Piedmont West to East

† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

OVERVIEW: OVERVIEW: The Piedmont region of Italy is surrounded by the Italian Alps and the French Maritime Alps. This tour travels from west to east with multi-night stays at every stop. Arrival day is Friday, May 19, 2017 at Hotel Concord, Turin, Italy. Hotel web site: hotelconcordtorino.com  There is a bus that delivers you to the Turin airport for departure on Wednesday, May 31, 2017. This is the second time this tour is offered by Tom and Julie.  There will be a bus transfer from Turin to start riding in Saluzzo, and at the end from Gavi to the Turin airport. En route to Turin you'll see vistas framed by snow-capped mountains, hilly vineyards and mostly smaller villages with vibrant local economies. After leaving Turin, between each point-to-point ride we’ll stay for 2 nights in the following locations, giving you the opportunity for a loop ride or rest day: Saluzzo (May 21-22), Fossano (May 23-24), Barolo (May 25-26), Bistagno (May 27-28), and Gavi (May 29-30). We depart from Gavi to the Turin airport on May 31. We have avoided stays in Asti, Alba and Aqui Terme in an effort to minimize cycling in heavy traffic.

On this tour you'll see menus featuring local produce like hazelnuts, truffles, and Arborio rice used for risotto that is made with Barolo's famous red or white wine. Following your arrival in Turin, we have a day for sightseeing in the city. From the hotel you can walk to one of the many museums or stroll through the centro storico.  Turin is a city of museums boasting a total of forty. The most famous is the Egyptian Museum which rivals the one in Cairo. Recently opened, the National Cinema Museum is housed in a spectacular former synagogue. For car buffs, there's the National Automobile Museum where you can trace the Ferrari's development. We bus from Turin to Saluzzo where we start cycling. There we stay at the former estate of the Marquis of Saluzzo. It's a short walk into town where we'll have the house special at a local trattoria. Leaving Saluzzo, you'll see a border of snow-capped Alps as you head toward our next destination, Fossano. The Palazzo Righini in Fossano is a designated “Small Luxury Hotel”. Located in the centro storico, you'll step back in time as you stroll the medieval arcades that border Via Roma. En route to Barolo, the landscape of vineyards rolls out like a flying carpet. You may have to yield the road to a passing tractor on paved farm roads that cut through the vineyards. In Barolo we'll have a wine tasting in the hotel's cave, featuring one of the oldest wine producers in Barolo, the Brezza family. You need only gaze out the window to see the vineyard that surrounds the hotel. The most challenging rides of the tour are from Barolo to Bistagno and then on to Gavi where you cycle along a ridge line with dips up and down the ravine. The optional loop in Bistagno has views that make me think of the Grand Canyon.  On that loop we may have a lunch stop at the local polenta festival. As we venture east the region's wine changes to the bubbly of Asti Spumanti and then to the crisp-dry white of Gavi. We stay just outside of Gavi at the Agriturismo della Guardia. Prior to the bus departure for the Turin airport, on your final night in Gavi, you can watch the moon rise over the neighboring hilltop village.

RIDE RATING: The trip is rated a 3A!, averaging 32 miles per day and a daily average of 2,523 feet of climbing. There are two difficult days that are required, one is 33 miles long with 4,300 feet of climbing and the second is 46 miles long with 3,750 feet of climbing. Half of the rides on this tour are optional loop rides. If you choose to do all of the longer loop options then the tour rating is a 4B.

WEATHER: The weather is typically cool in the AM & PM with some sunny hot days possible: average highs will be 69F, average lows will be 56F. May has an average of 4 days with rain but when it rains it will feel cold so plan to bring full rain gear.

LODGING & MEALS: Lodging will be in 3 and 4 star hotels with the exception of Dimora Storica in Fossano which is 5 star. All breakfasts and 7 group dinners are included in the cost of the tour.

LOGISTICS: Fly in and out of Turin-Caselle International airport (TRN). Arrival day is Friday, May 19, 2017 at Hotel Concord, Turin, Italy. Hotel web site: hotelconcordtorino.com The closest train/bus station to the Hotel Concord is the Porta Nuova station. There is an informal meeting at 6:00 PM on May 19.  We meet on May 20 at 6:00 PM for our first official meeting and group dinner.  We depart on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 from Gavi at 8:00 AM for a 10:00 AM drop-off at the Turin-Caselle International airport.

Bike boxes will be transferred from first hotel to last hotel.  

If you’re interested in renting a bike for this tour, contact the Ride Leader. 

COST & ADMINISTRATION: Included in price are 12 nights lodging, all breakfasts, 7 group dinners, maps, cue sheets, luggage van & driver, and bus transport from Turin hotel to Saluzzo and back to the Turin airport at the end of the tour. Estimated cost is $ 1,500 based on an exchange rate of $1.125 = Euro 1.00. The initial deposit of $500 is due within 2 weeks of being accepted onto this tour. The final payment of $ 1,000 and Single Supplement of $ 270 is due on January 15, 2017.

SINGLES & SOLOS: We encourage single riders to sign up who are willing to share a room. We will assist with finding a room mate. Space for 2 solo riders with an estimate of $ 300 for the single supplement.

CANCELLATION POLICY: The BAC ride registration fee is not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled.  Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped.  The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancellations.  If the canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time.  If the canceling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report are completed.  Note that most hotels on the tour require a final count for the reservation 30 days in advance.) If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped the cancelling roommate may also be liable for the single supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour.  BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation insurance.

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY: Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support, including changing their own flat tires.  Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles.   All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour.  We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from Ride Leader.  While on the ride, support your Ride Leader with offers to help with various tasks such as happy hour preparation and cleanup.  Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour.  Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you may have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.

SIGN-UP: To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just above the Ride Description. After preliminary acceptance, you will be moved to the pending list and receive an email requesting you to go back to the BAC site to digitally accept the Release of Liability (ROL) and pay the non-refundable BAC fee by credit card. You should send your initial tour deposit of $500 in a check made out to Tom Leever (not BAC).  When your deposit is received your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Director by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description.