• CCTS Tour Coordinators: Robin Howe and Dan Carey, robincooksandsews@gmail.com and careydscl@gmail.com, or at 206-397-7855. The Tour Coordinators act as a liaison between the tour company – Valle Tours – and participants.
• Tour Contractor: Valle Tours owned by Gord and Anita Litster of North Saanich, B.C. (gordonlitster@shaw.ca).
• Tour Dates: May 19th (Thursday) to June 1st (Wednesday), 2016 (14 days, 13 nights).
• Tour Fee: $1775.00 CAN. Please note; 1. Exchange to Euros based only on ~$5,000.00 of tour funds. This value, thus could fluctuate with exchange rates between Euro and CAN dollar. As well, budget based on 16 participants.
• Tour Numbers: Maximum 16; Minimum 6. Tour Registration Opening Date: September 30th, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Tour Rating: Intermediate with hills.

Tour Description: With limited traffic and spectacular scenery, cycling the hillside ridges and river valleys of Abruzzo is some of the best cycling in Italy. Add to this, the Montepulciano wine country, the award winning Adriatic beaches and Abruzzese hospitality, you are in for a great vacation!

Your home base for this trip is Valle San Giovanni (Valle), a village with a population of about 400, located in Italy’s central province of Abruzzo. Valle is in the foothills of the Apennine Mountains, 2 hours east of Rome and 35 minutes by car from the Adriatic Sea. Olive groves, vineyards, sunflowers and picturesque hills of patchwork crops surround the village, typical of old Italy. Bread arrives daily and fish is delivered on Thursday. Amenities include a small grocery store, and a fruit and vegetable store, post office, hardware store, hairdresser and Italian style bar with wifi. Beautiful countryside and friendly locals await you. This is a genuine Italian experience. Valle Tour tour leaders have led many successful tours of the Abruzzo region of Italy, including a tour in 2015 for Jill and Larry Weldon and a number of other CCCTS members [See July/August Newsbrief Vol. 32 (7) for a narrative of this trip].

Riding Conditions and Logistics. All roads will be paved. Typically there are few wind issues and although there are some longer hills, the grades are easy to moderate. Where we have the longest climbs, we will have a support vehicle, and there’s no need to carry panniers.

A total of nine days will be guided; seven of those days will have vehicle support, and there will be two rest days. The tour will be a Hub and Spoke format except for Days 8 & 9 and Days 11&12, which will be two overnights away from home base. The first overnight is at one of the best organic wineries in Italy, and the second is at a beautiful Agriturismo overlooking the Adriatic Riviera. The home base consists of three houses located in close proximity, and owned by the tour contractor. We will have full kitchens in each lodging, and we’ll be preparing our own meals. Each house will organize its own cooking duties and will ensure that the workload is distributed equitably. The two planned rest days will include opportunities for additional cycling, hiking, shopping, beach attendance, and/or sightseeing. We are planning a cooking lesson with Vincenza for the tour, and also a catered dinner, if possible.

Tour fees ($1,775 CAN) covers:

• Lodging (13 nights), no additional charge for singles;
• Transfers to and from Teramo;
• Meals included are two dinners and two breakfasts;
• Rental and fuel costs for a car to be used for group purposes, such as buying groceries, etc. and tour price discount for our driver (Flavia Kolic);
• Tour of and tasting at one of Italy’s finest organic win eries;
• Visit to Steva Cycling Apparel Factory;
• Nine days of guiding and seven days accompanied by tour operator support vehicle;
• Guide book of 35 routes and 24 hour access to a bike shop;
• Hopefully, a cooking class for the group and a catered dinner if we can arrange it; and,
• Karelo processing fees

Tour Registration: Tour registration opens at 5:00 p.m. PDT on September 30th at http://tinyurl.com/m9dw6g . Tour members will be selected in order of sign-up except that there will probably be some adjustments needed based on the number of couples and singles signing up for the tour to accommodate our lodging facilities. If there are sufficient numbers of registrants, there may be the option of a second tour in June if a CCCTS Tour Coordinator volunteers.

Tour Payments: $2 fee (non-refundable) at time of sign-up via http://tinyurl.com/m9dw6g; $775 deposit after being notified by the Tour Coordinators of your acceptance on the tour (will occur during the first two weeks of October, 2015); and the $1,000.00 balance will be due January 5th, 2016.

Please Note: A registrant canceling for any reason will incur all costs made or committed on his/her behalf unless his/her vacancy is filled. The Club urges registrants to take out trip cancellation insurance.

Tour fees do not include:

1. Meals, except as noted above;
2. Transportation costs to Italy, bus from Rome airport (gasparionline.it) or from the centre of Rome to Teramo (arpaonline.it). The costs are 17 to 19 Euros respectively. Please contact a Tour Coordinator with any Tour queries you may have or Valle Tours at 250-655-4030 or gordonlitster@shaw.ca.
3. Rental bikes are available for those not wanting to bring their own. The rental costs are: Hybrid – $195.00; steel or aluminum road bike – $295.00; or a carbon road bike – $395.00. A deposit of $25 will secure your choice of rental bike in your size.

