Haute Route Dolomites
Riding Days
5
Number of Nights
6
Total Distance
~450km
Total Climbing
~14,500 metres
Difficulty
5 - Most difficult/5
At a Glance
The Haute Route lounched again the 5 days events for 2023 Dolomites and Haute Route Pyrenees benefit from this format which we think will be a popular choice. An action-packed 5-day event allows riders to experience more stages than the 3-day short weekend events but without the time dedicated needed for the long 7-day events.
Bormio - Cortina
An all-encompassing course that celebrates everything that makes the Italian Alps so special, experience one of the world´s most important cycling destinations like never before. From Bormio to Cortina d'Ampezzo, 450km and 14500M+ of elevation, take the opportunity to ride the same roads as some of the greats.
The 2023 course covers legendary climbs tackled by famous cyclists, including the Passo dello Stelvio, Passo Giau and Passo Valparola.
Bormio is a playground for cyclists with so many famous peaks all within riding distance. The town is an out-and-out sports-mad town, whether skiing in the winter or exploring the mountains in the summer. The Stelvio and Gavia are the two famous passes on either side of the town and are sure to appear on the Haute Route Dolomites course.
Cortina d'Ampezzo is known as 'the pearl of the Dolomites'. It's one of the oldest ski resorts in Europe, with beautiful grand hotels dating back to the 1800s. It is frequented by Italians coming up from Venice and Milan and is in stark contrast to the more Austrian resorts in neighbouring valleys. In the summer, it is a perfect outdoor paradise nestling in a natural amphitheatre of limestone peaks and a perfect place to start the Haute Route Dolomites.
Tour Highlights
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Asphalt
Ride the ultimate challenge with the ultimate pro support. You’ll get our pro-level mechanics, soigneurs to bring legs back to life and experienced race leaders to brief you through each day in detail. Experience the famous passes of the Giro d’Italia.
Book Tour
€1,650.00 – €3,150.00
Overview
Region and Challenge
Stunning, steep, and legendary, the iconic climbs in the Dolomites draw cyclists from all over the world. With the Haute Route Dolomites, you’ll have the unique opportunity to pin on a number, test yourself, and compete with and against friends for bragging rights.
What more can be said of the Dolomites? That one word sends the shivers down the spine of any cycling aficionado. The Dolomites have been the backdrop for some epic clashes between the legends of cycling.
Declared a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2009, this region offers a unique variety of legendary mountain passes, which has to be done at least once in a lifetime by ambitious road cyclists and fans of the Giro d’Italia. Falzarego, Gardena, Sella, Campolongo and Pordoi pass are the most well-known pass roads in the Dolomites. They have been the backdrop for some epic clashes between the legends of cycling.
Equally legendary is the Haute Route Dolomites, a pilgrimage for sportive riders to some of the greatest climbs in the region. The classic route comprises Passo Falzarego, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Valparola, Passo Giau, Passo Stelvio, Passo Giau and a few more. It’s a welcome relief that the daily stages event are under 100 km, but what a lot of climbing it packs in! It’s a truly stunning event set against a backdrop of jaw-dropping natural beauty.
Haute Route Typical Day
What can I expect my Haute Route experience to look like?
In order to have an idea for a typical day on the Haute Route, we’ve put together the following rough schedule of how a day on the Haute Route unfolds. Don’t forget that your La Fuga team are there to help you through every step of the way so all you have to do is pedal.
Depending on weather conditions and course conditions the La Fuga team will also lay on other stops to aid the change of clothes or additional feeding. This will be communicated to you the evening before.
At the end of each stage, you will find a La Fuga member to welcome you. You will receive a cold drink, recovery snacks, and your finish bag as well as directions to lunch and the location of the hotel, which is normally within a few hundred metres of the finish line.
La Fuga at the Haute Route
Open to a relatively small field of just over 500 riders, the races promote a unique atmosphere of competition and camaraderie. With rider classifications and times posted on a daily basis, leaders jerseys, team prizes and a professional level of support the Haute Route is the closest experience amateur riders will have to a Grand Tour stage race. Whatever you aims for the Haute Route, it is the ultimate challenge for all riders who take their riding seriously and La Fuga will be providing comprehensive support packages to match.
At La Fuga we deliver an unparalleled Haute Route experience. Not only have we sourced the best accommodation for each stage but we will also provide swift transfers between starts and finishes; qualified mechanics and masseurs on hand; fresh riding kit every day; nutritional advice; exclusive refuel/kit drop zones during the race; route guidance and personalised ride strategy. Then at the end of each day, there’s always great company and delicious dinners. Ride to your limit every day and get looked after like a king by La Fuga.
At the Haute Route we aim to give our riders the closest experience to being in a professional cycle team as possible; bikes serviced before each stage, bottles ready, refilled and in your cages before the off, next stage briefings each evening, massages every evening. The devil is in the detail and our experienced staff will be on hand at every step of the journey. So all you need to do is ride, relax and escape, and we’ll take care of all the rest!
Climate
Gearing
Details
What's Included
** Meals are included up to a specific budget after which a supplement will be applied
What's not Included
Itinerary
Your guides will meet you at Milan Malpensa (MXP) airport before we travel to Bormio. The journey from the airport to Bormio is approximately 3 hours.
You will have time for a leisurely lunch and a chance to walk around this beautiful mountain resort town.
