GRAN TOUR LAGO MAGGIORE
a Bikepacking Guided Trip

Overview

Tour Description

Gran Tour Lago Maggiore is a real guided bikepacking tour of about 400 kilometres and 5000 metres of altitude difference that takes in the 7 Lakes region between Piedmont, Switzerland and Lombardy. 

It is conceived, designed and created with several intentions:
-To offer a guided touring trip that is cheaper than international ones 
-To make you discover and experience my home territory as we already do since 2016 with Lago Maggiore bike Tours.
-To make you experience this way of travelling, or help you increase your skills in this regard, within a ‘comfort zone’ without leaving Italy.
 

It will be a long ride through extraordinary territories to discover many cultural and naturalistic aspects from the shores of Lake Maggiore to the mountainous areas of Piedmont and Lombardy to the hills of Novara and Lake Orta. It will be a journey full of surprises, discovery and culture. 
A journey for many but certainly not for everyone. It is suitable for those with a good basic training. You need a good spirit of adaptation and self-knowledge.

Why ‘Spettinata Edition’? Compared to our other organised trips, it is not a package tour but rather a multi-day touring accompaniment. Each participant will choose whether to spend the night in a ‘tented camp’, to have an experience that winks at adventure, or in a B&B, Hotel, Apartment or similar at your discretion in the location I will indicate as the end of the stage. The trip has been designed primarily as an ‘entry level adventure’ for someone who has the idea of travelling with a tent. 
I think it is the perfect opportunity to help you discover this way of experiencing the journey. The stops at the end of the stage are in campsites but, to leave you free to choose, you can also find other solutions in the campsites themselves or in the neighbouring area. You will have my advice on how best to prepare and choose what to do. This mode gives you the opportunity to access a guided touring trip at a more affordable and variable cost thanks to the choice of services according to your taste or calibrated to your economic possibilities.

What will we see? 
It is impossible to collect all the highlights of this trip! We will start from the small Lake Mergozzo (Province of Verbania) and cycle along stretches of the River Toce and its nature reserve, discovering the entrance to the immense Val D'Ossola between military lines, ridges of the Valgrande National Park, an old Walser outpost. We will arrive at Lake Maggiore, which we will cycle alongside between cycle paths and minor roads, ending up in the Trinity Park in Ghiffa, a Unesco site. We will then head north of the lake into Switzerland where we will admire one of the most beautiful lakeside promenades and then move on to Lombardy. The heights of Agra and some adventurous trails, the descent to Lake Lugano and then on to the Campo dei Fiori Park and discovering small valleys such as Val Ganna, the lakes of Varese, Monate, Comabbio until we reach Sesto Calende. From here we will then cycle along the historic canals of the Ticino river and head towards Novara, where we will also discover small villages and towns linked to the culture of wine, such as Ghemme, where an ancient ricetto awaits us. Boca, Borgomanero then await us and we will finally reach Lake Orta where a final climb will take us to the slopes of Alto Vergante and Mottarone, finally rejoining Lakes Maggiore and Mergozzo to finish our journey.

BIKES Compatibility. 
MTB, gravel bike with wide tyres, adventure bike. As you will see from the statistics, the ride on paper will be very smooth with a lot of asphalt. However, the gravel sections require good wide tyres for comfort and safety, especially in wet weather.

DIFFICULTY SCALES
Technical difficulty level: 2/5
Difficulty level Physical: 3/5
Adventure level: 3/5
 

The degree of difficulty of the Gran Tour Lago Maggiore depends essentially on three factors
variable daily distances
medium, challenging positive altitude difference in a stage.
Approximately 60% paved terrain and 40% fairly smooth dirt road (some short stretches of singletrack or rougher roads, perhaps to be pushed)

You don't have to be a ‘super athlete’, but I certainly don't recommend it to those who have just started cycling. We will be on the road all day, the hours in the saddle will be varied and some climbs long. If you are an averagely trained traveller/traveller, you like cycling on smooth terrain with a few adventurous stretches and a good percentage of dirt road, you love alternating Lake and Mountain and Hill rides in a setting of varied landscapes, culture, nature and gastronomy, this cycling trip to Lake Maggiore will give you a lot of satisfaction. This adventure will also provide you with numerous learning points on the world of bikepacking, travel mechanics, and the management of stages and energy, as well as allowing you to discover all aspects of this great region from a unique perspective; on the saddle of your bike.