Tour itinerary:

1. Thursday, May 19th. Arrive in Teramo, pickup and transfer to Valle San Giovanni. After familiarizing everyone with the houses, and unpacking, we will fit and test bikes, purchase groceries and acquaint you with the village amenities. Dinner will be provided by your hosts at a favorite restaurant.
2. Friday, May 20th. Civitella del Tronto is an interesting fortress and village. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, we will spend several hours here. Perched strategically on top of a hill, it offers a grand panorama of the surrounding area and an interesting museum within the fortress itself. Guided and Supported; 65 km.
3. Saturday, May 21st. The picturesque village of Castelli is at the foot of Mt. Camicia, and has been considered one of the most famous Italian centres for the art of ceramics. Various shops in the historic centre and spectacular views offer an enjoyable time for all. Guided and Supported; 85km.
4. Sunday, May 22nd. Today you are off to the Adriatic resort town of Guilianova. Leave early and you are usually assisted by a gentle tailwind. Return in the early afternoon and the breeze shifts to bring you home. Sandy beaches, palm trees and the Adriatic bike path await you. Only guided, no support; 80 km.
5. Monday, May 23rd. The ride to Cortino offers a number of visually stunning viewpoints. From Valle we climb (9 km) to the entrance of the largest national park in Italy, Monti della Laga. This is the only place in Europe that still has native bears and wolves. After the climb, the ride is relatively flat until we near Cortino, and then it is a further two km climb to the summit of Piano Roseto. From Cortino to Piano Roseto we will see a number of shepherds with their flocks. At the summit we enjoy spectacular mountain scenery and a very pleasant descent of 20+ km to Montorio. This is the most challenging ride of the tour, but the favourite of many. Supported and Guided; 60km.
6. Tuesday, May 24th. A rest day which will include opportunities for cycling, hiking, shopping, sightseeing or we may schedule a cooking lesson for the group.
7. Wednesday, May 25th. To Capanelle Pass – an interesting canyon ride. This route has been a stage of the Giro d’Italia a number of times and was the original road to Rome. With few cars and a good surface, this is a cyclists dream. Unsupported & self-guided; 50 to 91 km depending on the tour leader.
8. Thursday, May 26th. Torano Nuovo; a move day to Torano Nuovo and one of the best organic wineries in Italy, “Emidio Pepe”. After a tour of the winery, you will be welcomed with wine tasting and a tour. Then a pleasant stroll through the vineyard to the village for dinner. After dinner we will be escorted by fireflies on the way home (magical). Guided and Supported; 58 km.
9. Friday, May 27. Move day back to Valle via a different route. We will go through the charming town of Campli, visit the museum and other interesting sights. Guided and Supported; 55km.
10. Saturday, May 28th. This planned rest day will include opportunities for cycling, hiking, shopping, or sightseeing. Also, many of you may take in the large street market in Teramo.
11. Sunday, May 29. To Silvi; an easy, lazy ride to the Adriatic as we weave our way south along the Adriatic bike path and SS16. After taking in several of the resort towns, we will stop and enjoy a few hours on the beach before continuing on to the beautiful town of Silvi. We will be staying overnight at a beautiful Agriturismo overlooking the Adriatic. Supported and Guided; 60km.
12. Monday, May 30th. Today we take in the beautiful and historic town of Atri, where Roman Emperor Hadrian was born. Atri is the cultural and artistic hub of this region. We will definitely spend several hours here taking in this scenic town. Supported and Guided; 60km.
13. Tuesday, May 31st. You will have fun taking in a number of small villages close to Valle. Each is unique in its character and charm. Unsupported & self-guided; 30 to 50 km depending on tour leader.
14. Wednesday, June 1st. Arrivederci ….Memories and friendships have been made. Take your last stroll around the village, making your way down to the bar for Francesca’s cappuccino. Rides to Teramo will be provided. Thanks for having shared our “dear Valle”!

If you have questions about the tour, please contact either tour coordinator or Valle Tours. For photos of the area go to www.valletours.com/photos.html

Participants: Jim Burnett, Daniel Carey, Ray Duggan, Diane Farris, Wayne Hanscom, Mike Heit, Andrew Hind, Evelyn Hiscock, Robin Howe, John Hurley, David Kolic, Flavia Kolic, Janet Lever, Jean Macdonald, Dawn Minett, Lois Redman, Maureen Weston, Faye Wilson.

Waiting:  Bonita Douglas, Lynne Eross, Ellen Kowalyk, Myron Kowalyk, Barry Nelin, Allen Olsen,  Mark Rebagliati, Peter Winford, Doug Wylie, Karin Wylie.