Day 1
62km / 670m
CLIMBS: San Floriano del Collio, Smartno.
HOTEL:  Castello di Buttrio

Today we leave Friuli for a couple of days and ride into Slovenia via the Livek climb. We will descend to the historical town of Kobarid, here will visit a couple of interesting places: the St.Anthony Church and the Italian Cemetery, commemorating the IWW battle of the Caporetto in 1917.

Leaving Kobarid, we will ride by Napoleon’s bridge, destroyed and rebuild a few times in the last couple of centuries.

We will continue our ride towards the town of Bovec and the beautiful Soca Valley, before starting the climb up to Vrsic pass, one of the most iconic mountain passes in Slovenia.

From the top of Vrsic pass, there is no more climbing today, during our descent we will visit the famous wooden Russian Chapel, halfway down towards Kranjska Gora, our final destination.

Our host town:

The Alpine village of Kranjska Gora is the capital of the Julian Alps. This year-round tourist resort has a lively town centre with nice cafes and restaurants, plus is surrounded by a good number of natural attractions, a great place to stay for a couple of nights!

Day 2
108km / 2,755m
CLIMBS: Livek 695m. Vrsic Pass 1,611m.
HOTEL: Best Western Kranjska Gora

After two days with a lot of climbing, today we will take it a bit easier. Riding mostly on secondary roads we will make our way to the scenic lake Bled, definitely one of the most photographed places in Slovenia.

We will ride around the lake, have lunch at a local restaurant and visit the famous Bled Castle.

In the afternoon we will make our way back to Kranjska Gora, so we can enjoy some time in the town centre.

SFIDA tip: no visit to lake Bled can be completed without tasting the famous Bled cream cake…

Day 3
77km / 1,250m
HOTEL: Best Western Kranjska Gora

In the last few years, Slovenia has become a powerhouse in the professional cycling world. When riding up some of their iconic climbs like the ones we have on today’s route, you can see why they have some of the finest Grand Tour riders at the moment.

Upon leaving our hotel in Kranjska Gora, it is 11km of solid climbing up the top of Vrsic pass. This is one of the most beautiful climbs in Slovenia, mainly because of its 24 cobbled switchbacks, definitely a stunning mountain pass!

From the top, we keep riding towards Bovec via the Soca Valley, so we can enjoy this magnificent ride in the opposite direction we rode in a couple of days ago. After Bovec we start climbing up to Mangart Pass, but before we have a short stop to see Fort Kluze . This is a fortification with a lot of historical importance, as this road was connecting the Austro-Hungarian borders with Italy.

Mangart pass is one of the toughest but at the same time most scenic climbs in the Julian Alps, definitely a giant with everything one can expect: narrow roads, rocky clifts, tunnels, and incredible views once you reach the summit.

From the top, it will be a pleasant 25km ride, mostly downhill with a couple of kilometres up the Passo del Predil, on the Slovenian-Italian border.

Our last part of the ride has a good number of IWW historical places: Predel Fort, Artilleri base of Predil, and the Ossuary of Predil. Tarvisio is our final destination.

Our host town:

Tarvisio is in the northeastern part of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Carnia and Julian Alps. This is definitely a crossroads town where Italy, Austria, and Slovenia meet, the languages and excellent cuisine are witnesses of this mixture. A place of ancient trade between the Alps and Venice, its roots are back to Roman times. 

Day 4
92km / 3,000m
CLIMBS:  Vrsic Pass 1,611m. Mangart Pass 2,055m.
HOTEL: Hotel Il Cervo

At SFIDA Cycling, we love riding in the Carnic Alps, this northern corner of Italy has some of the most “interesting” climbs one can imagine…

Don’t be deceived because we opted to ride the first 25km of today’s ride following the excellent Alpe-Adria cycle path.

The Alpe-Adria cycle path is an amazing bike ride connecting Salzburg in Austria with Grado in Italy, following the old train route used by the Austrians in the late 1800s to spend Summer in warmer weather. We will leave this path in the town of Pontebba, and from here we will start climbing the Passo del Cason di Lanza. This is a big unknown climb that for sure won’t disappoint!

