SFIDA Cycling (2024)

19/06/2024

SFIDA Dolomites - Stelvio.

We are now three days into this amazing trip.
So far we have climbed the following Passos:
- Gardena.
- Valparola.
- Giau.
- Falzarego.
- Campolongo.
- Fedaia.
- Sella.
- Gardena from Selva side, last 6km.

We have a great group of clients, all very keen and motivated to explore the Dolomites, South Tyrol and Italian Alps regions we are visiting in this trip.

10/06/2024

SFIDA-JOC Dolomites-Stelvio day 5.

First ride in the South Tyrol.

We leave Bolzano and start climbing straightaway through the beautiful vineyards.

The climb up to Auna di Sopra is 19km 1,200m of climbing, at the top we have a ☕️ and van stop.

A technical descent took us to the start of the Passo di Pennes/Penserjoch (Italian/German name).
This climb is 36km 1,700m, so long that we stopped 10km from the top to have lunch.

A glorious descent brought us to Vipiteno/Sterzing, where we will stay tonight.

This town is part of the Borghi più belli d’Italia, a great place to spend the afternoon and dinner.

08/06/2024

Another epic ride in the Dolomites.

We start riding up La Villa, then turn left and start climbing the Passo Valparola.

This is a beautiful climb to start the day.
After ☕️, we descend towards Caprile but before we turn left up
Colle Santa Lucia, we stop at the lookout to enjoy the magnificent views over the valley below.

Next is the Passo Giau, this is one of the most famous climbs in the Dolomites, and a tough one, 10km at a solid 9-10%.

At the top of the Giau we enjoy some panini, drinks and ☕️.

After we descend to Pocol and turn left up Passo Falzarego, the last climb of the day. As usual once we get there we do the extra km up the Valparola, this is a relentless km…😆.

We finish our ride with a great descent back to Badia.

Incredible ride today!

07/06/2024

Today we rode the first of the three Queen stages we have on this trip 😱😆.

We had a stunning day in the Dolomites. On days like this your passion for cycling just grows!

Our first climb was the Passo Campolongo, from there it was mostly downhill to Caprile, perfect place to stop for a ☕️ and eat some food ahead of our next climb.

The Passo Fedaia always marks a before and after in your cycling life…specially the side from Caprile, the last 6km will remain on your memory forever 🤩.
Climbing above 10% for most of those 6km is a tough effort, but very rewarding…I hope 😆.

Afterwards we descended to Canazei on time for lunch. Today we need some pasta to keep the energy levels up.

After lunch our third climb of the day is the Passo Sella, this is another classic climb in the area, beautiful!

After we summit, a short descent takes to the last climb.
Passo Gardena, from there it is a short 6km on another stunning road to the top of this climb.

The last part of our ride is the same as yesterday, a great downhill to Badia.

06/06/2024

SFIDA-JOC Dolomites-Stelvio day 1.
Here we go again!
We are back in the Dolomites with a fantastic group of riders.

Today we picked up our clients in Venice, drove to our hotel in Badia, had lunch and prepared the bikes.

Then in the afternoon we went for a short ride to check everything was fine.

We climbed up the Passo Gardena and back, this is a great way to start this epic trip.

03/05/2024

Sa Calobra ride.
Today we started our ride in Bunyola, a small town in the Serra de Tramuntana.

The first climb is the Coll d’Honor, a beautiful way to get to the small village of Orient, this segment is one of the nicest inland roads.

Next was Coll de Sa Batalla, one of the most popular climbs in Mallorca. Today many of the roads were very busy with cyclists and, unfortunately, cars and buses.

The Coll dels Reis is the short climb before we descend down to Sa Calobra.

The Sa Calobra road down to the sea is one of the most sinuous you can imagine.
Once we reach the coast, we turn back and start our 10km climb back to the top at 680m high.

After a sandwich lunch we continue our ride towards Port de Sóller. We reach this picturesque spot after a glorious descent from Alt de Puigmajor, the highest point of our trip in Mallorca at 800m.

In Port de Sóller we end our ride, with more food, drinks, ice cream and ☕️🤩.

