14-Day Cycling Grand Tour
A two-week cycling tour covering 485 km of riding through river valleys, mountain passes, and coastal roads. Includes two rest days, a vehicle transfer day, and varied terrain from flat bike paths to a major mountain climb. Support vehicle available throughout.
How to read this template
This is a real itinerary, not a preview. Everything below is what an operator would send — and what their guides would carry.
- 14 days
- Each day is a segment. Reorder them, drop one, insert a rest day — the rest of the itinerary follows.
- 75 blocks
- Everything inside a day is a block: a transfer, an activity, a meal, a night, a briefing. Blocks carry their own type and colour.
- 162 fields
- Distances, ascent, times, prices and notes are structured fields, not prose — so they total, sort and export instead of only reading well.
- 15 internal notes
- Marked Internal — guides onlybelow. Your guides get them; your clients never see them.
One itinerary, three audiences
The same content exports three ways without being rewritten: a client PDF with the internal notes and cost lines stripped, a guide sheet that keeps them, and an internal ops sheet with margins. Most tools give you the first one and leave the other two to a spreadsheet.
The itinerary, day by day
Train with bike carriage to the tour start town. Book bike spaces well in advance. Load bikes first, then find your seat.
Cyclist-friendly hotel with secure bike storage, wash station, and repair tools. The hotel arranges early breakfast boxes for departure days.
Book the bike room for the full fourteen nights even though the group only sleeps here twice — it doubles as the spares and wheel store for the tour, and the hotel will let it go otherwise.
Fourteen-day tour: 485 km across 11 riding days, 2 rest days, 1 transfer day. Daily distances 15-65 km. Support vehicle carries luggage and provides mechanical backup. Queen stage: Day 7 mountain pass (1,400 m).
Bike fitting for every rider today. Check DIN bindings on clipless pedals. Note SAG wagon driver phone number — distribute to all riders. Verify luggage transfer logistics with hotel chain. Emergency: nearest hospital, bike shop with Shimano/SRAM parts.
Professional bike fitting, short 15 km test loop on flat paths. Check gears, brakes, saddle height, and tire pressure. This prevents mechanical issues on Day 2.
Group dinner — carb-loading, route preview, and establishing group riding signals.
First proper stage. Flat to gently rolling along the river. Bike paths and quiet roads. Settle into the rhythm of daily touring.
Easy opener by design. Hold the pace down — a strong group will ride this at 30 km/h and pay for it on day four. Luggage van leaves at 08:30 sharp.
Riverside café at the halfway point. Refill bottles, stretch, check bikes.
Family guesthouse on the river. Bike storage in barn. Garden terrace for dinner.
Riverside rooms flood-risk in spring: confirm the group is not on the ground floor after heavy rain, and that the bike store is above street level.
Dinner at the guesthouse. Regional cuisine and local wine.
Rolling terrain through wine country. Short climbs between villages with vineyard-draped hillsides. Some gravel sections between estates.
Wine tasting is tonight, so make the water intake point explicit at the lunch stop. Dehydrated riders plus tasting is how day four starts badly.
Lunch at a wine tavern. Tasting the local vintage with bread, cheese, and cold cuts.
Stay at a working farm/vineyard. Rustic rooms, homemade breakfast. Evening wine tasting with the owner.
Optional wine tasting in the estate cellar. Learn about local grape varieties and production. Moderate consumption — tomorrow has hills.
Leave the vineyards and ride toward the mountains. The road rises gradually. Views of the mountain range ahead build anticipation for the coming stages.
Last chance to catch mechanical problems before the mountains. Anything marginal gets fixed on the rest day tomorrow, not at the foot of the pass.
Hotel at the base of the mountains. Secure bike garage and workshop corner. Spa with sauna — good preparation for mountain stages ahead.
Carb-heavy dinner — pasta, rice, potatoes. Mountain stages start tomorrow.
Days 6-8: three mountain stages. Day 7 is the queen stage — the big pass. SAG wagon will carry extra water and mechanical supplies. Prepare for cold descents — pack arm warmers and a gilet.
Check all bikes tonight: brake pads (descents burn them), tire wear, chain stretch. SAG driver parks at km 15, 30, and summit of each stage. Emergency mechanical phone on each rider's handlebars.
Full rest day before mountain stages. Clean bikes, check mechanics, replace brake pads if worn. Sleep late, eat well, stretch.
Visit the local castle, thermal baths, or a mountain museum. Keep legs loose with a gentle walk but no cycling effort.
Relaxed lunch in town. Try the local specialty.
Early dinner and bed. Queen stage tomorrow starts at 07:00.
Enter the mountain zone. The road follows a gorge with tunnels and bridges, then climbs steadily through alpine meadows. Two significant climbs today, neither over 1,000 m.
First real climbing day after the rest. Reassess anyone who struggled on day four — the queen stage is tomorrow and there is no shortcut off the pass.
Lunch at a mountain café between the two climbs. Hot food and strong coffee.
Inn in a mountain village. Cozy rooms, generous dinner, and a fireplace in the common room.
Hearty mountain dinner. Tomorrow is the queen stage.
The defining stage. A 30 km climb averaging 4-5% with ramps to 9%. Hairpin bends through forest give way to open alpine terrain above the treeline. The summit café marks the top — the sense of achievement is immense.
Queen stage. Feed zones at the two hairpins, van at the summit with warm layers — riders arrive soaked in sweat into wind. Turnaround at 14:00 for anyone still below the second feed.
Km 0-10: gentle approach (3%). Km 10-20: main climb (5-6%), switchbacks through forest. Km 20-25: steepest section (7-9%), false summit at km 23. Km 25-30: eases to 4% for final push. SAG wagon at km 15 and km 25. Water fountain at km 12 (village).
