Italian Dolomites and Austrian Tyrol

The group will assemble outside the Eurotunnel Terminal main building in Folkestone. You will be met by your tour guide and will be given a quick briefing before making our way to the train.

Today will be about taking the quickest route to some more interesting roads. To do this we will need to stick to the motorways for about the first 80 miles. After a short break we will head for the twisty road of the Ardennes region on our way to our final destination, Metz.

After breakfast we head towards Strasbourg via the twisty roads of the Northern Vosges. Crossing into Germany we head south east to the Obersee Bordensee Lake and our hotel for the night in Friedrichshafen, (The home of the Zeppelin) and a nights entertainment on shores of the lake.

After a relaxing night by the lake we head into the Austrian Tyrol and its many beautiful passes. With race track smooth tarmac winding its way between stunning mountain villages.

We then enter Italy and ride the Timmelsjoch Strasse and the stunning strada Stalale 44 up to Vipiteno Sterzing and our beautiful hotel for the night.

We start the day on the Penser Joch Passo Pennes, just breath taking. Followed up by the Corkscrewing Passo Pordoi, where we stop at the summit for lunch. These two passes are linking by some of the best valley riding you can find. After lunch we ride the Passo Falzarego which leads onto the Val di Zoldo and the Passo Straglanza heading down to our hotel in the town centre of Maniago.

After a chilled night out in the Maniago town square we head north on the Passo rest, tight, narrow hairpins, 32 of them, more of a workout than the Stelvio. Passo mauria will lead us into Cortina d'Ampezzo. Four more passes to ride in the afternoon, the Falzarego, Valparola, Gardena and lastly, the Brenner Pass to take us back into Austria and up to Innsbruck for a fantastic night out in the old town.

Today is west through the Austrian Tyrol and its many passes. Reaching the north shore of Bodensee Obersee (the inland sea) which leads us into Germany heading for Freiburg for the night.

If you thought that you couldn’t enjoy a day on your bike more than yesterday’s experience, after today you will change your mind. We not only climb higher via the Route des Cretes but we find more hairpins and more panoramic vista. Up through the one of the highest passes in the Vosges, at over 4600 feet, it is what every biker lives for. Sights as far as Jura and the French Alps on clear days. After a lunch we make our way out of the mountains down onto some of the best smooth sweeping bends you can ride, flicking your bike left and right to hit each apex perfectly, massive fun.

After a night of sharing stories, a few beers and great food we wake to start our journey home. Although there will be a motorway today, do not lose hope, we will spend all but the last hour on some great biking roads as we make our way across Northern France.