As loyal followers of the grand tours the Giro, Vuelta and Tour, we are always curious about the route schedule. To see which legendary cols will be climbed, but also to see which undiscovered gems are included in the schedule. The first grand tour is traditionally held in May, the Giro d'Italia. When the stage schedule was announced, we immediately started looking for the gems. We immediately thought of cycling in Piedmont
Etna in Sicily is already instilling fear, the climbs in the Aosta Valley will provide beautiful pictures. And what about the final climb to Blockhaus in the 9e stage, the Mortirolo in stage 16 and the Passo Pordoi and Passo Fedaia in stage 20! So much for the familiar work for climbing goats. In search of the gem! For us it lies during the Giro in Piedmont! Why? This relatively unknown region in the land of the boot has it all. Bergen, hills, beautiful views, Turin, good wine and delicious food.
World city of Turin
Turin? The city of Juventus, the 2006 Winter Olympics, Fiat and, from 21 May 2022, the Giro. Turin in itself is a beautiful city to spend a few days. The famous Savoie family has left its mark here quite a bit. Just outside the city you will find the Basilica di Superga at the top of Superga Hill. At 620 metres, not a climb that captures the imagination. But a mountain with history. In 1949, the hill was part of one of the biggest football disasters in Italian history. On 4 May 1949, a plane crashed into the hill in dense fog and heavy rain. All 31 occupants were killed, including almost the entire AC Torino team. At the time, the team was considered the best football team in the world. The Giro will visit Turin this year. Around the city there will be 3x local rounds of 30 km. So if you want to see the riders pass by more than once, you have to go to Turin to visit the Giro this year!
Do you want to visit the Giro? Our partner CYCLOsportive organises a beautiful trip to the Piedmont in May. The Taste of Piedmont lets you enjoy La Dolce Vita. Cycling, good wine, good food and, of course, a visit to the Giro!
The Langhe and Salita dei Campione
Piedmont has more to offer than just metropolis Turin. Piedmont's Langhe region is known for its wine and walnuts. The nebiolo grape is grown here to make the famous Barolo wine. Definitely take a few bottles home with you when you cycle here. A more than scenic route in the Langhe is the Salita dei Campione. A total route of 120 km with 2,400 altimeters. A real challenge! By the way, it is quite easy to build in some shortcuts on this route for cyclists who want to take it a bit easier.
The Salita dei Campione takes you over short steep climbs, beautiful roads over the crest of the hills and through quaint, old Italian villages. On a clear day, in Mombarcaro, you have a wonderful view of the Alps from the village square. In Piedmont, sea, city and Alps are always close by.
Cuneo
Speaking of the Alps, from the Langhe you can be at the foot of mountains that easily top 2,000 metres in altitude in an hour. Cuneo is then a great base to start climbing some impressive cols. For example, the Colle dell'Agnello. You know, that mountain where Steven Kruijswijk threw a certain-looking final victory of the 2016 Giro down the drain. At 2,744 metres, the pass is one of the highest in Europe. Chances are you'll make your way to the top here deep into May between walls of snow. How cool is that!
