Inspired Italy

You do not have to arrive on a weekend. If the flights work for a Tuesday arrival, then that is fine by us and we work with you to coordinate flights and transfers.

💁🏼 You Are Fully Supported

We help you with your flight planning and transfers. Everyone at Inspired ITALY is a native English speaker. We are here, on the ground in Italy to meet you at your arrival hotel and to support you throughout your ride. We deliver your bikes and personally brief you about the bike and your week ahead. 

For guests who use WhatsApp, we create a Private WhatsApp Group about 10 days before your arrival. We call it your Virtual Guide and each day we send you updated weather, route highlights and general information.

You have total freedom to start and finish your day whenever suits you. With no fixed commitments along the way, you can stop off where you want and when you chose. We will give you advice on what to see each and every day. In the end, it is entirely your choice as to what you choose to do!

🤸‍♀️ More Flexibility

We Provide You with a Detailed Itinerary. 

But you can use the Bosch Nyon GPS that we provide together with the good old-fashioned physical map and Google Maps to venture further afield should you so wish.

The Bosch Nyon is probably one of the world’s best eBike computers and onboard bike GPS systems. It is preloaded with your route. You can use its local knowledge and navigational power to visit off itinerary villages, vineyards, and castles! 

You have total control over every element of your day and your budget. Accommodation is provided on a bed and breakfast basis (half-board available) so the choice for coffee, lunch, dinner, and which wine is all entirely your own. 

Of course, we can make recommendations.

🤙 We Are Local Hosts & Always On Call

We Are Here. We Live Here. 

We are always available to you 24/7 before, during, and even after your cycle trip. You can use your WhatsApp Virtual Guide to message or call at any time about anything. What is this on the menu? Can you recommend this restaurant? What time is best to set off in the morning? Can we book a cooking course?

Whatever your query our Virtual Guide has an answer!

It provides turn-by-turn navigation that is clear and easy to read. It even provides an estimated time of arrival and a terrain profile so you know exactly what is ahead. Many people also like a good old fashioned map which we happily supply! 

But Italian maps come with a warning! If you are used to detailed maps such as the Ordnance Survey maps that are readily available in the UK, you’ll be very disappointed with what you receive! On top of which, Italian road naming and numbering is very, erm, Mediterranean! All of which is why we give you a GPS and a pre-planned itinerary.

We have the largest fleet of electric bikes in Italy. Electric bikes mean that you can enjoy your trip cycling together.

Don’t be lulled or fooled into a false sense of security – electric bikes do not give you a free ride. Far from it! Our electric bikes are not motorbikes, scooters or mopeds. There is no twist grip. When you stop peddling you stop powering the bike! The bike only moves when you pedal. It is an ordinary bicycle with a pedal assist.

The Inspired ITALY e-Bike fleet uses a crank mounted pedal-assist system designed and built by world-leading Bosch e-Bike Systems. For those wanting to work out, you’ll get it while those preferring little assistance up the hills there is as much as you could possibly wish for. 

Make sure that you are fit and in good health. Our itineraries are designed for electric bikes which mean that you travel further and higher than you would on a ‘muscle bike’.

How Fit Do I Need To Be For a Cycling Holiday in Italy?

Easy Itineraries Require 1h to 2h Cycling per Day

For the easiest rides, you need to be able to cycle for 60 to 120 minutes per day. Typically, rides are broken into shorter sections. On an easy itinerary, you cycle for 20 to 30 minutes in any one stretch between stops. On average 60% of the ride is done before lunch and the rest after. Some itineraries require up to 3h to 4h cycling per day.

Unless you specifically book a road cycling holiday, all Inspired ITALY holidays are on electric bikes. So, if you get tired you can select extra assist and the cycling becomes easier. For those wanting more of a workout, they select less power or turn the power off.

Even the hottest day of the year can start with a chill when you’re on a bicycle. Make sure that you have a windproof jacket and maybe even a pair of fingerless gloves if you choose to travel early or later in the season. Valley mists at the beginning and end of the season can hold early morning temperatures well below seasonal norms. We also think that padded shorts help the casual cyclist. You don’t have to buy the short, just the under short, then you won’t look like you have a Baboon bottom!

What Kind of Shoes Should I Wear for Cycling?

Sports Style Shoe with a Stiffer Sole

Shoes (and padded shorts) are the most important piece of clothing needed for your cycle adventure. Look for a comfortable sports-style shoe with a stiffer sole while ensuring that the sole isn’t too large and bulky. 

The stiff sole is important because it will help support your foot as you pedal. 

The expansive coastal flats of Emilia Romagna, the long deep valleys of Umbria are overshadowed by the Apennine Mountains and the endless rolling hills of Tuscany. 

These Italian regions are well accustomed to road cyclists and are ideal destinations for your self-guided cycling adventure.

🍷 Tuscany

Without a doubt, the most famous Italian region and the dream destination for world travellers. 

But what you may not be aware of is Tuscany’s cycling prowess. The Chianti hills are filled with enthusiastic cyclists from the holidaymaker to hardened professional, such as Mark Cavendish who has a training base and second home here.

Tuscany’s beautiful relief is dominated by hilly country and iconic hilltop towns. Hills make up nearly two-thirds (66.5%) of the region’s total area and mountains a further 25% which is a good reason that we provide electric bikes as standard for our self-guided leisure cycling adventures.

🍝 Umbria

The rural byways of Umbria make for ideal cycling terrain. Long, wide valleys trimmed by the rising ground which make up the foothills of the Apennines and are no match for your electric-assist bicycle.

This is the ‘green heart of Umbria’ renowned for its traditional cuisine, food, and depth of history. First settled by Etruscans from around 750BC villages and hilltop towns are steeped in ancient history which is often still in daily use. At its heart is Assisi, home for St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. 

🚴‍♂️ Emilia Romagna

Cycling is in the blood in this wonderful part of the world. Not only is it the birthplace of one of the cycling greats, Marco ‘The Pirate’ Pantani, but it is also home to an astounding 8,000 kilometres of dedicated cycling routes on roads, cycle paths and off-road cycle tracks. They cover a wide variety of terrain from the hilly and mountainous landscapes of the Apennines to the salt lakes of the Po delta.

In 2020 Emilia Romagna Cycling welcomed the national Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia hosting 3 stages in Rimini, Cesenatico and Cervia. Between 24 and 27 September 2020 in Imola, the region played host to the 93rd edition of the UCI Road World Championships.