02/05/2024

We are enjoying some amazing riding since we arrived yesterday to Mallorca.

Today we started our ride in the town in Inca, from there we rode to Port de Pollença via some quiet rural roads.

Once at Port, we climb up the short and scenic Coll de la Creueta. This is the start of the ride to Cap de Formentor, a 30km return ride that it is one of the most memorable rides you can do in Europe.

Unfortunately, and this is hard to understand, cars are allowed all the way too…and for free!!!🤦🏻

I can’t imagine any other European country, that will allow cars into such an amazing natural landscape, let alone not charging for it.

Once we are all back to Coll de la Creueta, we ride to Pollença and enjoy lunch.

After lunch we climb the beautiful Coll de Femenia, at the top we keep riding to Coll de Sa Batalla before descending back to Inca where we ended our ride.

-mallorca

28/04/2024

SFIDA Girona - Mallorca.
Here we go again! We had a couple of great days riding around Girona with our first group of clients.
On day 1 we did the Els Ángels, Monells, Cassà de la Selva loop.
Then on day 2 we climbed up Mare de Déu del Mont, although the weather was a bit treacherous…we conquered this amazing mountain.
More great riding coming soon 😊🚴‍♂️.

03/02/2024

SFIDA ride to Kiama, Berry, Kangaroo Valley and Robertson.

This is one of the nicest loops you can do in the South Coast/Highlands region in NSW Australia.

We had a strong group of riders today!

15/07/2023

Sognefjellet and Tindevegen Panorama road.
Another stunning ride, the weather was a bit unstable but we rode mostly on dry roads.

It was windy at some points and that made the ride a bit more complicated.

First climb was up Sognefjellet, an easy and gradual climb up 1,450m high. The views over the glacier was spectacular.

Next was the Tindevegen Panorama road. Here is where we had some gusty winds. The climb had a few steep sections and goes through some spectacular high mountains landscapes.

From the top it was a great descend to Øvre Ardal, this is where our ride finished today.

12/07/2023

Today it was a five star ride!
Åndalsness to Geiranger is one of the “must do” rides in Norway.

We left Åndalsness and we headed towards Trollstigen. This is one of the top climbs in Norway, and definitely one of the most scenics.

I hope that the pictures make justice to the landscape. We were lucky to have great weather too!

Once we reached the top, we put our walking shoes and went to the viewing platforms that are located at the edge of the cliff 🤩🤩.

After enjoying such a great moment, we descended to Valldal for lunch, here we are now in Fjord terrain.

We continue our ride taking the ferry between Linge and Eisdal, then climb up the Ørnevegen. This is the climb that gets us into the Geiranger fjord.

This is the most famous fjord in Norway. On the descend we enjoyed tremendous views over the fjord and Geiranger.

We will stay two nights at the Hotel Union Geiranger, this hotel has hosted tourist since the mid 1850s and is now part of the historic hotels of Norway.

23/06/2023

Colle del Nivolet.
What a day!!!
If there was a Holy Grial equivalent on climbs, Colle del Nivolet would be on the short list of candidates.

We started our ride in Noasca, from this town it is 26km 1,700m of climbing on some of the most magnificent Alpine road and landscapes one can imagine.

We had just perfect weather too, making today’s a memorable day for our clients 🤩👍

22/06/2023

Galibier day.
Today our ride took us up another mythic climb in the French Alps: Col du Galibier.

The Galibier appeared in the TDF for first time in 1911, only 3 riders went through the summit without walking!

A lot of things has changed since then, and now we can bring our clients up this epic col, and have them all reaching the top and enjoy the superb views!

This morning we left Alpe d’Huez and descended to La Grave, there we turned left and started the balcony road that took us to Le Freney-d’Oisans.

Before I continue with our ride description, one comment about today’s weather…
Weather conditions were very tough for most of our ride, rain, strong winds up the Lautaret, fog at the top of the Galibier and low temperatures above 2,000m.