The afternoon will be spent with your Tour Manager, who will be able to guide you all to the race village for all pre-race administration.
Once you’ve had the chance to look around the race village and receive your race packs we will head back to the hotel. Here, our mechanic will put together your bike for a short afternoon blast to get the legs ready for the next few days of riding.
After a short warm-up ride and a shower, it will be time to attend the mandatory race briefing from the organisers. Once you’ve been briefed about the event and the first stage it is time for dinner in the hotel’s excellent restaurant. Your Tour Manager will be on hand with some race tips for the coming days.
ALL-TIME CLASSICS
Get ready to dive straight in with not one but two legendary climbs in Stage One of the 2023 Haute Route Dolomites. The start line will be located right in the heart of beautiful Bormio; riders will leave the town centre and head towards the spectacular climb to Passo Umbrail. Traversing to the unique Swiss, Italian borders, get ready to encounter narrow tunnels and rushing torrents as you make your way up to the skies at 2510m. After dropping down into Switzerland via the stunning descent to Müstair, it’s time for the big one: Stelvio. Undoubtedly one of the most famous climbs in cycling, the 48 epic switchbacks of Stelvio are the ultimate test for cyclists and an unforgettable opener for the 2023 edition of Haute Route Dolomites.
NATURE AT ITS FINEST
Get set to ramp up the distance in stage two of this five-day race. Setting out once again in Bormio, all eyes will focus on the iconic Passo Gavia. The natural, untouched beauty of the climb from the north side of the col is followed by an even better descent on the incredible south side. Topping out at 2621m, high above the tree line, there’s no other quite like the Gavia. Riders will continue to the climb to Passo del Tonale before a long, rolling descent all the way to Trento, watching the landscape transform from barren alpine moonscapes to lush green valleys, passing through traditional villages perched on the hillsides, surrounded by abundant orchards. For the grand final of the day, riders will finish this 127km stage at the spectacular Passo Predaia.
ONE AND DONE
The third stage, it´s all about one iconic uphill battle – an unforgettable time trial from Trento to the legendary Monte Bondone. Famously synonymous with Charly Gaul’s incredible ride for the GC lead in the 1956 Giro d’Italia, in the most extreme of conditions, the climb to Monte Bondone is the perfect battle ground for the Haute Route Dolomites time trial.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
The biggest stage of the week brings together two mega climbs with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the Dolomites. The first attack of the day is the Passo Valles, this one will be down in the memory book, with long straights and hairpin turns, the view from the top really does repay the efforts. Following a steep, fast descent, riders will follow the shores of Lago di Alleghe to the last climb of the day; the spectacular south side of Passo Falzarego and home to the penultimate finish line of the Haute Route Dolomites 2023.
A FINALE FIT FOR THE GREATS
Cortina d’Ampezzo is the perfect finale for this epic week of racing in the Dolomites. With four iconic climbs on the menu – three of which climb to over 2000m – this 78km stage is not pulling any punches. Starting out with the simply spectacular climb to Passo Giau at 2236m, riders receive the full Dolomites experience with immense limestone walls towering above the road in every direction. Next, riders will take on the beautiful Passo Campolongo, from the classic Sella Ronda route. Rising to an altitude of 1,850 metres, it has regularly featured in the Giro d’Italia. This five-day adventure ends in the Passo Valparola, a stunning mountain route in the heart of the Dolomites steeped in World War I history. This climb has been tackled by some great Italian cyclists aplenty and has remained on the bucket list for many road riders making it the perfect finale for the Haute Route Dolomites 2023.
Your bike will be packed by our La Fuga mechanic, and you’ll have the chance to relax and unwind with breakfast overlooking the spectacular mountains surrounding Cortina d’Ampezzo. Your legs will be tired, but what an accomplishment having completed the Haute Route Dolomites 2023.
We’ll run shuttles back to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) in plenty of time to catch your flight. The journey time is around 2 hours.
Accommodation
AN UNFORGETTABLE HOLIDAY IN BORMIO
Hotel Rezia in Bormio is the perfect destination for a wonderful holiday in the mountains.
The beating heart of Bormio since 1954, Hotel Rezia was the first hotel to be built in the centre of the village and is the ideal place during the HR event.
Upon entering, the lobby and common areas, with elegant and delicate lines, will magically take you back in time. You will then be warmly welcomed and accompanied in the comfortable and comfortable rooms and suites that combine a warm environment and a family atmosphere with careful cleanliness and attention to every detail. Here you will experience, at best, one of the most versatile mountain destinations of our Beautiful Country between relaxation at the Bagni Vecchi and Bagni Nuovi and the Stelvio.
Grand Hotel Trento – a 4-star hotel in the historic centre of Trento to offer you a relaxing stay. The hotel has a cosy and refined bar and a restaurant where you can taste local culinary excellence and more, starting with a rich breakfast and a panoramic terrace to enjoy an incomparable view of the city. Here, the magical atmosphere of fin-de-siècle, technological efficiency, and Trentino hospitality’s warmth come together to create an ideal location.
ITALIAN STYLE AT ITS BEST
The 5-star Grand Hotel Savoia is an iconic destination rich in history and culture, where guests can enjoy an authentic Dolomite experience in the heart of our stunning mountain town. With an exceptional range of services, including bars, restaurants, terraces and a dedicated Spa, guests can expect breath-taking panoramic views and the warmest of welcomes in the style of the very best Italian traditions.