SAG driver positions at km 15 with food/water and km 25 with mechanical support. Sweep rider follows last cyclist. If anyone is 2+ hours behind the group at km 20, offer SAG vehicle ride to summit.
Lunch at the summit café. You've earned it. Dress warmly for the descent — temperature drops 10°C from valley to summit.
25 km descent on smooth tarmac. Sweeping bends, incredible views. Keep speed controlled — both brakes, 60 km/h max. Regroup at every hairpin cluster.
B&B in the valley below the pass. The owners are former cyclists and understand what you need: food, hot water, and a soft bed.
Descend from the mountains toward the plain. One last climb (600 m) then a long, smooth descent. Landscape transitions from alpine to Mediterranean. Warmer air, different vegetation.
Long descent early with tired legs and a full week of wear on brake pads. Check pads at breakfast; this is the day they run out.
Hotel in the lowland town. Pool, air conditioning. Transfer pickup point for tomorrow.
Dinner at a town restaurant. Tomorrow is a transfer day — no riding.
Afternoon in the pool. Legs in the mountains are done — coastal riding from Day 11.
Support vehicle carries riders and bikes from the mountains to the coast. A long drive but saves 2 riding days through flat, uninteresting terrain. Enjoy the scenery from the van.
250 km by road with nine bikes. Wheels off, frames padded, and count them onto and off the trailer — a bike left behind here costs the coastal stages.
Remove front wheels, protect derailleurs with padding, secure frames vertically in the van. Bikes in order of size — largest at the back. Check nothing rattles. Pedals and handlebars are the most vulnerable — wrap in cloth. Recheck before departure.
Beachfront resort with sea-view rooms. Bike storage available. Pool and beach access. Two nights here — rest day tomorrow.
First taste of the coast — fresh seafood dinner at a harbor restaurant.
Full rest day at the coast. Swim, sunbathe, read on the beach. No cycling obligation. A complete mental and physical reset before the coastal stages.
Easy walk along the coastal path for those wanting gentle movement. Sea cliffs, hidden coves, and a lighthouse at the end.
Lunch at the beach bar. Grilled fish, salad, cold drinks with sand between your toes.
Dinner in town. Coastal riding starts tomorrow — 3 days along the sea.
Ride along the coastal road with sea views the entire day. Undulating terrain — short punchy climbs between bays. Spectacular scenery but exposed to wind.
No barriers on cliff sections — ride 1+ m from the edge. Crosswinds common in afternoon. If gusts exceed 50 km/h, take the inland tunnel road (adds 5 km). Road deteriorates between km 18-22.
Lunch at a fishing harbor. The freshest fish you'll eat all trip.
B&B overlooking the sea. Balcony rooms with sunset views. Bike storage in covered patio.
Dinner at a terrace restaurant. Watch the sun set over the sea. Two more riding days.
Loop ride around a scenic peninsula. Coastal on one side, agricultural on the other. A lighthouse marks the furthest point. Rolling terrain, good road surface.
Last coastal night. Hotel with rooftop terrace and sea views. Celebrate the coastal stages.
Last night by the sea. Grand seafood dinner — the group's choice of restaurant.
Final evening on the coast. Walk on the beach, night swim, or drinks at the waterfront bar.
Leave the coast and ride inland to the finish town. Rolling farmland, quiet roads. The group rides together for the final stage — no splitting up. The finish line is at the town square.
Hotel in the finish town. Central location, bike storage. Last night of the tour.
Grand celebration dinner. Stats: 700 km, 7,000 m climbing, 11 riding days, 1 mountain pass conquered. Certificates and photos.
Fun awards: King/Queen of the Mountain (fastest climber), Sprint Champion (fastest flat stage), Lanterne Rouge (last but happiest), Best Mechanic, and Most Improved Rider.
Last meal together. Share Strava links, GPS tracks, and photo album URLs.
Transfer with bikes to train station or airport. Ensure bikes are properly boxed/bagged for transport. Return rental bikes to the designated shop.
700 km in 14 days. A grand tour completed. Recovery: gentle spinning for the next week, no hard efforts for 10 days.
Compile final expense report. Collect all feedback. Return all rental equipment with damage notes. Submit SAG wagon mileage and fuel receipts. Upload group photos to shared album.
Thirteen nights across hotels, guesthouses and an agriturismo, all with secure bike storage, all breakfasts and dinners plus the listed lunches, two guides riding with the group, a support vehicle on every stage carrying luggage, water and spares, the 250 km road transfer to the coast with bike transport, GPX files for all eleven stages, and daily mechanical support.
Your bike — hire from about 40 EUR per day, arranged at booking. Also excluded: helmet, which is mandatory; travel to the start and home from the finish; drinks beyond vehicle water; lunches on the two rest days; consumables such as tyres, cassettes, chains and brake pads, charged at cost; laundry; and gratuities for guides and the support driver.
Over fourteen days consumables are not a footnote — expect to sell chains, pads and at least one cassette. Quote them as at-cost extras up front so they are not read as padding when they land on the final invoice.
Travel insurance covering road cycling is required and must not exclude descents or organised group riding, which some policies do. The queen stage crosses a pass at 1,400 m and the descent below it is fast and remote. Bring photo ID, an EHIC or equivalent if applicable, your insurer's emergency number, and an allergy and medication card in a jersey pocket.
Keep insurer numbers on paper in both vehicles. The pass and the first 10 km of its descent have no coverage, and that stretch is where the group is fastest and most spread out.