italy bike hotels

mmuk

please can anyone recommend an area of italy for a single base week in May, and any of the 'bike hotels' in that area? (And is the weather OK in mid May?)

Would like a mixed terrain if possible, but a few good climbs!

I don't know Italy at all, and the Italy bike hotels website doesn't help much!

cheers

MM

Wooliferkins

We stayed in Rimini with IBH a few years back and it was just fine. There is rolling terrain along the coast and not far inland to more hilly terrain. You might find May a little early in the Italian season. We went in June and the coastal tourist industry wasn't really in full swing

antikythera

There's a chain of 10 or so hotels in RImini that share pretty much the same cycling routes, just with different perks and personality.

Rimini will offer you a selection of some 20 routes, depending on the time of year, the ride leaders etc. I don't think you'd be disappointed with any of the riding in the area (Pantani's old stomping ground from memory). While it is quite hilly(?), even a non-mountain goat like me made it up the hardest climbs (a bit slower than the others ).

The real choices are the level of accommodation you choose. We first stayed at the Dory, which was more "basic" than the next (we stayed at), but we loved the atmosphere of the rides far more than the Belvedere, which was far more luxurious and better appointed (still really nice folks).

But organized rides are dependent on whose staying at the same time and the ride leaders. You could of course do your own things and then it becomes a choice of hotel, but the group riding with knowledgeable leads was always a highlight