Dolomiti Summit Fest

Fri. August 29 – Sat. September 6, 2008

Book this tour!

Note: This trip is open to new guests. However, we will reserve some spots for returning Cinghiale clients until December 15.


Gavia? Piece of cake!

Cost

US $3,700 per person based on double occupancy

Single rooms

$500 extra
Please request a single room on your booking form

Weather

60’s to 80's with a fair chance of rain or possible snowy showers and cold weather on the summits. Be prepared with wool base layers and waterproof/windproof outerwear for the descents. Look for a great rain jacket from Hampsten Cycles in December.

Riding level

Rated a 5-pigger for those who ride every mile (See our Fitness Check for a guide).

We won't sugarcoat this fact...it's going to be some stiff riding. Five lean, mean, hard-riding pigs. Most rides will be loop rides out of our two base towns. Expert riders only. The climbs are tough and the descents very technical. That means fun for those fit enough for the challenge.

Gavia's old road
The help goofing for extra credit by staying on the Gavia's old road.


Mileage

350 miles with 40,000 + feet of elevation
Rides range from 35–110 miles on one long transfer day; most days will be close to 100km. Over passes, of course.

Terrain

Very mountainous. Take a peek at this link and type in Alleghe, Italy.

This site will give you some idea of the terrain around our first hotel in Alleghe, (in meters). Climbs will be selected from Giro d’Italia greats like the Marmolada, Passo Duran, Passo di Campolongo, Passo di Costalunga, Rolle, Gardegna, Campolungo, and Sella.

Then there is the Gavia waiting for us, and the Stelvio Pass, which has three approaches for us to tackle. We will enjoy it on Saturday, when it will be closed to all traffic but bikes. We’ll hit the dozens switchbacks with thousands of other cyclists.


Glacier on the Gavia

We recommend you tune your muscles for months before the trip, and come with your best bike, preferably a Hampsten in ti or carbon with triple rings or at least compact cranks with wee little gear ratios. Contact Steve or Andy at Hampsten Cycles for your dream climbing machine. Best bike: Hampsten Cycles Strada Bianca ti S&S coupled bike.

Who is this trip best suited to?

This trip is for very fit guests who crave a mountain adventure with excellent food, great company, and phenomenal scenery.

Non-riders are welcome on this trip. While there will not be specific activities organized for them, both towns we stay in are great to visit, and Alleghe has a cable car up the mountain to some wonderful hiking.

Special note about this trip

Due to the challenging terrain we will ride over and the resulting time gaps between riders on the climbs, we will not be able to ride as one happy herd like on most Cinghiale trips.

While there will of course be van support, and our crew will do their best to care for you, every rider will be required to come not only fit but also self-sufficient in terms of carrying food, water and warm clothing on all rides.

Plan A is that our follow van will be at the tops of passes with your Gavia Gear backpack of warm clothes. For chilly conditions you will want to change clothes and head down the descent before you share every joke in your repertoire. 

Read Bruce Hildenbrand's definitive interview with Andy about the day he rode the Passo Gavia in the snow.

Limited quantities of the classic Sergio Penazzo Gavia photograph of Andy riding the Gavia are still available as our signature poster – please inquire about availability.

What Bike/Gears/Tires Should I Bring?

We will be riding paved roads; bring your 23 to 25mm's.

Gearing:

Lower gears than normal are recommended on this ride, for obvious reasons.


Midwestern mojo on the mighty Gavia!

Our favorite solution to gearing is to use a compact crank (meaning a double chainring with smaller chainrings than usual – 110 BCD, if that matters) with 34 and 50 teeth in the front, coupled with a 12-27 (Shimano) or 13-29 (Campy) in the rear.

The best gearing for this trip is a triple, usually 30/42/52 (Campy) or 30/39/53 (Shimano), combined with a wide range in the rear.

Questions about bikes? Contact Steve at www.hampsten.com.

Where do we go?

Our first 3 nights will be in Bormio, site of the Gavia stage finish in the ’88 Giro. Our second day will be the Gavia Bike Day: over a hundred switchbacks to ride from, and no cars to deal with.
After three days in Bormio we will drive part way to an epic ride across the Dolomites to Alleghe, let's hit the Passo Pordoi after lunch.
Our family-run hotel in Alleghe is certified and approved by none other than “Il Barone” Gerardo Carpentieri, so we know the food and grappa is molto buono. We will enjoy five days doing loop rides in this beautiful historical area, and put the strudel to good use.

 

Travel Details

Fly into Verona. We will transport you to our first hotel in Bormio and bring you back to Verona on the last day.

Please note:It is a five hour drive to our first hotel from Verona. You will need to book a night (or two) in Verona at either end of the trip to make catching our only shuttle less stressful for all.

Please DO NOT book flights out on the last day of the trip (Saturday, Sept. 6) unless it is an evening flight, as we will not be able to get you to a morning flight on time.

We will start with a 9:00am bus pick up at the Hotel West Point near the Verona (VRN) airport and drive five hours to our first hotel in Bormio.

On Saturday, we will transport you on a bus back to the Hotel West Point in Verona airport with a noon arrival time. So you will need a hotel room for that night if your flight goes out the next day.

