We hope you are getting excited about your forthcoming Milan to Rome adventure.  Please read on for some essential information about your trip…

When is it?

Saturday 17th Sept 2016  – Thursday 22nd September 2016.  We will be cycling for 4 1/2 days in total from the Saturday to the Wednesday, finishing with a celebratory dinner and overnight stay in Rome on the Wednesday evening (everyone will then go their separate ways on the Thursday).

Start timings and arrangements: 17th September 2016

• 11-12pm: Bag and bike box drop at the Carlyle Brera Hotel, Corso Garibaldi, 84, 20121 Milano, Italy.  Map here.
• 12.30 pm sharp – registration at Parc Sempione (this is just across the road from the Carlyle Brera Hotel)
• 1pm – Depart 

Finish: 22nd September

The Vatican 6pm Wednesday 21st September 2016.

Days Cycling:

4.5

Distance:

450 miles

Total climbing:

27,225 ft (8,300 m)

Countries:

2 – Italy & The Vatican (the smallest country in the world!)

Passport info required from you please

Italian hotels require passport information on check in. Therefore, to speed up this process with lots of riders, please can you fill in the form on this page with your passport details.  Thanks.

Itinerary 

(Please note, all aspects are subject to change)

Pre-tour day – Friday 16th September 2016

Please ensure that you arrive in Milan.  Please read more about this below under ‘Pre-tour information’.  Don’t forget to book your bike onto the plane!

Day 1 – Saturday 17th September 2016 (1/2 day of cycling)
Milan to Piacenza – 61 miles, 1,230ft total ascent

• 11-12pm: Bag and bike box drop at the Carlyle Brera Hotel, Corso Garibaldi, 84, 20121 Milano, Italy.  Website here.
• 12.30 pm sharp – registration at Parc Sempione (this is just across the road from the Carlyle Brera Hotel)
• 1pm – Depart 

Full route including elevation profile – Day 1 – https://www.strava.com/routes/6066782

Day 2 – Sunday 18th September 2016
Piacenza to Bologna – 108 miles, 2,115 ft total ascent

After leaving Piacenza we cycle through the flat plains of Emilia-Romagna in the Po basin. The area is renowned for its agriculture, cheeses, hams…. and Ferrari manufacture. We cover a long distance but there are no significant hills with practically no climbing all day. The highlight of the day is arriving in the stunning city of Bologna for the evening after enjoying the last flat countryside of the trip. Dinner is in a historic building in the heart of the winding lanes in Bologna.

Full route including elevation profile – Day 2 – https://www.strava.com/routes/6068187

Day 3 – Monday 19th September 2016
Bologna to Figline Valdarno – 90.9 miles, 9,448 ft total ascent

Soon after leaving Bologna we start to get a taste for the day ahead – crossing the border into the rolling hills of Tuscany! We complete the two largest climbs of the Leg in the morning with lunch at a hilltop restaurant at the top of the 2^nd climb at the Passadel Giogo. The afternoon involves more of the same but with 2 far less significant climbs. The highest point of the day is 3,169 ft.  In the evening we stay in Figline Valdarno with a dinner on a terrace overlooking this small historic town.

Full route including elevation profile – Day 3 – https://www.strava.com/routes/6077958

Day 4 – Tuesday 20th September 2016
Figline Valdarno to Orvieto – 93 miles, 6,936 ft total ascent

More rolling Tuscan hills as we continue through Tuscany and move into Umbria. One climb in the morning with two in the afternoon but nothing too serious with a peak altitude all day of 1,752 ft. Stay the night in the outstandingly stunning and dramatic city of Orvieto. Arrive early to enjoy roaming the medieval streets and take in the views. Dinner next to the stunning Duomo in a family owned restaurant renowned for its truffles.

Full route including elevation profile – Day 4 – https://www.strava.com/routes/6078109

Day 5 – Wednesday 21st September 2016
Orvieto to Rome – 96 miles, 7,675 ft total ascent

Two climbs in the morning in the Umbrian countryside including the Lake Vigo Nature reserve before having lunch and the opportunity for a cooling swim in Lake Vigo. After lunch we cycle through the national park and around Lake Bracciano before crossing the plains to Labaro and picking up a great cycle path that takes us almost entirely traffic free the last 10 miles into the centre of Rome and 400 metres from the finish at The Vatican.

Full route including elevation profile – Day 5 – https://www.strava.com/routes/6078381

Day 6 – Thursday 22nd September 2016
Travel home

After breakfast at the hotel, we will all say our goodbyes and head back home.  Please organise your own transfers and flights from Rome airport back to the UK.   Advice on this can be found below.

How will I navigate?

The route is not signposted and so you will need to use a Garmin or Strava to navigate.  Ride25 will also provide cloth maps that you can use in an emergency – gadgets fail for all of us at all at some point. The routes have been carefully chosen to keep you on the best roads available.

BIKE BOXES

We recommend that you hire a bike box to transport your bike.   These are much more sturdy than bike bags and will ensure your pride and joy arrives in one piece.

We recommend using BikeBox Online if you are travelling from the UK.

To check out the prices, click on the banner below to choose your delivery – they will deliver your case to your door and arrange collection upon your return.

Also, take a look at our blog which gives advice on travelling overseas with your bike:  ‘Flying With A Bike: The Ultimate Guide’

What else can I expect?

Ride25 app

Ahead of the ride, you will be able to access your route on the Ride25 app (available to download on the app store – just search on ‘Ride25’).  Please use your email address (that you signed up to the ride with) to activate and login. The app will enable the crew to track your precise location (and allow you to also see where the crew are and other riders at any given time).  It will also count you down to your next coffee/lunch or finish stop! You can also use the app to navigate although we recommend that you carry a portable battery charger and somewhere to mount your phone if you are doing this.

