"WHAT TIME IS IT? ... CYCLING TIME!!!"

The program for The Dolomites Unplugged, week 35, is READY! Prepare yourself for an unforgettable experience in the most beautiful mountains in the world!

Our intention has been to combine some of the Dolomites' classic and legendary ascents with Italy's highest and most remote ascents. As spice, in order to complete the soup, we have added some less famous but regardless marvellous and incredible scenic passes! The program will be rather challenging with from one to four ascents a day (plus a couple of optionals) but nevertheless rideable with relatively few very steep stretches!

We begin our adventure with a splendid ride through the heart of South Tirol. From Bolzano we take it up to 1.200 meters height and ride along the crust that has the most incredible view over Val Venosta!

After a night in Val Venosta we'll initiate the attack on Passo dello Stelvio, Europe's second highest pass (2.758 m), the Mecca of Italian cycling (all bike lovers should at least once in a lifetime!) 48 hairpin bends! A constant gradient of 8-11% which, combined with the thin air, challenges your physical conditioning! Incredible scenery to the snow covered Ortles up to 3.905 meters high! Awesome descent to Bormio!

If your taste for high passes was not satisfied, we'll give you another chance the following day! From our hotel in Valdidentro, we'll have Europe's six highest pass, Passo di Gavia, on the menu, but contrary to yesterdays heavy mountain food with its long, continuous struggle, this mountain has a more complex taste with differentiated gradients in shorter passages! Tiny roads, no traffic, a sequence of torn rock formations in the 3.500+ class and the most beautiful, emerald green lake on top (as sour cream) makes this ascent many rider's favorite! To kill any remaining appetite, we'll finish off with Passo del Tonale, a hamburger type of ascent which goes down fairly easy! The dessert comes as a long, high speed, stretched-out descent down through Val di Sole before we'll enjoy the traditional grappa, a rendezvous with the former World Champion, Maurizio Fondriest in his store in Val di Non! Enjoy your meal!

After a well-deserved free day with various optional activities, we'll head north along the river Isarco. From Ponte Gardena we'll take on Passo delle Erbe (2.005 m), which beauty left no eyes dry in 2007 with its rural atmosphere, ramshackle, flower-decorated farmhouses and remarkable sent of herbs! Some important roadsigns (!) and a couple of steep passages (15%) will keep us alert, while we work our way up along the characteristic shark-teeth rock formations of the Puez-Odles group!

From La Villa in Val Badia, four of the Central Dolomites' most legendary passes will be waiting for us! The first wake up call is Passo di Valparola, which offers first-row views to the gigantic Monte Cavallo, Lagazuoi and Tofane di Rozes all in the 3.000 m class! Descending, we will shortly pass Passo di Falzarego and Sasso di Stria before we'll reach Arabba where it is time to climb again! One after another, we will do three of the classical "Four Passes": Passo di Campolungo, Passo di Gardena and Passo di Sella, which truly make you appreciate your passion for cycling and your choice of seizing the moment! The gradients are modest from 5-8% with a few passages 10%.

Alternatively, if somebody feel it's a good day to die, we'll offer the nasty Passo Fedaia where some of the most legendary showdowns has taken place in Giro d'Italia! Somebody might remember the when Indurain and Chiapucci went at it in 1993 or when Tonkov took on Olano in 1996 (separated by only one second)? This ascent will challenge even the strongest riders! First you follow a dramatic, narrow gorge in between rock walls several hundred meters high. The feared last six kilometers has an average gradient of 10% with passages 17% and long stretches averaging 12%. The two groups will meet in Canazei.

Also our last day offers a full program with two ascents and up to 3.400 accumulated height meters. First appointment is the relatively gentle Passo Rolle which few people have done because it difficult to include in a day tour. Very characteristic is the towering finger rock Cimon di Pala which reaches 3.185 meters height! The descent is long and exiting with numerous hairpin bends. Check it out in a different way here: http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=H72qrkLajC4

But it is not over yet! Once we have arrived in 300 m altitude, we'll start again with the last ascent of the week, Monte Grappa, famous for it bloody battles during the 1. World War. From the very top, you have the entire Po-Valley underneath you and on a clear day you can see as far as the Apennines! We are also going to take a look at an impressive war memorial for the dead and a "ossario" with skulls and bones. Finally, we'll reach our destination Bassano del Grappa, one of Northern Italy's most distinct medieval towns, famous for an old wooden bridge crossing the river Brenta.

Program for week 35:

Day 1: Saturday 22/8-09 Airport transfer to our hotel in Ronzone.

Day 2: Ronzone (1.100) - Passo della Mendola (1.368 m) - Bolzano - San Genesio - (Vales 1.354 m) - Meltina (1.140 m) - Merano - Castel Bello. 104 km, 2.200 hm.

Day 3: Castel Bello - Prato - Passo dello Stelvio (2.758 m) - Bormio. 81 km, 2.700 hm.

Day 4: Bormio (1.207 m) - Passo di Gavia (2.652 m) - Passo Tonale (1.883 m) - Val di Sole - Cles - Ronzone (optional). 110 km, 2.580 hm.

Day 5: Free day. Different options: Excursion to Verona or Bolzano. White-water-river-rafting in Val di Sole. Morning ride with a dip in Lago di Tovel.

Day 6: Ronzone - Passo delle Mendola (1.368 m) - Bolzano - Passo delle Erbe - La Villa. 124 km, 2.664 hm.

Day 7: La Villa - Passo di Valparola (2.192 m) - Passo Campolungo (1.875 m) - Passo di Gardena (2.150 m) - Passo di Sella (2.244 m) - Val di Fiemme. 110 km, 2670 hm.

Day 7 (alternative): La Villa - Passo di Valparola - Passo di Fedaia (2.057 m) - Canazei - Val di Fiemme. 90 km, 2.484 hm.

Day 8: Val di Fiemme - Passo Rolle (1.970 m) - Monte Grappa (1.775 m) - Bassano del Grappa. 128 km, 3.460 hm.

Day 9: Transport to the airport.

All together ca. 660 km and 16.300 hm.

Price: The Dolomites Unplugged................. € 950 ($ 1.195)

Including: Airport transfer, 8 nights (double rooms) in hotel (3 stars) with half board (excl. beverages) luggage transport and follow car. The hotel in Ronzone has wellness-area with fitness, jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish bath and indoor swimming pool.

Not included: Airfare, lunch, beverages, eventual activities, spare parts and reparations.

Contact Bike Italien: joachim.jerichow@bikeitalien.com Phone: 0039-0457580515 or mobile: 0039-3496576683