After a technical descent to Paularo, we start climbing up to Forcella de Lius, a short and steep climb. Our last climb is the Sella Valcalda in Ravascletto, the final destination for today.

Our host town:

Ravascletto is a tourist town in the heart of the Carnic Alps, Winter is a ski resort and in Summer it offers many outdoor activities. For cycling, I won’t say it is a cycling paradise as probably some will differ with my opinion…to put it simply, within a 25km radius you have access to climbs like Zoncolan, Crostis, Tenchia, Forchia…all with above 10% average and long sections between 15-20%…

Day 5
77km / 2,255m
CLIMBS: Passo del Cason di Lanza 1,558m, Forcella de Lius 1,072m, Sella Valcalda 958m.
HOTEL: La Perla Hotel

Today’s ride is definitely a classic one! at first sight, it looks like a very short ride…but the accumulated climbing says another thing.

Starting with a pleasant descent to Ovaro, soon we start seeing signs pointing to our first destination of the day, the famous Monte Zoncolan, this climb is pure Giro d’Italia history!

The Zoncolan was climbed for the first time during the Giro in 2003, since then it has been climbed 7 times. Mostly from the Ovaro side, this quickly has become a “must climb” for hardcore cycling aficionados.

Once we conquer the Zoncolan, we will descend back to Ovaro and head to Comeglians to tackle the second climb of the day, the mythic Monte Crostis. Never climbed during the Giro as the summit is too narrow to be a stage final. Then it is too dangerous to have it passing through the summit as the following  8km, named “Strada Panoramique Delle Vette”, is on gravel and not valid for racing through.

For our group, we will decide if we ride the Strada Delle Vette depending on weather, gravel condition, and our client’s skills.

Day 6
64km / 3,050m
CLIMBS:  Monte Zoncolan (from Ovaro, classic Giro side) 1,755m, Monte Crostis (from Comeglians) 1,982m.
HOTEL: La Perla Hotel

Today we are leaving the Carnic Alps behind, riding down to Ovaro and onto Villa Santina, where we will start the first climb of the day, the Sella Chianzutan followed by the SellaChiampon, these are not hard climbs but the roads are very narrow and technical.

Next is the Forcella di Monte Rest, used in the Giro 2020, this climb has multiple switchbacks on both sides and is one of the hidden gems of this part of Italy, a truly enjoyable climb.

After a technical descent, we arrive on flatter roads by the Lago di Tramonti and arrive in Maniago.

Our host town:

Maniago is also called “the city of the knife”, artisan cutlery has been produced here since medieval times. Maniago was under Venetian domination for a long period of time, this can be seen in its historical centre, with places and monuments like the Cathedral of San Mauro Martyr and the ruins of the Castle of Maniago. Definitely a place worth visiting after our ride.

Day 7
107km / 2,330m
CLIMBS: Sella Chianzutan 947m, Sella Chiampon 795m, Forcella di Monte Rest 1,060m.
HOTEL: Eurohotel Palace Maniago

Today, most of our climbing is on the first half of the ride. After leaving Maniago, we climb the Forcella di Pala Barzana, another climb with a good number of switchbacks on a quiet road.

We will descend to Lago di Barcis before climbing up the ski resort of Piancavallo, this climb has been part of the Giro d’Italia route regularly in the last few years. Soon after descending 

Piancavallo we will enter the Veneto region, we have decided that it is a great way to spend the last couple of nights in the Prosecco region.

The stunning location and features of our accommodation make it even more epic. After all, how many times one can sleep in a fully functional medieval castle?

Our host town:

Cison di Valmarino is one of the most charming small towns scattered around the Prosecco region. Inhabited since ancient times, Cison di Valmarino, positioned between Vittorio Veneto and Follina, offers a calm place to base yourself and visit the surrounding area.