From Freney we were on the Col de Lautaret. We did 27km on this long climb.
Once we reached the summit of the Lautaret, we started the final 8km up the Galibier.
A couple of kilometres before the top, there’s a tunnel to avoid the final hairpins and also a monument dedicated to Henri Desgranges, considered the TDF creator back in July 1903.

This was another great day on the saddle, tough conditions made it epic 🤩👍

21/06/2023

SFIDA Alpe d’Huez race.
As this is a private corporate trip, we decided to organise a little competition up Alpe d’Huez this morning.

Starting two riders at a time and with 1-2 minutes difference, we set up everyone up this mythic climb.

The most famous 21 hairpins in the cycling world are the ones that take you from Bourg d’Oisians up to Alpe d’Huez.

End of stage of the TDF numerous times since 1952, it is fantastic that we can take our clients on the roads that have been part of the history of Le Grande Boucle.

Still, this was a kind os rest day for the SFIDA standards, only one climb after all 🤩🤩👍 but what a climb!

20/06/2023

Queen stage today!!
We started our ride in Sampeyre, from there it is 31km 1,850m to the top of Colle dell’Agnello. This is a huge climb with the summit at 2,740m high.

This climb gets harder the closer you get to the top.
Also riding above 2,000m is always challenging.
The top marks the border between Italy and France.

At the top it was foggy, we couldn’t enjoy the great views until we started to descend.

We had a great picnic at Ville-Vielle in France, then continued to the next climb: Col d’Izoard.

From the point we started to climb, it was 14km 1,000m to the summit at 2,360m.

This is one of the most epic TDF climbs in the Alps.
Each kilometre is numbered and dedicated to a great cyclist: Fausto Coppi, Louison Bobet, Federico Bahamontes….

It was a warm afternoon with fantastic views. Closer to the top you can see the area named Casee Deserte, a very dry and rocky landscape.

We descended to Briançon and ended our ride here.
Brillant and epic day in the saddle 🤩👍

19/06/2023

SFIDA Piemonte-French Alps.
We had a great start of our trip with some fantastic riding in the hills of the Barolo wine region.
This is a stunning area for cycling, with beautiful hill towns and landscapes.
We enjoyed great food and of course, tasted some local wines.
From tomorrow, no more hills, we are heading towards the Alps! 🤩

14/06/2023

Gran Sasso.
This is one of the most magnificent climbs in Italy. In the heart of Abruzzo, Gran Sasso is part of a vast National Park.

We ride from Santo Stefano di Sessanio, it is 25km 1,100m all the way to the top, mostly on gentle gradients.

The views are stunning during all the ascent, until we reach the top, a bit foggy up there today.

After ☕️ at the restaurant, we descend and continue our ride to Castel del Monte and Calasacio, where we have paninis for lunch.

We will spend the rest of the afternoon resting a bit ahead of our Grande Finale ride tomorrow…🤔🤩.

10/06/2023

Yesterday we left Bagno de Romagna.
Our first climb of the day was the Monte Fumaiolo, after we reached the summit we entered back in Tuscany region for part of our ride.

We continued riding in undulating roads with short 3-5km climbs on the way.
In Sestino we had lunch, pasta and caprese 🤩.
Passo dell’Spugna was the last climb in Tuscany, this was a quiet road with some gravel sections.

Once back in the main valley, we entered in Le Marche region.
This is another beautiful region, with a good number of places worth visiting like Urbino, our final destination on the ride.

We spent the late afternoon and had dinner in this stunning town.

Today we rode from Urbino to Gubbio, another great ride!
Le Marche to Umbria regions.
We leave Urbino and head to Piobicco, time for a ☕️+ stop.

Next is the biggest climb of the day: Monte Nerone, 16km 1,150m and with a summit at 1,505m above sea level.
This is a great climb, with fantastic views from the top too.

After we descend we have lunch in Pianella. Then we head to Gubbio via some beautiful secondary roads and of course, a few more climbs…short ones but 😆.

We will visit and have dinner in Gubbio, a stunning medieval town on this part of Umbria.

08/06/2023

In Bagno de Romagna.
We started our SFIDA Italia Centro trip in this Spa town in the beautiful mountains of Emilia Romagna region.

