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.

Travel: Stage 18 of the 2019 Tour de France will climb the mighty Col du Galibier at 2645 meters altitude. I "rode" it back in 2017 - maybe better to say I hauled my carcass up it. Here's a glimpse of the climb as I get inside 3km to the summit. It really is epic and awe inspiring - a must do.

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.

France From Inside Tours offers some of the best cycling trips in the Pyrenees in southern France, and one of their best is the epic Conquer the Pyrenees: 12 days riding 1000 miles from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and back, climbing over 100,000 feet. The company owner and lead guide, Allan Reeves, explains why this trip is so popular, it's back for the 13th year.

Cycle a Mediterranean island, watch the TDF in the French Alps, or let a famous chef prepare your meals in Tuscany—Grand Tours and cycling vacations are as abundant as cols in Europe, and the options for this year’s big biking trip can be overwhelming.

Great scenery, a spectacular climb and a twice as long descent, the Col de la Madone climb along France’s cote d’Azur is must do for any fan of great rides. The capper was meeting up with a PEZ-Fan who lives nearby for a great day on the bike.

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.

For thousands of years, intrepid spirits have crossed the Pyrenees, Alps, and Dolomites—from Hannibal with his mighty elephant herd to the campaigns of Charlemagne and the humble treks undertaken by medieval pilgrims. Today, you’ll see spandex in place of chainmail all over these ranges as cyclists challenge themselves to conquer the bucket-list giants.

The first day of the PEZ & Velo Classic "Giro della Gazzetta" cycling trip this May opens with a day in Milano - watching the Giro d'Italia final TT stage in one of the world's most fashionable cities. The entertainment never stops here, and viewing the race will be just part of an awesome opening day.