Ride the 100th Giro d'Italia with Daniele Ratto
Italian ex-professional cyclist Daniele Ratto will lead you on a journey of discovery, on and off the bike, at the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia
Experience real Italian hospitality, cuisine and cycling culture by bike, supported by Italian Tour specialists Italy Bike Tours. Ride stages and then watch the Pro’s battle it out in the fight for pink, next May.
Italian, ex-pro Danielle Ratto lived the dream. He won a stage of the Vuelta a Espana and rode the Giro d’Italia with team Liquigas-Cannondale. He rode with some of the best riders in the world, including Peter Sagan, Vincenzo Nibali and Elia Viviani.
Q: Danielle, you’ve had an amazing career as a Professional Cyclist for 20 years riding for teams like Cannondale. What are your greatest memories of riding the Giro?
I rode the Giro d’Italia in 2014 and being Italian, it was one of the most special highlights of my career. I was part of Liquigas-Cannondale and rode alongside Ivan Basso, Moreno Moser and Elia Viviani, who now rides for Team Sky.
That year was particularly hard, with very wet conditions, which was more dangerous and lots more crashes. I got onto the radio on one stage to worn the team to go slow, our whole team were leading Elia Viviani out for a sprint finish. The message didn’t get through in time and we crashed into the barriers. That’s bike racing.
The constant rain caused stomach problems for some of the riders.
Every morning we would get up and eat around 120 grams of pasta, many cappuccinos and small egg and ham sandwiches.
While we were racing, we would eat a small sandwich every 30 mins and 1 energy bar every hour. In the last hour and a half we would consume 3 gels to give us enough energy for the final effort.
To give you an idea of how fast we raced every day, our average speed was around 27 mph on the flat.
One of my other greatest memories, was the stage that climbed both the Stelvio and Gavia. I started the descent of the Gavia without any gloves. It was very cold on the top of the mountain and there was lots of snow. I suffered greatly on the descent down into Bormio, my hands were so cold I couldn’t brake properly, but I had to descend at speed to keep up with the Peloton.
I remember in 2016 I was riding Tour de San Luis for my team Androni Giocattoli - Sidermec and I got in a break. My old teammate Peter Sagan, who was riding for Tinkoff at the time, was sent up the road to cover the break and said “Sorry Daniel, I can’t let you go, my team have ordered me to cover the break." I replied “I understand Peter, its ok.” Peter Sagan is such a great guy, as well as an amazing rider.
Q: What are your impressions of this year’s Giro d’Italia route?
The stages in Sardinia don’t look too hard. The first uphill test is Mount Etna. Having looked at the course profiles, the last 8 days are particularly hard.
The last week is key, because after 2 weeks of racing, riders become more and more tired, and the mountain stages become more difficult.
Q: What are your career highlights and what was it like winning the Queen Mountain Stage of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana and wearing the King of the Mountains jersey too?
I had already ridden 13 hard days before the Queen stage including 2 time trials, 6 medium mountain and 4 flat stages. On stage 14 I felt good, really good. My legs and my form all came together that day.
Almost immediately within 3km, a group formed including world champion and stage 12 winner Philippe Gilbert (BMC), Steve Chainel (AG2R), myself and two Belkin riders, Luis Leon Sanchez and Graeme Brown.
After only 45 km of the 155 km stage, the gap we had, had grown to 8 mins as we started up the day's first – and hardest – climb. That was the Port de Envalira, an HC climb which went up to the highest point of that year's Vuelta, 2,410 meters. The 26.7 km long climb started out easily enough, but about halfway up showed its teeth, with a gradient up to 15%.
By the time we had reached the second intermediate sprint, at 70 kms, Chainel and Brown had dropped back, and that left Gilbert, Sanchez and myself in front, and we had a gap over the peloton of more than 11 minutes.
Gilbert picked up 20 points by being first over the mountain, followed by Sanchez and myself. We faced a 20 km descent before the next climb. The tricky descent and rain caused havoc. Sanchez crashed and abandoned the race, I moved into the lead ahead of Gilbert.
Gilbert and I conquered the second climb, and the field was still 8 minutes back.
With 20 km to go and two categorised climbs left, I attacked and got a two minute gap on Gilbert. The Katusha chase group and the field were still 8 minutes behind.
I just kept on going and soloed across the category two Alto de la Comelia. It was a tricky descent in the wet, and I had problems, taking my foot out of the pedals to take one corner.
On the final climb I was exhausted, but I kept going. The rain was no longer so heavy, but the gradients of up to 15% were hard. I wound my way up the seemingly unending final kilometre, and had just enough energy to celebrate as I crossed the finish line.