Consider going to the opera, and hope there's an all-star cast for Aïda that night. Seriously! It’s a spectacular way to round out your Italian experience.  Or for Verdi’s La Traviata

Cinghiale Shuttle times

Pick up            Friday, August 29                     9:00 am
From the Hotel West Point near the Verona Airport to our starting hotel in Bormio (5 hours)

Drop off         Saturday, September 6     2:00   12:00 noon
From Alleghe to the Hotel West Point, near the Verona Airport (3km)

Hotels

We recommend the Hotel West Point in Verona. It has a free shuttle from the airport for those who may be arriving early or leaving later than our shuttle times will accommodate. http://www.hotelwestpoint.com/eng/contatti.htm
We will store our bike boxes at the hotel while we are in the mountains.

Cultural highlights

Alleghe
A town on the edge of a lake formed in 1771 when a great landslide off Mt. Spiz covered the entire bottom of the valley, obliterating several villages, Alleghe today is known today for it's skiing, ice-skating, art, country-style architecture and handmade goods, with great shopping and sightseeing. The town is highly scenic with an old flavor. Its earliest hotels were built to accommodate mountain climbers seeking the pristine peaks of Civetta, Pelma, and Marmolada that tower nearby..

Bormi
Known for it's gorgeous mountain setting, spectacular skiing, and thermal baths that have been enjoyed since the 4th century, Bormio also offers some very good restaurants, art and shopping.
Bormio is a small town with the old town center next to our hotel. It has a fascinating history rich with sports, culture and art.
Shoppers can browse for stylish Italian clothes, sports equipment, and beautiful woodwork and textiles. The historical center of Bormio is one of the best preserved in the whole Alpine arc, and the area has a rich heritage dating to ancient times, when the city was divided into sections, each with it's own flag and identity.

Things to do in Verona

Again, for the sake of smooth timing, we urge you to come in a day early and stay a day after your trip! You will not regret the extra time spent in this lovely town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona

http://www.world66.com/europe/italy/veneto/verona

You will be in fine company visiting in Verona – Julius Caesar favored the town as his vacation spot. It's also the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. A town with a history dating back to 550 BC, Verona today is a lovely city of 250,000 people without too much traffic or tourist hassle.

In cycling history it is significant as the prologue start of the ’85 Giro d’Italia, the place where Andy’s 7-Eleven team first hit the European grand-tour tarmac. Site of Bob Roll’s response to the peloton’s second question: “Who’s your captain?” (Right after "Who the hell are you guys?"). “Siamo tutti capitani” said Roll.

Go to the opera in the Roman coliseum – the third largest in Italy. Attention, ladies and gentlemen: it is very romantic and you will both be glad you went!

Details

Included in price:

Not included in price:

Single rooms: $500 extra

Please request a single room on your booking form.

Deposit: $1,000 per person

Please wait for us to respond to your booking form before sending in your deposit. We have a lot of people wanting to join this trip, so please be prompt and accurate about your participation on this trip. No e-baying your spot either.

Final Payment: Balance of $2,700 per person due by May 29, 2008
Balance is $3200 with single room

If you are joining us after this date please contact our office and we will work out a payment schedule.

Confirmation and Communication

Once you have booked, you can expect the following communications and requests from us *

Reservation email - Andy and/or Julia acknowledge receipt of your booking form, let you know about availability, and request a deposit of $1,000 per person to confirm your space.

Deposit email - We acknowledge receipt of your deposit, confirm your space on the trip and provide a balance with due date.

At this point you can begin making your travel arrangements. See Booking Travel, below.

Balance email - We acknowledge receipt of your balance payment and remind you to send us your travel itinerary so we can confirm your ground transportation shuttle times with you in Tuscany.

Trip Files - A month before your trip, we send a final official email with several files of information attached, including an agreement to sign, contact info for each day of your trip, and a short list suggesting what you'll want to pack.

Itinerary - Upon your arrival in Italy, we provide you with detailed itineraries and route maps.

Travel confirmation – Send your travel plans to our travel coordinator, Elaine Lauterbach, at least one month before the trip. She will confirm your travel plans via email. See Booking Travel, below, for guidelines.

Note to type A’s and procrastinators alike: Please send us your info in plenty of time and allow time for the response.

Trip Files - A month before your trip, we send a final official email with several files of information attached, including an agreement to sign, contact info for each day of your trip, and a short list of what you'll want to bring and other important instructions.

Contact Us
We are available for other questions about the trips. One of us will return your email within a few days of receipt, or please call us:

Julia in Seattle                206-931-7407          cell
Andy in Colorado             720-565-0346         home
                                        303-506-1788          cell

*CANCELLATION POLICY

If you decide not to come or cannot come for any reason, the amount you have paid so far is fully refundable up to 90 days before the trip. Cancellations after that time forfeit the whole amount paid. We do not overbook and strongly recommend TRAVEL INSURANCE. Please purchase travel insurance that covers an unforeseen trip cancellation or misadventure to you or your luggage while in Italy.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Visit www.InsureMyTrip.com for a comparison of travel insurance companies and available options.  This site quotes a $4,000 trip coverage policy for between $113 and $300.

Thanks for booking with Cinghiale!

Partying like its 1999 since 1998


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