Cycle the Giro with a holiday on the South Tyrol

At the start of this month, cyclists competed in the 100th Giro d’Italia race. Ben Mitchell gets in on the action by tackling part of the course on a bike holiday through the South Tyrol

MY thighs are burning, my chest is heaving and my heart is banging. As I pull out from the final switchback of the notorious Fedaia mountain pass in the Dolomites, I persuade my pedals to turn just a few more times.

Feeling elated — and somewhat light-headed — I manage a final surge as my Pinarello F8 Dogma professional road bike rolls over the finish line of this 15km climb with 1,047 gruelling metres of elevation and 18% ascents. Phew!