We have long subscribed to idea that the best way to see the Tour de France is in-front of Telly in and Italian bar.

Then you are ‘in the Time Zone’ to watch the action, a pre ‘Le Tour’ morning ride and most importantly great coffee, rather than that terrible French stuff! Our Italian Alps/Lago Iseo tour recently did just that. Add in a daily prize sweep and the trip was perfect, not to mention the race itself, even the Italian commentators were excited by the Australian riders ‘mamma mia, mamma mia’ most of our group knew what they were saying…

This tour for Topbike was initiated by a group of mates who met each other via a riding fundraiser for FightMND . I guess that’s why they were such a lovely bunch of blokes with a sense of humour to endure everything from Mortirolo to the ‘rope trick’ on the final night.

Some years back I used to ride loops around Melbourne. One name kept popping up as taking most of the QOMs on strava “Sarah Gigante”.

Impressive at the time as she was young and very fast up a hill. Last year Betty chatted to Sarah at the end of the TDF Femme. Having just finished a grand tour and arrived 5th up the climb she was more than generous with her conversation.

This year, much to Betty’s excitement we rode to watch the Giro d’Italia Feminile pass nearby our Italian base. We then followed Sarah on the telly as she took two stage wins, seemingly effortlessly floating ahead of the rivals on the final hill top climbs. Sarah placed 3rd overall on GC. The Euros are watching her as a marked rider now that’s for sure.

– Sarah Gigante wins Stage 7, Longo Borghini takes the Maglia Rosa.

**At the writing of this Sarah was placed 2nd on GC in the Tour de France Femmes 2025, with great team support she managed to finish second on the stage up the Col de la Madeliene. It’s likely the French will be enjoying the women’s race far more than the men’s as the French cyclist Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, having won MTB Olympic Gold in Paris and switching to the road, is currently in the Yellow jersey. A great final stage Sunday (thanks SBS for the live stages and catch up viewing)

Betty was busting to return to the Mega (Megavalance* & Megakids*) and this year Dave (in fine XC form and having being forced into a bit of DH by Betty) raced it also. Betty managed a credible 3rd considerably faster than last year and closing in on those in-front. Dave (much to both of our surprise and our French friend Hubert) came 2nd in the 60+. And this second place was a good one because there were 18 beefy Euro downhillers in the group (one of them landed on top of Dave, pinning him in situ and then slagged him on socials for crashing!). Dave did concede that the 130m or so vertical in the 2000m of drop did give him most of the advantage over his rivals who don’t ever pedal uphill in their lives.

*Megavalanche: a world-renowned mountain bike race, famous for its mass start and challenging downhill course, held annually at Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps

Our 2026 ride calendar is now finalised.

We have made some ‘chops and changes’ from the preliminary one published last newsletter (personal and logistical reasons). If Betty had her way we would run tours that use a road bike to ride up and then an MTB to descend. We told her when she takes over she can deal with the marketing and logistics of that one…

The season starts early in Japan with three Ehime tours commencing in Onomichi and finishing in Matsayuma.

Annabelle and Jamie will host a classic Tuscan tour leading then into a ‘chase the race’ Giro d’Italia. In June,  Dave takes a group to the Pyrenees, then assuming we are in one piece after the Megavalanche in the Alpe d’Huez,  Dave and Emma will host a group in the French Alps, one location, very relaxing. ride our favourite climbs and eat in little out of the way restaurants.

We will miss the heat and busy Euro summer period to then restart in September with Annabelle and Jamies’ Tour of Tuscan Apennines, finishing the year with Classic Italian Climbs. See below for dates…

(See Emma’s report of Ehime Prefecture Monitor Tour)

April 17-24 | 2026
 EHIME – JAPAN #1   |

April 17-24 | 2026
 EHIME – JAPAN #1   |

April 27 – May 4 | 2026
 EHIME – JAPAN #2   |

May 13-20 | 2026
TOUR OF TUSCANY   |

May 25 – June 1 | 2026
GIRO D’ITALIA   |

June 19-26 | 2026
AC Pyrenees (SOLD OUT)  |

July 6-13 | 2026
FRENCH ALPS (Climbs!)  |

Sept 7-14 | 2026
TOUR of TUSCAN APENNINES    |

Sept 18-26 | 2026
CLASSIC ITALIAN CLIMBS    |

Ski ski ski.

That’s our weekends done for a while.

Dave returns to Italy for part two of the season late August, then the final tour for 2025 is in Japan Sept/Oct.

Emma Colson (AKA MBW)
June 2025

WILIER Hybrid E-bikes available, so get your non-cycling friends along to join you, so they can share in the fun.