Dolomite Cycling Holidays

Classic Bike Rides in the Dolomites

Cycling Routes for All Levels

• Cycle the Dolomites amid awe-inspiring panoramas

• Bike tour with experts in the region

The magnificent Dolomite mountains, a UNESCO world heritage site, noted for its breathtaking scenery, panoramic views, and spectacular peaks and gorges, is home to some of the most challenging biking in Europe. It’s renowned bike climbs that challenge the best riders during the Giro d’Italia, picturesque easy cycle paths along the Sudtirol Strada di Vini (Wine Roads), and wonderful blend of Italian and Austrian/Germanic cultures have made it a much sought-after destination for cyclists.

Italiaoutdoors does not offer tours world-wide, or even Italy-wide; we focus our passion and energies on creating regional tours that allow our guests to truly experience all aspects - the terrain, the rides, the food, the wine, the culture - of this unique and spectacular area of Italy. Plan your adventure with the team of Dolomite regional experts that calls this area home, Italiaoutdoors.

There are hundreds of climbs in Italy that have played a role in cycling history and that are part of a unique cult of 'hill climbers'. For those looking for a scheduled trip to join, we offer our "Climb the Classics" cycling tours during select weeks of June, July, August, and September 2012.  The climbs we will explore and the routes we travel may not be known by anyone outside of Italy and Europe's cycling community. We will challenge ourselves on classic climbs such as Monte Grappa, Zoncolan, and Passo Giau, and explore others that are equally scenic and formidable, bu remain relatively unheralded. This is a ride for those of you that love climbing and elevation gain in steep terrain.  Our tours are all inclusive, except for air fare, and start at $3295. Contact us for details. If your companion is a cyclist, but wishes more moderate terrain, we can provide alternate routes. If a non-cyclist, alternate activities can be arranged.

Dates for our 2012 Dolomites "Climb the Classics": June 17-23, July 22-28, August 12-18. Contact us for September dates.

Adventures with Italiaoutdoors

• Professional expertise in design and guiding of custom Dolomite cycling tours

• Over 15 years experience leading custom holidays in the region

Italiaoutdoors expert in recreational programming, Vernon McClure, will personally design and lead the cycling on your tour. Vernon, an ex-Army Ranger, has lived in the area for over twenty years, creating and leading adventure tours first as head of Recreational Programming for the US Department of Defense, and then as an independent guide leading tours and performing staff training for several of the major multinational bike tour companies. They relied on Vernon to provide his unparalleled regional expertise, extensive program design and risk management training to their operations in this beautiful part of Italy. As a local guide, Vernon has extensive knowledge of the hundreds of climbs in this region. If you've cycled the Dolomites before, we can find new routes for you to conquer. Vernon has cycled, hiked and rock climbed in this area for over 2 decades, and is passionate about sharing his backyard with cyclists of all levels.

• Professional culinary guide introduces you to the wonderful foods and wines of the area

• Daily wine tastings of the amazing "undiscovered" native wines

There is no better way to restore yourself after a challenging day in the saddle than to explore the amazing foods and wines of the region. Each day will bring us new specialties to try, and new wines to discover as we learn that each locale has it’s own cuisine that reflects it’s history, culture, and traditional producers. Joining Vernon in the program design on the culinary side, and on your cycle holiday is Kathy Bechtel, an avid biker and ski instructor, as well as a professionally trained chef, cooking instructor, and food blogger specializing in the unique cuisine and wines of the area. All our food, from breakfasts to fine dining each evening, even our roadside snacks, will introduce you to the best in the local fare; daily wine tastings will allow you to discover the wonderful native wines rarely found outside of the region.

Discover just a few of the local wines we'll taste in Kathy's wine tasting reviews and information pages.

Italiaoutdoors specialized planning and regional expertise only begins on the road. Your ‘off-saddle’ experience is just as important to us, and receives a similar attention to detail. Accommodations, dining, daily wine tastings, and cultural excursions are all customized to meet the desires and interests of your group. There is no compromising when you travel with us, our knowledge - in the terrain, roads, and weather, the culture, history, foods and wines - will deliver a Dolomites cycling tour unlike any other, uniquely personalized for your small group.

We focus our efforts only on this region of Italy. This enables us to:

• Customize your Dolomite bike tour

• Personalize route design for all levels of cyclists

• Contact Us to ask questions, learn more, or start to plan your adventure!

Traveling with others? Italiaoutdoors will create the perfect cycling holiday in the Dolomites for your small group of 4-12. Do you have specific climbs you would like to tackle, such as Monte Grappa, an extremely beautiful and challenging climb, or Passo Stelvio, one of the highest paved roads in Europe, and the next to last stage of the 2012 Giro d’Italia? We will create your ideal itinerary that will challenge even the strongest of climbers. Does your group consist of mixed abilities? There is no reason all cannot join in the fun! We can design a trip with daily route options, with easier paths for more casual cyclists, or alternative activities for those that prefer a rest day. A support van is available, but our preference is thoughtful route design to allow cyclists of all abilities to succeed and enjoy the experience of exploring this region by bicycle.

Contact us to learn more, ask questions, or start to plan your customized private adventure!

Discover how affordable a private trip can be. Our private trips are priced the same as our scheduled trips, as we are small, regional, and rely primarily on word of mouth to market our services.