One of the best reasons for choosing a good bike hotel is their skill to show me the best their region has to offer - like routes, rides, food & drink that I simply could not find on my own. This ride (and subsequent wine tasting) never would have have happened without my guide from Garda Bike Hotel leading me on a relaxed ride through the hills of valpolicella and an even more relaxed stop at the Santa Maria Valverde winery.

Most PEZ Readers know a bit about the 'bike hotel' concept, and many of you have enjoyed staying in one location, hospitality by gracious hosts who know the best rides, food and wine, all in a cycling dreamland like Italy. The Garda Bike Hotel was one of the first to cater to road cyclists, with over ten years experience, it's no wonder they've become THE place to stay at Lake Garda.

One sign of a great bike hotel is which pro teams also stay there for training camps. Nicola & Alberto, who run the Garda Bike Hotel on Lake Garda in Italy, host Peter Sagan and the Bora-Hansgrohe team regularly. I've stayed here too and can tell you it's an excellent choice for a cycling holiday. Here's a cool look at a recent ride with Peter Sagan and his team mates.

As part of our stay with Garda Bike Hotel for the Pez 10th Anniversary, we signed up to ride the GF Damiano Cunego in nearby Verona. Our hosts Nicola & Alberto know the region, the people, and handled all the details for our stay in Lake Garda, which left nothing for us to do except enjoy the ride.

We're long time fans of the Garda Bike Hotel - family run hospitality as only the Italians can offer, top notch riding for all levels, excellent location in the wine country near Verona. But I thought maybe you'd like in a second opinion - so I talked with Calla Barras - serious cyclist and serious traveller - about what makes the Garda Bike Hotel one of Italy's best bike hotels.

Long time PEZ-fans know how we feel about riding in Italy - and why over the years we've logged enough of our own travel miles around the Italian boot to open our own travel agency. We've stayed a a lot of hotels there and can tell you with complete confidence that the Garda Bike Hotel is one of the best.

Congratulations to Bill Buckton of Port Elgin ON - winner of the one week cycling holiday for two with Bici Amore Mio at Italy's best bike hotels. As a loyal PEZ-Fan, Bill is duly excited to start planning one of the best riding weeks of his life.

Here's one of the best travel / cycling / travel for cyclists videos I've seen - and I'm not just saying that because Nicola & Alberto at Garda Bike Hotel are good guys and great hosts. Take a look and see for yourself.

CONGRATULATIONS: To long time PEZ-Fan Hannu Heikkilä of Finland - the winner of our cycling week holiday in Lake Garda. This could be the best week of his life - superb riding in Italy's famous lakes district, local guides who know the best roads, amazing Italian food & drink, and a luxurious stay at a newly renovated family-run boutique hotel with the guys at Garda Bike Hotels.