Appennini Cent Cols Challenge

Day 1

Transfer day

Day 2

Lucca - Castiglione dei Pepoli (Toscana/Emilia-Romagna)

This stage opens with some forgotten roads, typical of the CCC, north of Lucca as we head to the most northern part of Tuscany. The infamous San Pellegrino – with several 18% ramps in the last 3km – tops the day’s challenges and brings us into the Emilia-Romagna region for more quiet, wooded rolling roads. A perfect taster stage, with a mix of typical gradient and road quality.

Day 3

Castiglione – Pieve Santa Stefano (Emilia-Romagna/Toscana)

After a relatively gentle start with a rare flattish section of 25km, we climb into the gloriously remote National Park of the Casentinesi Forest. This will be our first taste of the truly wild nature of this event and includes our first 2km stretch of uphill gravel road. Climbs challenge us persistently but steadily until our final descent rewards us with a thrilling end to the stage on perfect Italian tarmac.

Day 4

Pieve Santa Stefano – Cagli (Marche)

Our first stage with a true mountain feel as we arrive in the Marche region. Starting with the charismatic Monte Carpegna, a tribute to ‘Il Pirata’ who loved to train on this climb. Monte Nerone then gives us some serious gradient and sensational views, along with wild horses at the top. The Monte Petrano includes 7km of gravel road Climbing before another super-fast, descent on perfect tarmac to the door of our hotel.

Day 5

Cagli – Sarnano (Marche/Abruzzo)

Another wild stage in the Marche region. A mix of densely wooded valleys and rocky gorges, with only occasional signs of human activity. After a stream of medium climbs, the stage ends with an epic 16km climb up to the 1500m Passo Maria Maddalena, followed by another long, sweeping descent to our hotel.

Day 6

Sarnano – Popoli (Abruzzo)

Enter the Abbruzo region and you soon realise that this is somewhere very special. Nature has been both cruel and kind to people here: recent earthquake devastation, still in evidence, is somehow made even more dramatic by the stupendous beauty and grandeur of the Gran Sasso National Park. This stage, our longest, takes you through some of the most breathtaking roads of the area with a 28km climb up to 1600m to get you there. We also pass the chilling remains of a hotel that was buried by an avalanche, killing 29 people in 2017. Truly a place where nature humbles us with every turn.

Day 7

Day 8

Popoli - Castel di Sangro (Abruzzo)

The mighty Blockhaus climb marks the first half of this stage. We tackle its toughest side, affording us the best views of the region’s hills to one side and the Adriatic Sea on the other. Although this is the most conspicuous climb on the profile, there are many other challenges waiting to ambush us, such as the vicious Colle Macine. Finally we find some gentler gradient in our Pescostanza loop: a beautiful wild valley with some welcome shady woodland.

Day 9

Castel - L'Aquila (Abruzzo)

Having touched our southernmost point in Castel di Sangro, we head north through gorges, around lakes and through small towns that time seems to have forgotten. The scenery is captivating always, but the best is kept for the end section: we climb back up into another part of the Gran Sasso, heading over the barren plateau of the Monte Cristo, where only wild horses are to be found. The scale of the landscape is hard to imagine. Our final descent brings us into the town of L’Aquila which has almost been completely rebuilt following the terrible earthquake of 2009, Italy’s largest ever.

Day 10

Aquila – Todi (Lazio / Umbria)

Leaving the rugged terrain of Ambruzzi behind us, we are treated to many beautiful wooded climbs. We enter the Umbria region, a poorer neighbour of Tuscany, but also much quieter. Roads roll incessantly but at least tarmac quality has improved. Our stage ends with a 4km taster of the renowned Strade Bianche as the landscape acquires a Tuscan flavour. But before we ride through the medieval hilltop town of Todi, there is one the harshest climbs of the event to confront…

Day 11

Todi – Siena (Umbria/Toscana)

One more long stage to bring us into the cypress-lined gravel roads of Tuscany, including two long, steady climbs (the Monte Amiata is a real woodland treat). Another collection of classic hilltop towns provide soothing distractions to legs that feel the end so close, yet still so far.

Day 12

Siena – Lucca (Toscana)

The formidable Monteluco climb is too good to miss, even if it means our final stage is longer than usual for a CCC. A few gravel sections are in the mix with rolling valley roads before we end with a 12km climb, which is as good as could be wished for to finish our journey through this unforgettable part of Italy.

Day 13

Transfer day