Yesterday, after picking up our clients in Bologna we transferred to our hotel, had lunch and got the bikes ready for a short ride in the area.
We did a couple of climbs that are connected, Passo dell’Incisa and Passo della Biancarda.

After the summit we had a great descend (although a bit wet) back to Bagno de Romagna.
It was a great way to start this trip that will take us to other parts of central Italy like Umbria, Le Marche and Abruzzo.

Today we did the SFIDA Emilia Romagna loop.
Leaving Bagno de Romagna we started the first climb of the day, Passo dei Mandrioli 12km 750m, the top of this climb marks the border between ER and Tuscany regions.

We descended to Poppi for ☕️ and snacks before continuing our ride.
Next climb was the first 6km of de Passo della Consuma, then we descended to Stia and started climbing up the Passo della Calla 16km
870m of climbing up to 1,300m, the highest point in today’s ride.

We had lunch at the top of Passo della Calla and afterwards we enjoyed a great descend to Santa Sofia.

Next and last was going to be the climb up to Passo del Carnaio. Unfortunately the road was closed as it was damaged during the recent floodings in ER, so the alternative was to do the climb via the Spinello road…much steeper!

We end up back in Bagno de Romagna, this town had the Giro finish on a couple of stages recently, in 2017 and 2021.

Next year the Tour de France will pass through here on the first stage between Florence and Rimini…and SFIDA Cycling will be here on one of our TDF 2024 trips.

More information in October once the official route has been announced 🤩👍

06/06/2023

San Chirico Raparo to Maratea.
93km 1,800m.
For our final ride on this epic trip, we have chosen an incredible final climb.

But before we start riding from San Chirico on quiet roads in the interior of the Basilicata region.

After the town of Castelsaraceno we reach 1,250m, the highest altitude on this trip. From there is a nice descend to Lauria, where we have ☕️ and snacks.

The weather is not great but luckily we don’t have heavy rain on us 😆.
After a quick lunch at Trecchina, we descend to Maratea an start the final climb of our trip.
This is definitely one of the most incredible short climbs we do, up the Cristo Redentore, on a road with some of the most scenic hairpins you can imagine.

This is the end of an amazing trip through some of the less visited regions in Italy by bike.
We will definitely include the SFIDA Italia Mezzogiorno trip in our 2024 calendar 🤩👍.

04/06/2023

Queen stage #2.
Matera to San Chirico Raparo.
145km 3,185m.

After a couple of nights in Matera and an easy ride yesterday, it is time for some epic riding again 😆.

Our ride today has a good number of climbs and we are riding on some very remote parts of Basilicata region.

Our first stop is at Ferrandina, time for ☕️ and snacks. Then we continue to Stigliano on a long climbing section topped with a SFIDA special segment of 2km at 13-16%…😆

After a picnic lunch in Stigliano we continue on very quiet roads, nothing flat of course and with some sections of tarmac in not so great condition.

We pass near Guardia Perticara and continue towards Sant Chirico Raparo, our final destination today, set on top of a hill, this is another beautiful town in Basilicata.
Our accommodation is on the highest point of this hill town…🤔😂.

This was a fantastic day and the route worked very well, long and tough but nor exhausting….need to keep the clients breathing 🤩.

02/06/2023

Vico to Vieste
We left Vico del Gargano and started riding into the Foresta Umbra.
This is a spectacular forest between Vico and Vieste, amazingly dense and mostly shadowy.

A beautiful way to start our day, next is a great descend and a stop for ☕️ and snacks at scenic Peschici, one of the many white villages in the Gargano peninsula.

We arrived to Vieste on time for a quick light lunch, we stayed overnight there, but before we rode along the coast to Pugnochiuso, stopping at the scenic Torre dell’Aglio for some great pictures.

Back in Vieste, we visited the old town and enjoyed dinner at one of the amazing restaurants in this beautiful place
🤩.

Vieste to Monte Sant’Angelo.
We leave Vieste and ride along the coastal road in this part of the peninsula de Gargano.

The road is far from flat and very scenic all the way to Mattinata.
We bypass this white town and start climbing up Monte Sant’Angelo.