This below is only a brief summary. For the full programme click here LINK:

DAY 1: Overnight stay at the Lake
The first day will be your independent approach to the starting location: Mergozzo. There are various B&Bs in this area, but you can also decide to sleep in neighbouring areas, such as Verbania. My logistical support for cartons or bike bags will be offered if necessary if the facility does not offer to keep them. Consider that the departure of the trip will be the following day with a meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the square in Mergozzo.

DAY 2: We pedal! Mergozzo - Cannero
We begin with a warm-up stage, between flowing gravel, cycle paths and minor roads.
Meeting at 8:30 a.m. in Mergozzo, we start cycling between the Toce Nature Reserve and lower Ossola to then head towards Lake Maggiore via Verbania. From here we will climb to high ground to join paths and dirt roads towards the Trinity of Ghiffa, an iconic Unesco site and also a passage on the Via delle Genti. We will continue with Lake Maggiore to keep us company until we reach Cannero Riviera where we will stop for the night. 

DAY 3: Between Italy and Switzerland
Cannero - Ponte Tresa
We set off early to enjoy the day to the full and to avoid the traffic on the compulsory stretch of state road that takes us into Switzerland. We will discover this northern part of Lake Maggiore but we will only be there for a short time, returning immediately to Italy to start exploring the part of Lombardy. We will not, however, do Lake Maggiore, instead climbing the slopes of the Agra mountains and then doing a few stretches of dirt road and forest towards Ponte Tresa. Magnificent scenery and back roads will take us into another dimension of this journey.

DAY 4: Between Ticino and Novarese
Ponte Tresa - Galliate
A smoother stage awaits us, through canals, churches, plains, hills. Easier climbs and long compact dirt roads will give us the chance to get our legs moving, leaving behind the climbs of the first part of the journey. A change of perspective will offer us other places, from the canals along the Ticino river, famous as a link to the Navigli of Milan. We will stop at the only campsite available in this area, to recharge our batteries and share the day's emotions.

DAY 5: Vigneti e Ricetti
Galliate - Orta
Another softer stage, in fact very soft when compared to what we have done so far. But equally full of surprises. Today we will make a discovery between Novara and small villages linked to wine culture such as Ghemme, where we will see its ricetto and architecture. We will then head towards Lago D'orta, also known as ‘the most romantic lake in Italy’, here we will rest in view of the last glorious stage.

DAY 6: The last effort, spectacular views.
Orta - Mergozzo
Here we come to the last stage of the journey, the shortest but by no means trivial. A difficult and long climb awaits us, we will in fact climb the slopes of Mottarone, without reaching the top but enjoying the wonderful view of the 7 Lakes from a special vantage point seeing what we have done on our journey. After a few stretches of rough dirt roads, which will require calm and attention, we will continue our descent towards Lake Maggiore with a unique view of the Borromeo Gulf. We will finally return to Mergozzo, our starting point, for a final toast. Everyone will be free to return to their accommodation or to travel home.

Better prepared: mandatory material

• Gravel, adventure bike or MTB in excellent mechanical condition with wide tyres (e.g. 700X45 or 29’ 2.2)

• Helmet (mandatory to wear)

• Sunglasses and sunscreen

• Bike shoes and/or extras that are comfortable and allow you to ride on dirt roads.

• Extra clothes for possible cold temperatures (rare but possible).

• Rain and wind gear, such as a waterproof jacket, shoe covers and trouser covers

• Bags to be able to put all material on the bike. We do not recommend the use of a rucksack as it can be a nuisance on the off-road track, however it will obviously not be prohibited!

• Water bottles, repair kit and spare inner tubes.

• Sun cream

• Bike gloves

• Front (white) and rear (red) lights

• Basic maintenance kit (inner tubes, tyre changer, multitool)

• Tent, mattress, sleeping bag

• cooking kit (for those who want to cook their own meals)NB: a more detailed list will be provided to participants

PRICE

You can find detailed information at this LINK