Giro Sardegna – cycle tour of Sardinia

The beautiful island of Sardinia is a road cyclist’s paradise. Spectacular, quiet roads await us for seven days of point-to-point riding in the island’s northern half.

Average max temperatures at this time of year of around 23° make it a perfect autumn destination. 

Sardinia hosted the first three stages of the Giro d’Italia in 2017, and if it’s good enough for them, then it is for us too! 

Our trip will include dramatic coastal riding, climbs to hilltop villages, lots of rolling terrain and some longer climbs as we head inland. 

Accommodation will be in comfortable 2/3-star hotels and ‘Agriturismo’ to give us a real taste of Sardinian life. 

Typical days will see us travel between 100-150 kilometres, with climbing varying between 1000-2700 metres. 

Climbs on this trip are generally not as steep as some of our other trips, so there will be lots of opportunities for some good-paced group riding.

Giro Sardegna (tour of Sardinia) schedule

Saturday, September 30

Arrive at Olbia Airport, and transfer our start/finish of Palau on the beautiful north coast of the island. 

Transfer time is approximately 40 minutes, and early arrivals can enjoy some stunning coastal riding in the afternoon as a warm-up for the week. 

See below for more information regarding flights and transfers.

Sunday, October 1

Palau – Tula 

110 kilometres, 2200 metres of climbing.

After a coastal start, we head inland to the rural interior. We’ll ride past the beautiful Lago di Liscia and onwards to the cork-growing capital of Tempio Pausania.

The highlight of the day will be the climb to Monte Limbara.

Monday, October 2

Tula – Cala Gonone

150 kilometres, 2200 metres of climbing. 

We’ll head towards the east coast and the spectacular Golfo di Orosei. 

Our ride will include a beautiful section parallel to the Monte Albo range. It will culminate with a descent into the pretty seaside resort of Cala Gonone, where our friendly, traditional hotel will await us just a few steps from the sea.

Tuesday, October 3

Cala Gonone – Lanusei 

110 kilometres, 2500 metres of climbing.

After a short steep climb out of Cala Gonone, we’ll enjoy the beautiful scenic SS125 road that takes us south and over the Genna Silana pass. This long stretch was a part of Stage 2 in the 2017 Giro d’Italia.

The rest of our day takes us deep into the Gennargentu area with some wild mountain riding to keep us busy.

Wednesday, October 4

Lanusei – Tonara 

100 kilometres, 3000 metres of climbing.

Wednesday is a big day in the mountains culminating in the climb up to S’arena, the high point of our tour at over 1500 metres.

Thursday, October 5

Tonara – Alghero

145 kilometres 1700, metres climbing.

This day will be long, taking us northwest towards the coast. 

Our route will take us through the colourful riverside port of Bosa before a coast-hugging final 45 kilometres into Alghero, the start town of the Giro D’Italia 2017. 

Alghero’s magnificent old town will be the perfect spot for dinner and, most likely, one of its spectacular sunsets.

Friday, October 6

Alghero – Palau 

150 kilometres, 1600 metres of climbing.

Another big day that incorporates much of the route that the pros will use on Giro d’Italia stage 1 in 2017. 

On one of the flattest days of our trip, we’ll eat up the kilometres as we head for lunch in the picturesque town of Castelsardo. 

Our afternoon route will take us through the amazing landscape of the Valle Della Luna. 

The last 30kms of the day will be gently downhill to the coast and a return to our start point in Palau. 

Our last supper will be in an authentic restaurant frequented by the locals, where we’ll finish our trip with a fantastic choice of Sardinian gastronomy.

Saturday, October 7

Return transfers to Olbia airport.

Who will enjoy this trip?

This trip will involve considerable distances, 100 – 150 kilometres each day, and riders will need to be used to riding such distances.

Most of the climbs on the trip will be less severe than those encountered on our Alpine trips, and as a result, we’d anticipate that this trip will involve lots of group riding together. 

The experience of riding in a group and being comfortable closely following other riders will be essential to enjoying the trip.

There will be plenty of opportunity for stronger riders to be challenged with long stretches without navigation issues, meaning that the group can split if necessary. 

The Giro Sardegna (Tour of Sardinia) trip will be limited to 10 riders.

What we include

• 7 nights of accommodation in a combination of 3/4 star hotels and traditional agriturismo.
• 7 breakfasts and 5 dinners.
• Full vehicle support for each of the 6 riding days offering mechanical support and onward transport of luggage.
• Guiding by a qualified coach on all 6 riding days.
• Transfers to and from Olbia airport.
• Energy drinks, pastries, and bananas are available at all times from the support vehicle.
• Welcome pack of energy bars and gels.

What we don’t include

• Travel insurance.
• Lunches.
• Travel to and from Olbia Airport.
• Dinner on the first and final evenings.

Travel information

For UK-based travellers, there are plenty of direct flights from various UK airports with Easyjet to and from Olbia. 

For long-haul travellers coming from North America, Australia etc., Milan is a convenient hub with regular flights from Milan Malpensa to Olbia with Easyjet and other airlines. 

Our start/finish point on this trip in the port of Palau is only 40 minutes from Olbia Airport and allows plenty of flexibility on arrival/departure times. 

Please let us know before booking any flights so that we can confirm their suitability.

We can also accommodate riders wanting to extend the trip to more nights at the beginning or end of the trip. 

Just let us know what extra nights of accommodation you need, and we’ll organise that and airport transfers for you.

Please contact us to find out more or to make a booking.