Regular designated stops

We will have designated stops mid morning and mid afternoon together with a lunch stop – no pressure to stop unless you want to but we have endeavoured to find the best places on the route to stop for coffee, cake and ice creams as well as a good lunch.  The mechanics will also set-up a service stop here for any tweaks you need.

Support vehicles

We will endeavour to make support vehicles fully accessible throughout the days so that you can always call to be picked up if you’re struggling.  The crew can be contacted (and tracked!) via the Ride25 app – or by calling them.

What are the highlights of Milan to Rome?

• Beautiful countryside, typical rolling Tuscan hills, vineyards, sunflowers, hilltop villages, cathedrals & historic buildings galore.
• Outstanding cities in Piacenza, Bologna, Orvieto & Rome
• More interesting dining venues both at lunchtime and at night
• The Vatican & the delights of Rome

Do I need to train?

Yes. 450 miles cycling is a significant challenge for anyone but it is achievable. We do recommend you follow a training schedule such as the ones HERE.

How do I get to Milan?

You can either arrive the night before (i.e. on the 16^th September) or it is possible to travel from the UK on the morning of the 17th September that should enable you to get to the start in time for a 1pm start (although we highly recommend arriving on the 16th September to avoid any delays!).    If you fly to Linate or Bergamo Airports you will need to get a taxi / minibus transfer to the hotel/start.

We recommend Skyscanner to source flights. Click HERE

Bike Servicing, Di2 and Disc Brakes

Pre – tour information

Where do I stay in Milan?

The package does not include accommodation in Milan on the 16th Sept 2016.  We recommend that you arrive the night before the tour begins.

There are plenty of hotels in Milan – two of our recommendations are the EuroHotel Milano or the Carlyle Brera hotel (this hotel is nearest to the start point the following day).

We will arrange a restaurant on the evening before the tour begins to meet up the night before for an optional meal (to be paid for locally).  This will be communicated to you before the event.  This will be a chance to meet the Ride25 crew/other riders.

The Start

Bag and bike box drop will be at the Carlyle Brera Hotel between 11-12 midday.We will depart form Parc Sempione, in front of the Arco Della Pace you can see it on a map HERE. The Parc is adjacent to Milan Cardona Train Station that has trains going to Malpensa Airport.

Return travel information

How do I get from the hotel in Rome to the Airport with my bike box?

There are regular trains from Rome Termini Station to Rome Fiumicino airport. Our hotel is 3.5 miles from Termini Station and 18 miles from Fiumicino airport. You can take a taxi from the hotel to the train station, or take a very short walk to Lepanto underground station, take the tube to Termini train station and then get the train to the airport.

Alternatively take a taxi straight to the airport.

What is included?:

• 5 x nights accommodation in Piacenza, Bologna, Figline Valdarno, Orvieto and Rome.
• Coffee stops and cake (or ice cream!)
• All lunches and dinners during tour
• Ride25 support crew and vehicles including a bike mechanic & first aider
• Transportation of bags each day to the finish
• Transportation of bike boxes from Milan to Rome
• Personalised cycling shirts
• GPX files of the routes &
• Cloth maps

What’s not included?

• Flights and transfers

• Accommodation in Milan the night before the tour commences

• A Bike

• A bike box (this can be selected as an optional extra during the check-out process)

• Personal insurance

Which hotels are we staying in?

The nature of the Ride25 adventure means that the routes and accommodation is dictated to by what the inventory of hotels looks like along our journey.   The hotels that we will be staying in are as follows (please note, this is subject to change).

Night 1 Piacenza

http://www.grandealbergoroma.it

Night 2 Bologna

http://www.zanhotel.it/hotel-europa-bologna

Night 3 Figline Valdarno

http://www.villacasagrande.it

Night 4 Orvieto

Home

Night 5 Rome

Twenty One, Hotel 4 stelle Roma

THE ROUTE & STRAVA:

Please note that the route is not signposted and you will need to use either a Garmin or a phone downloaded with the Strava app to self-navigate.   Please make sure that you have somewhere to mount your device and that you carry a portable battery charger.  You will be given a waterproof map, to use in emergencies.

THE ROUTES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

(PLEASE NOTE, THE BELOW ROUTES ARE FOR YOUR INFORMATION ONLY, THE EXACT ROUTE MAY BE SLIGHTLY TWEAKED BEFORE THE RIDE.)

STRAVA ROUTES:

If you are using a Garmin, we also recommend having a back-up route on a Strava app on your phone. If you are unfamiliar with downloading a route onto Strava for use on your mobile, please follow our instructions here. (Please click on the image to enlarge it).  (Those with Android phones – please see the instructions in the section marked ‘Instructions for Android users’ below).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR NAVIGATING FOR ANDROID USERS:  DUPLICATING THE ROUTE TO YOUR STRAVA ACCOUNT – ESSENTIAL FOR ANDROID USERS.

STEP 1

Open up the routes on a desktop/laptop computer.

You will see a page like this (NB – Route is for illustrative purposes only – you are not travelling from London to Brighton on your adventure!):

STEP 2

Click on the duplicate button above the map, give the route a logical name so you can find it later.  It will now save the route to the map/routes section on your phone app – this works for both Apple and Android but is essential for some Android users.

STEP 3

Log into the app and check the route is there – click on the MAP tab, then the SELECT A ROUTE tab.

STEP 4

On the day you want to use the route click the USE ROUTE button, also remember to click record (if you want to track your ride) and then go back to the maps to use the navigation of the route.