Topbike Tours - European Cycling Holiday Specialists

David Olle and Emma Colson

An Australian company, Topbike has a fully equipped European base and its own fleet of high quality hire bikes and E-bikes.

We specialise in quality cycling tours with small groups and are famous for looking after our clients.

+61 415 866 061 (mobile)
Grant Street, FORREST VIC 3236 AUSTRALIA
holiday@topbike.com.au
- SINCE 1997 -

Topbike’s 2025 GIRO Tour – Route for Giro d’Italia now officially announced

Topbike’s 2025 GIRO TOUR:
+ Official Giro d’italia (108th Edition) Route Announced

By Annabelle Drew

Late Monday night our time this year’s Tour of Italy was officially announced. The announcement had been delayed by several months and so has been keenly anticipated in the cycling community.

THE ROUTE

The Giro d’Italia, in its 108th edition, will run from May 9 until June 2 in 2025, covering 3,413km with 52,500m of vertical.

Interestingly, the Grande Partenza will be held in Albania, with three stages including a 14km individual time trial on stage 2.

Stage 4 brings the Giro back to the heel of Italy, with bucket-list destinations of Alberobello (trulli white houses) and Matera (James Bond – No Time to Die) hosting a stage start and finish respectively.

Napoli loves the Giro, so the Stage 6 arrival under photogenic Mt Vesuvius is no surprise.

The route then skips north up the peninsula, through the regions of Abruzzo, Le Marche, Umbria, Tuscany, with a testing gravel stage into Siena, and Emilia Romagna until settling in the North-East for five stages, including a dip into Slovenia for the finish of Stage 14 into Nova Gorica/Gorizia.

The final week promises to excite with four big mountain stages and 23 categorised climbs. While skipping the Dolomites, there are plenty of iconic climbs to animate the race.

Included are Monte Grappa, a Giro staple, the Passo del Mortirolo, albeit from the ‘easy’ side, Colle delle Finestre, with gravel to stay on trend, and Sestriere.

As the race moves west towards France, other lesser known category 1 climbs could decide the GC, such as Santa Barbara, San Valentino, Col Tzecore, Col Saint Pantaleon and Col de Joux.

The final day of racing sees the riders move south to the nation’s capital for a 141km stage starting with a flat trip to the coast, then back to the ancient city for eight laps of a 9.5km street circuit over Roman cobbles.

THE PLAYERS

This year there will be no Pogy at the Giro, which means the fight for the pink jersey will be arguably more exciting and non-predictable. It’s open for former winners Primoz Roglic (Re Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Richard Carapaz to battle it out, with new talent Juan Ayuso (UAE) and possibly Remco Evenepoel to spice up the GC battle. Wout van Aert will hunt stage wins, which will become even more interesting if the rumours that his rival Mathieu van de Poel will also race the Giro are true.

TOPBIKE’S GIRO 2025.

Topbike will focus on the third and final week of the Giro.

Giro d'Italia - Follow the Corsa Rosa with Topbike Tours, Cycling Holiday in Italy

May 26 – June 2 | GIRO d’ITALIA – GIRO 2025

$7200.00AUD. Inclusive of all meals and table wines with dinner.

This tour will be in and out of Milan and move from Lago di Garda, up into the Italian Alps of Ponte di Legno and finishing in the Susa Valley near Torino. We will (along with plenty of eating, drinking and the usual Italian cultural immersion) ride some of the 2025 Climbs along with the bucket ‘A’ lister GPMs and have opportunity to see the race pass us for roadside spectating and cheering.

Small, boutique tour (max 7) run for Topbike by experienced guides Annabelle & Jamie Drew
Pick up/drop off: Milan Malpensa airport

For more information/detailed itinerary or expressions of interest:
Email: Emma – physio@topbike.com.au or Annabelle Drew (Tour Lead) – annabelledrew@netspace.net.au

Photos:

Top Main & Featured: Plumes of Italy with a Giro fly over – Frecce Tricolori
Above – Top: Annabelle Drew (Alias Annabella Fashionista) interviewing Richie Porte at the Giro
Above – 2nd from Top: Occasionally the Giro will encounter a late May snowfall. Steve here made the most of it.
Above – Left: In 2002 Cadel’s Mum, Gran and Step-dad asked David Olle to run a trip to the Giro…resulting in a love affair with the race.
Above – Right: Giro dog

Events and MTB Rising talent

– Emma Colson

Last weekend I raced the Falls Creek Vic MTB series run by Big Hill Events. The Sunday climbing was 750 vertical in total mostly on rugged rocky technical single track and the descents challenging to say the least. I lost my sense of humour after I crashed and went OTB going uphill (a first for me). I’m not super fit but not unfit and so I did take notice when an 11 year old girl from Bendigo got round the course 10 mins faster than me. Her name is Nina Garden, remember that name as talent like that only pops up every now and then.

Meanwhile our attendance at events has been curtailed by Betty going OTB at Falls and now has a forearm splint to settle some minor hand fractures. Dave will still be at the following:

  • Feb 1st 2nd Vic Downhill series (Mount Beauty) – as a volunteer only!
  • Feb 8th 9th Falls Creek MTB Enduro
  • Feb 15th Falls Creek MTB interschools
  • Feb 22nd 23rd Otway Odyssey Forrest

Looking Forward to the 2025 Season

This is what we have planned for 2025…

May 26 – June 2 |
 GIRO d’ITALIA – GIRO 2025  | $7200.00

Itinerary to be confirmed shortly after announcement of the 2025 Giro route.
Pick up / Drop Off: Milan Malpensa airport
{Limited places}

July 14 -21 |
ITALIAN ALPS / LAKESIDE | $5800.00

TWO locations: Italian lake (Lago Iseo) / Italian Alps (Ponte di Legno)
Pick up / Drop Off: Brescia
{Limited places}

September 2-10 |
CLASSIC ITALIAN CLIMBS (PDC) | $7200.00

*SOLD OUT/Fully Booked* 

FOUR Locations:
Pick up / Drop-Off: Brescia to Brescia (Or Venice Drop-Off)

September 15-23 |
CLASSIC ITALIAN CLIMBS (Main) | $7200.00

FOUR Locations:
Pick up / Drop-Off: Brescia to Brescia (Or Venice Drop-Off)

September 27- October 4 |
Tour of Tuscan Apennines | $5700.00

ONE location: Pracchia, Tuscany
Pick up / Drop Off: Pracchia Train Station

September 29 – October 6 |
Japan EHIME Tour |

*Private Group

Emma Colson (AKA MBW)

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

Emma Colson, Topbike Physio, Bike Fit

Topbike Physio
Bike-Fit

Physiobikefit will have a new studio set-up in Mt Beauty, bookings commence Late February 2025. Let me know if you would like further information. (The fit out slightly delayed…)

Ph: 0438 467 792

Italian Climbs - Cycling in the Dolomites with David Olle, Topbike Tours