SFIDA tip: there’s a small ice cream shop in town that has been enjoyed by different groups of SFIDA clients…

Day 8
109km / 2,495m
CLIMBS: Forcella di Pala Barzana 842m, Piancavallo 1,268m.
HOTEL: Castelbrando

Our last ride of the trip will take us first up to the Passo di San Boldo, this is a climb that is a pleasure and an experience to ride on: not too long, not too steep, with 5 tunnels on switchbacks, 18 switchbacks, and amazing history all in only 6 kilometres! definitely, one you will remember forever.

Passo di San Boldo was used since ancient times, but it was by the end of IWW, when the Austro-Hungarian army needed a way to retreat, that its construction close to what we know it now was finalized. It was completed between February and June 1918, so its name was “road of 100 days” and most of the workers were Russian prisoners and women. It is incredible that 100 years later we ride our carbon frame bikes on these roads that had so much significance in the past.

To complete an amazing day on the bike, we will ride through some of the most iconic Prosecco small roads. This time of the year the grape harvest is about to start, so we need to be aware of tractors and small trucks on the roads. Our ride will include a stop in Valdobbiadene, Prosecco’s capital and one of the nicest towns in the area.

Prosecco wine region:

The Prosecco region has become a UNESCO world heritage site recently. This is one of the most extraordinary vineyards areas in the world, with hills stretching between the Venetian plains up to the foothills of the Dolomites.

It is one of the most popular wines in Italy, with different levels of quality, it can be drunk alone combined with many types of food, or mixed in cocktails like the Bellini or Spritz.

SFIDA tip: A trattoria in Cison di Valmarino serves the best homemade Prosecco we ever tried and the food…

Day 9
69km / 1,475m
CLIMBS: Passo di San Boldo 706m.
HOTEL: Castelbrando

After breakfast transfer by van to Venice airport (VCE). Expect to get there by 11:00, so plan your flights accordingly.

MORE INFORMATION

PRICES:

TWIN room:  4,350 Euros pp
SINGLE Supplement:  950 Euros
Rental bike:  650 Euros

Rental e-bike: 750 Euros

PAYMENT TERMS:
600 Euros when making the booking. Balance to be paid 90 days before the trip starts.

INCLUDED:
9 nights accommodation between 3 – 4 Stars

ALL MEALS INCLUDED.
9 breakfasts.
9 lunches, picnic-style on longer days. 
9 dinners, including wine.

NOT INCLUDED:
International flights.
Travel insurance.
Hotel extras: mini-bar, spa, massage.
Tips for the staff.

SUPPORT:
We will have ride leaders and at least one mechanic on our trip.
Our staff/client ratio is 1:4 staff.
Our passenger vans come fully equipped with all necessary to give the best support during the rides.
We carry gels, energy bars, powder mix, water, fruit, riding food, tools, pumps, spare tubes and tyres to make sure our first-class support helps you through the trip.
Professional first aid kit.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

Adapting to our current COVID-19 pandemic, and incoordination, with most of the hotel’s terms and conditions, we are adjusting our cancellation policy accordingly as follows:

If there’s a travel ban from your country to travel to the country you are doing a trip with us, you will receive a full refund on any payments you have made to SFIDA Cycling.

For any other reasons not related to COVID-19, the following will apply:

61 days before the trip starts – the return of your deposit.
60 days before the trip starts – the return of the full amount of the trip less 300 Euros cancellation fee, plus any amount that we can’t recover from Hotels and other costs that we have already incurred in the trip preparation.
Less than 30 days before the trip starts – no amount will be refunded. We will, however, try to credit as much as possible towards a future trip. This depends on the amount that we can get back from the hotels and other costs that we have already incurred in the trip preparation.

We understand that it is difficult to commit too much in advance given the situation we are all living in.

For this reason, we won’t be holding any spots until the full deposit has been paid.

Hotels are now more strict with how many rooms they are willing to have on hold for groups, so until deposit payments are made we won’t be able to confirm your spot.