CLASSICS WEEK
As good as any week’s riding in Europe but with added history, adventure, island hopping, swimming and wine tasting…
“It’s a wonder this part of the world isn’t better known to cyclists. With the considerable mountains, stunning landscapes and smooth roads Greece could easily warrant a place among the foremost cycling destinations.”
CYCLIST MAGAZINE
HIGHLIGHTS
We welcome all levels of cyclists to ride a ‘Classics Week’, from those who race and want a hard training week to those who just want to enjoy the very best cycling experience. We can provide self-guided and guided personalised itineraries, depending on what you would like to achieve.
Daily average 80 - 110km, 900m climbing / Difficulty 3-5 but individual riding itineraries possible
Classics Week (abridged). A shorter, more relaxed itinerary for those who prefer to spend as much time off the bike as on. Daily average 50 - 80km, 750m climbing / Difficulty 2-5.
7-day cycling trip on the Peloponnese Peninsula, based in Nafplio, with 7 different rides.
Ride up Mount Parnassos, the second-highest climb in the Peloponnese.
Ride to ancient remains at Mycenae & Epidavros Amphitheatre.
Coffee stops at the sites of world-famous legends.
Ride to the exclusive island of Hydra, for wine tasting at Nemea, the centre of the Peloponnese’s wine-making revival and to the astonishing Corinth Canal.
Time available for off-bike activities, most watersports, hiking, swimming etc.
Chris as cycling guide with local vehicle support.
Six nights in boutique 3-star hotel in Nafplio
Meals & site entrances included.
£1,700 / €1,970 per rider (discounts available, see below).
ITINERARY
Day 1 / Sunday
NAFPLIO TO ASTROS
We pick you up in Athens and transport you (and if you have it, your own bicycle) to your hotel for the week, in Nafplio, on the Saronic coast. With its Venetian architecture and Ottoman buildings, it is often called the heart of the Peloponnese.
After lunch and putting our bicycles together, we head out for a flat coastal ride to take in our new surroundings.
80km distance / 400m climbing
Day 2 / Monday
NAFPLIO TO EPIDAURUS
We leave Nafplio, along the coast, on the ‘road of the heart’, popular with young lovers and said to extend the life of any rider with heart issues! Before 40km of countryside roads to, what is for many riders, the historical highlight of the week, one of the best-surviving structures in all of Greece, the ancient amphitheatre of Epidaurus.
A further 20km onto its small village for our harbourside lunch and stories of how the stoics found the secret to happiness here. After lunch, it’s along the coast for the heavenly views that first drew us to the Peloponnese and back to Nafplio.
86km distance / 1,130m climbing
Day 3 / Tuesday
NAFPLIO TO MOUNT PARNANOS
Our longest day, and what a ride. We climb the Peloponnese’s second-highest paved road, up Mount Parnanos, climbing 1,200, over 35km from the coast to reach the peak at 1,247m.
From the top you can see your evening ahead, back in Nafplio, below the dramatic hilltop castles, lay the café and culture-loving locals, relaxing around the harbour.
Before you join them though, it’s just a matter of enjoying the 40km descent down to Agostos and the 30km flat, coastal ride back to our hotel.
140km distance / 1,600m climbing
Day 4 / Wednesday
IN AND AROUND NAFPLIO
Each Wednesday morning, we run a clubhouse ride for guests and local cyclists, that heads for the best local coffee stop and back for a shared lunch.
The afternoon can be spent enjoying any of the activities that take place in and around Nafplio; diving, snorkeling and other watersports, hiking, swimming or even a visit to our local exclusive 5-star spa.
TBC distance / TBC climbing
Day 5 / Thursday
NAFPLIO TO MYCENAE (+ VINEYARD)
Today’s route takes us past the imposing walls of Ancient Mycenae, (thought to date from 1200BC) to a vineyard tour at the centre of the Peloponnese’s wine-making revival, in the vineyards of Nemea, while listening to the legendary local stories of the first of Hercules’s twelve labours and the athletic festivals that only took place at Olympia, Delphi, Isthmia and here.
Our ride back to Nafplio finishes as our evening begins - tasting the very best wines we have seen being produced earlier today.
87km distance / 737m climbing
Day 6 / Friday
HYDRA TO NAFPLIO (ONE WAY)
After breakfast, it’s a short ride to Tolo to catch the ferry that takes us to the island of Spetse and on to Hydra, the only island where you are only allowed to travel by foot or donkey. After some time exploring the lanes, we take the ferry back over to the mainland and start our afternoon ride back up the spine of the Peloponnese to Nafplio.
92km distance / 1,286m climbing
Day 7 / Saturday
DEPARTURE DAY
9 am departure from the hotel, by minibus to your hotel in Athens (11am) or to the airport (12pm).
We stop off on the way for coffee at the Corinth Canal (an astonishing engineering feat that opened in 1893, only 21m wide over its 6km length that cuts off the Peloponnese from the rest of Greece) and the start/finish line of our alternative cycling week, the ‘Lap of the Gods’.
Extras
HOTELS
For ‘‘Classics Week’’ we usually take over the whole of a 3-star boutique hotel in Nafplio. We have several partner hotels, each carefully researched and tested for suitability for cyclists, comfort, access to the town and beach and for its food portion sizes. The exact hotel we book for each trip is dependent on our tour size.
FOOD
The Mediterranean diet is now recognised as one of the world’s healthiest and on tour it will be in abundance – from morning pastries with local yoghurt and honey, to lunchtime coffee, gyros pitas and cake to evening meze, souvlaki and fresh fish. Vegetarian dishes (and any specific dietary requirements flagged in advance) will also be available.
See more about the food in the FAQ’s
All meals (minus on-bike replenishment and alcoholic drinks) are included in your trip cost.
‘CLASSICS WEEK’ GALLERY
BOOKINGS / LAP OF THE GODS / CLASSICS WEEK / ABOUT US / NEWSLETTER / FAQS / CONTACT