I will never forget that day for the rest of my life, it was so special.
Q: What are the key stages of the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia?
The Queen Stage 16 looks incredible. It includes a double ascent of the Stelvio and an ascent of the Mortirolo proceeding that, two of the toughest climbs in professional cycling.
With it being the 100th Edition of the Giro, with snow on the mountain tops, stage 16 could very easily go down as the hardest stage in Grand Tour history.
It will be magical, there’s no doubt!
Stage 17 starting in Tirano is perfect for a breakaway, with the opening 5 km climb up to Aprica. Stage 18 also looks ripe for a breakaway. I would expect attacks on these stages.
Q: Who do you think will win the overall and other jerseys?
There will be a lot of pressure on favourites Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru, with new teams and new bikes, and there won’t be many chances for other favourites to get in a breakaway.
For me, Raphael Majka is my best bet for this year’s Giro d’Italia. He has the perfect blend of young age and experience.
The King of the Mountains jersey is difficult to predict, but my favourites are Alessandro De Marchi, Rigoberto Uran or Atapuma Chaves.
Q: The last 10 days of the Giro contain some incredible stages, what can people who sign up look forward to?
Stage 16 on Tuesday May 23rd is the Queen Stage, where we’ll be able to ride out as a group from Bormio and climb the Passo Stelvio. At the appropriate point we will stop and wait for the riders to pass. The mountain will be lined with thousands of cycling fans and it promises to be an unforgettable spectacle.
Once the riders have passed we will descend to our hotel, change and then head over to the finish line Bormio to wait for the riders to arrive.
On May 24th, we are delighted to invite our guests to a Vineyard, where you will have the opportunity to see behind the scenes of an Italian wine making institution. Here you will have the opportunity to taste the wine and sample some of the local produce. There is also a small museum about the legendary cyclist Francesco Moser and his career as one of the top professionals of his generation.
On May 25th Stage 18, we’ll cycle up the final climb to Ortisei/St Ulrich and watch the dramatic finish. There could be fireworks on this stage and there could be a breakaway to add to the spectacle.
On May 26th Stage 19, we'll ride up to Piancavallo to watch the Mountain top finish. Marco Pantani won a stage here and the gradients reach 15% in places.
Stage 20 on May 27th will be a very special day too, as we cycle up the legendary Monte Grappa to watch the professionals pass by. The mountain will be lined with thousands of cycling fans and it promises to be an unforgettable spectacle. It will be the last opportunity in the fight for the Pink Jersey!
Milan calls for the final individual time trial, which will be another magical day and a fitting celebration to the climax of the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia.
Q: What about the group sizes for the tours?
To make this the very best experience, the groups are limited to 12 cyclists or less. We have already had some Australians sign up, so places are limited.
I live in Bergamo and Italy Bike Tours are based here all year round - unlike other tour companies, who come over from abroad with guests and their temporary staff.
We believe our Tours are great value with the very best Italian cycling, culture and food combined with our experience and support.
Rest assured our guests will be looked after and guided at all times.
I guarantee them an experience of a lifetime.
Caio!
Three Limited Availability Giro Packages on Offer
Join Daniele Ratto and Italy Bike Tours for an unforgettable week in Italy following the Giro d’Italia. Ride parts of the route each day and experience the thrill of getting up close to the pro peloton as they battle for the pink jersey. The beautifully crafted tour incorporates the very best of Italian hospitality, cuisine and cycling culture.
Discover for yourselves the beauty of Italy as we accompany you on a spectacular journey through The Alps, Trento and Dolomites before the final stage in Milan. An unforgettable week and unmissable week for cycling fans from across the world.
No hassle packages allow you to focus on riding and enjoying the Giro d’Italia. Italy Bike Tour’s dedicated team of staff will insure that you all you need to worry about is taking photos and how much ice cream you want to order. We know the best places to take you for coffee and as the only full time cycling tour operator in Italy we rightly are considered experts in Italian cycle tourism.
They offer flexibility to clients and appreciate that not everyone will want to ride every day and not everyone will want to ride ‘long’ distance. The inclusive approach gives everybody the chance to do as much or as little as the wish. They welcome non-riders and those who simply wish to enjoy Italy in all its splendid glory.
This trip is limited to 12 people and we welcome the opportunities to send you more details on request.
Final 10 days, May 20nd-29th - italybiketours.co.uk/tours/giro-ditalia-final-10-days
Third Week, May 22nd-29th - italybiketours.co.uk/tours/giro-ditalia-the-third-week
Last Weekend, May 25th-29th - italybiketours.co.uk/tours/giro-ditalia-last-weekend