This is an important pilgrimage town, and also a UNESCO heritage site.

The climb from sea level up to Monte Sant’Angelo is 17km and 800m of climbing, on a beautiful road with hairpins and great views over the Adriatic Sea.

Once at the top we change clothes and walk into town for lunch. We also had a time to visit this impressive place.

Today there are a lot of Italian visitors, besides having great places to visit and fantastic food, Italians are lucky to have a Republic, and today, 2nd of June is the Festa della Repubblica!

31/05/2023

SFIDA Italia Mezzogiorno.
Yesterday we left the beautiful town of Campobasso and start riding towards Jelsi, our first ☕️ stop for the day.

Next was the climb up to Gambatesa, an easy warm up for what came later 😱😆.

After descending from Gambatesa, we soon left Molise region and enteroPuglia, where we will ride for the next few days.

Next climb was up San Marco la Catola, we took the short way up…obviously the steepest, with generous segments between 12-16% for the 4km climb.

Once we reach the top of the hill later on, we descended to Pietramontecorvino and continued our ride to Lucera where we had lunch closer to the end of our ride.

Today we left the area near Lucera and start our ride to the Peninsula del Gargano.

This is one of the most scenic parts of northern Puglia.

First we climbed up to Borgo Celano, a nice climb with some nice hairpins and great views over the plains.
After the climb we soon reached San Giovanni Rotondo, an important pilgrimage destination dedicated to Padre Pio.
We enjoyed a great ☕️ and one of the Pasticcerias in town.

The next 30km were on undulating and quiet roads until we reached Carpino.

From Carpino we rode to Ischitella and a few kms later we reached Vico del Gargano.
Vico is part of the Borghi Piu Belli d’Italia.
We haolunch and enjoyed the popascia, a traditional lunch sandwich type, delicious!

In the afternoon we will visit the town and later have dinner at one of the popular Bracerias (grilled restaurants) in town.

29/05/2023

Queen stage #1.
137km 3,020m.
Every SFIDA Cycling trip has one…or two Queen stages.

At the SFIDA Italia Mezzogiorno we will have two and today’s was the first one.

We leave Cassino and soon start the first climb of the day, the Forcella di Cervaro, this is a 16km 1,000m climb at a steady gradient, on days like today it is good to do a good part of the climbing soon into the ride.

After the summit, we stop for a ☕️ and snacks in the small town of Viticuso before continuing to Venafro.

Next is the also long Passo Campo dell’Acero, 25km with 1,100m of climbing. In Letino, 8km from the top we enjoy our picnic lunch.

After lunch, the weather started to change and we had rain in some parts, still we made our way to Campobasso via secondary roads with no flats 🤩😱.

Campobasso is the capital of Molise, one of the less visited regions in Italy. This is a beautiful town and we have time to enjoy it in the late afternoon.

27/05/2023

Prosecco ride, great way to end another epic trip!
After seven days of tough riding and climbing, we showed respect to our clients and put an easier ride to finish our SFIDA Giro d’Italia 2023 trip!

We start with the short and very scenic Passo San Boldo, this one of our clients favourites. The upper section, with 6 tunnels on switchbacks on a one lane road is definitely a highlight when riding in this part of Italy.

The rest of the ride goes through the Prosecco vineyards. With some hills of course!
We end our ride in Cison di Valmarino, with lunch at our favourite restaurant in town 🤩

26/05/2023

Passos Falzarego and Giau.
65km 2,060m.

Our last ride in the Dolomites, with fantastic weather we start our ride in Cortina d’Ampezzo and climb up the Passo Falzarego.
This is one of the main climbs in the area, connecting the Ampezzo and Alta Badia regions.

After the Falzarego we follow today’s Giro Queen stage, and we climb the Passo Giau hours ahead of the professional peloton.

This is always a spectacular climb, and in late May, with the surrounding peaks still covered in snow, it is stunning!

There are a lot of people climbing up and getting ready to watch the Giro ride through.

We descend back to Cortina, had lunch and plan to watch the race through the town and the end of the stage on TV at the lively city centre.

SFIDA Cycling