer
Insurance
TCF Jersey
Fundraising support
Not included:
Flights to/from Milan
Single Supplement €189
Bike hire €175 (Bianchi Aria w/Integra)
Drinks in the evenings
Extra snacks on the road
Read on to find out more detail about each day.
DAY 1- THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER
Meals: Dinner
Destination: Bormio
Hotel: Hotel Alpen
On arrival to Milan Linate or Milan Bergamo Airports you will be met by the team before we leave for our onward journey to the high Alps! When arriving at Hotel Alpen you will have plenty of time to check in and the fantastic Italy Bike Tours staff will be on hand to assist with bike set up. Our mechanic will also be available to help with a ‘bike fit’ for those that have hired bikes. Time permitting a short ride before dinner is planned. A great way to get to know your fabulous guides and also get used to riding on the right side of the ride.
Monica and the team at Hotel Alpen are famed for their restaurant and this evening the menu will reflect the need for a Stelvio specific dinner. After desert, we’ll give you a detailed briefing of the following day’s ride. This is important as it gives riders the chance to ask questions and the team to give out important information on the route and safety points.
DAY 2 – FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Destination: Forcola di Livigno
Distance: 121km
Total climbing: 2900m
Our first big day. Our route this morning takes us south out of Bormio with 40k of rolling roads tending downhill through beautiful villages to shake out any lingering thoughts about work and get your head in the right place for the climbing that is to follow. From Tirano, famed for its railway and apples, we head into Switzerland and start a climb of 1900m up to the high point of our day where we cross back into Italy and then onto the tax free town of Livigno. One more sharp climb and then a wonderful glide downhill back to the hotel.
On return to Hotel Alpen riders will have the time to use the spa and wellness facilities before dinner and ride briefing which will once again be delivered after desert.
Ride Profile:
DAY 3 – SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Destination: Livigno and Stelvio
Distance: 94km
Total climbing: 3000m
Today you take on the mighty Stelvio, but your first challenge after a hearty breakfast is to climb back up to Livigno and head north along the shore of the beautiful Lago di Livigno. You get a short rest as a shuttle bus takes you 3.5km through the Munt La Schera tunnel.
Emerging from the tunnel in Switzerland, you will climb the Ofenpass before a stunning descent to the foot of the mighty Stelvio and the Umbrail Pass for the first of three sides of Stelvio you will climb during the challenge.
Nothing can prepare you for the challenge of the Stelvio however our guides will be on hand to set the pace as will our support team and vehicles which will be well positioned on the mountain to offer bottles, nutrition and a verbal support as you head for the summit of Europe’s highest paved pass.
On reaching the summit you will be met by the team who will be waiting for you with a warm drink and our professional photographer will be snapping away providing you with proof to your friends and family you completed the first half of the challenge.
The descent back down the Stelvio is one to be enjoyed and respected, be sure to take in the epic views of snow capped mountains, alpine lakes and endless switch back roads. On return to Hotel Alpen riders will have the time to use the spa and wellness facilities before dinner and ride briefing which will once again be delivered after desert.
Ride profile:
DAY 4 – SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Destinations: Gavia and Mortirolo
Distance: 119km
Total climbing: 3400m
An early start this morning as we assemble after breakfast outside the hotel ready for your third big day and one that could be the hardest physical effort of your life, until tomorrow. From Bormio you will immediately start climbing towards the summit of Passo Gavia. At over 2600m this is sure to be a test for those that still have a little ‘Stelvio’ in their legs.
The Gavia offers riders the chance to feel the essence of riding mountains, unlike the Stelvio with its wider roads and excellent road surface the Gavia has narrower and uneven road surfaces that make the experience of riding even more magical. The last 2 kms offer some respite to tired legs as the road’s gradient eases.
On arrival at the summit our team will be waiting for you and ready to distribute warm clothes for the descent down into Ponte di Legno. More than 30km of descending needs to be completed before reaching the bottom of Mortirolo. Whilst the summit is ‘only’ 1800m the severity of the incline (20 percent) in sections has made Mortirolo famous worldwide.
Needless to say, at the summit of Mortirolo you can consider yourself to have done something very special. The ride back to the Bormio along Valtallina is one to enjoy in the knowledge that you have ridden one of the great days of your cycling lifetime.
Ride profile:
DAY 5 – MONDAY 14 SEPTEMBER
Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner
Destination: Stelvio x2
Distance: 94km
Total climbing: 3000m
Do you have it left in you to finish? Today takes on the two sides of the Stelvio you have not yet climbed. Starting by heading up the Bormio side of the Stelvio Pass you descended on Saturday (can you remember that far back?) you will then circle clockwise around the north of the mountain to Prato, where you start your final ascent of the challenge, the Prato side of the Stelvio Pass. At the top you will have completed the challenge and we will be there to welcome you with open arms and a beer or energy drink… or both!
Ride profile:
DAY 6 – TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER
Meals: Breakfast
Destination: Bergamo Airport
All good things must come to an end. After a celebratory dinner last night your head might need some TLC as well as your legs. Your private transfer will be arranged for you and your bike to arrive in the airport in plenty of time to return home.
Now you are ready to commit, follow this link to register. We will help you throughout the lead up to the event with training tips and fundraising support.
