Topbike Tours

This was our 2019 Itinerary
The Topbike ‘Base’ tours are 7 days (6 nights) fully supported, off the tourist route around ‘our’ base town, on Lago Iseo (Lake Iseo), approximately 100k from Milan.  We’ll ride up to 140k a day (but not every day), starting and finishing in the town of Marone. 

Topbike’s Base Tour uses an excellent accommodation house, and we’ll visit local and traditional restaurants all around the area.  Deep, local knowledge is put to good use here. (The lakeside town of Marone, situated in the Italian Province of Brescia, Lombardy is Topbike’s European HQ)

We’ll do the climbs of Passo Maniva, Croce Domini, Polaveno, Croce di Marone, Zone, Zeno, Santa Maria Giogo, Via Mala et al.  There’s even an option to climb the Mortirolo, if you’re really keen.
Plenty of great coffee and gelato to be enjoyed en route too.
NB: there are many other climbs available, on demand. Just ask!

This was our 2019 Itinerary

With Topbike’s ‘Classic Italian Climbs’ we venture north from Brescia, high into the Dolomites, for 10 days of pointing our bikes up many of the classic climbs of Italy, all of which appear regularly in the Giro d’Italia. 

We move across the passes of Croce Domini and Maniva, Gavia (twice) Stelvio, Mortirolo, Campolongo, Pordoi (twice), Gardena, Sella, Marmolada and Montegrappa.

This was our 2019 Itinerary
The 74th edition of the Vuelta a España takes place between 24 August and 15 September 2019, setting out from Salinas de Torrevieja and ending in Madrid.

La Vuelta 19 route has been announced and while it’s not high on the priority list of many riders at this time of the season, by the time it starts, it can often produce the best racing of the year.

From Bilbao in the Basque country down to Madrid, we’ll chase this enigmatic grand tour all the while experiencing the best riding northern Spain has to offer. First up there’s a stage start in Bilbao, and then we move westwards through Cantabria to Asturias, before heading south for the grand finale in downtown Madrid.  You’ll love the northern coast of Spain, the Basque region, not to mention the seafood, wine, coffee and tapas.
Following the final 10 stages of the 74th Edition of the Vuelta a Espana, from Bilbao finishing with an exciting stage finish in Madrid, Spain.

Details of this Topbike Tour featuring the Critérium du Dauphiné and the opportunity to ride and explore some of the classic climbs of the French Alps will be announced soon.

For the 2019 TdF Paris Tour we have seven days of race viewing, covering stage starts, finishes, feedzones and KOMs. We’ll be starting near the Pyrenees, before venturing into the Alps, on our way to Paris. We’ll have the opportunities to climb the famed Cols of Tourmalet, Peyresourde, Aspin, Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez, Glandon and Galibier amongst many others. With a mix of luxury accommodation and traditional hotels, haute and provincial cuisine, we’ll finish with a ride around Paris.

Follow the largest annual sporting event in the world and enjoy the French countryside and culture along the way…

Ride the famous climbs of the Tour de France, from the Alps to the Pyrenees, including Mont Ventoux.
Not forgetting we’ll catch the 2019 TdF live on the tele most afternoons. 

With Topbikes ‘Climbs of the Tour de France’ we venture north into the Alps, above Grenoble (nearly into Switzerland) all the way down to the Pyrenees, for 10 days of pointing our bikes up many of the Le Tours grand climbs, all of which appear regularly in the big event. 

We move across the passes of Col du Joux Plane, Col de la Madeleine, Col du Telegraphe, Col du Galibier, Alpe d’Huez, Mont Ventoux, Port de Pailheres, Portet d’Aspet, Col de Mente, Col de Peyresourde, Hourquette d’Ancizan, Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet.

The Topbike ‘Tour of Sicily’ will be 11 days (10 nights) fully supported, off the tourist route where possible, riding up to 105k (but not every day), starting and finishing in Cefalù.

We will take a 40/60 coastal/inland route, including a two night visit to the island of Lipari. We use an excellent combination of traditional restaurants and unique accommodation, in all locations. Group size will be limited to 13, with 3 staff.

With a Cefalù start and finish this year, we’ll be doing an anti-clockwise loop around Sicilia. We’ll be stopping over at the towns of Polizzi Generosa, Agrigento, Forza d’Agro, Milazzo and Lipari.  Plenty of great coffee, gelato and many other Sicilian treats to be enjoyed en route too.

This was our 2019 Itinerary

The Topbike 2019 Tour of Corsica will be 11 days (10 nights) fully supported, off the tourist route where possible, riding up to 120k a day (but not every day), starting and finishing in Bastia, on the island of Corsica.

We will take a 60/40 coastal/inland route, including four x 2 night stops. Group size will be limited to 13, with 3 staff.  There are plenty of opportunities for extra riding, if the planned day’s ride may not be enough for you.

This was our 2019 Itinerary
(Milano Malpensa to Venice)
For Topbike’s 2019 Giro Tour, we’ll chase this enigmatic Italian grand tour through Piedmonte and Lombardia, up to the passes of Mortirolo and Gavia, through the Sud Tirol and the Dolomites, and back around to the final TT in Verona.  You’ll love the backdrop of the vineyards, the olive groves and the mountains of the Dolomites.

We’ll start with three nights in an old castle high on a hill outside Torino, two nights in Ponte di Legno, a couple of nights in the Sud Tirol at Villabassa, two more nights near Montegrappa, and a final night in the centre of Verona, with a visit to the famous ‘Bottega del Vino’.
 

PISTOIA to FLORENCE
*This was our 2019 Itinerary
Ride the rolling Tuscan hills, pick poppies at a lunchtime picnic, sip Chianti in a Piazza overlooking (Chianti) vineyards, chase fireflies as you walk home from dinner, without dropping your gelati.
On this tour we have an excellent mix of quality accommodation, featuring plenty of vineyards, olive groves and swimming pools, with our final location in a hotel so close to the Duomo in the centre of Florence, you could hit it with a good throw of a champagne flute (or stubby).

We’ll spend the first four nights on the outskirts of the medieval city of Pistoia, a couple of nights in Castelfalfi (west of Florence) in a rural location and three nights in Gaiole in Chianti, before finishing with the final night in central Florence.