BICYCLE TOURS & MOUNTAIN BIKING

Mendrisio - The World Championships

Ranging from leisure cyclists and ambitious amateurs, to elite professional road riders, Ticino's cycling is highly regarded on the professional circuit. Traditionally, the Swiss road cycling season starts with the GP Chiasso and the GP Lugano; The Road Cycling World Championships took place in Ticino in 1953 (Lugano, won by Fausto Coppi), in 1971 (Mendrisio, won by Eddy Merckx), in 1996 (Lugano, won by Johan Museeuw) and will again return to Mendrisio in 2009.

World-Class Cycling
The World Championships is perhaps the most unique cycling event of the year, and one of the most prestigious races to win. Claim a world title and not only do you get to wear the rainbow jersey every day for a year, the honor of gaining entry into this elusive club of champions rings your jersey sleeves in all its colorful rainbow glory forever. What’s so unique about it? First, it’s raced on a circuit, 13-18 km in length and typically includes a climb that after 10 or 12 laps becomes particularly grueling. It’s raced on a different course in a different country each year, so the unfamiliarity plays a key role; and riders selected to compete are racing for their National team instead of their trade team. The medieval Swiss village of Mendrisio hosts the 2009 World Championships on a course that is 13.8 km (8.5 mi) and climbs 245 meters (785 ft) per lap. The Elite Men’s race is 162 miles and will climb 15,000 vertical feet. How’s THAT for a day of bike racing.

Authentic Culture
The Mendrisiotto region is rich with cultural history, and there are few European regions which can offer a territory so rich in artistic testimony in so few square kilometers. The region can boast such great artists and architects and sculptors as Francesco Borromini, Carlo Maderno and Mario Botta. A pilgrimage to the chapel of Madonna del Ghisallo, the patron Saint of cycling and the new cycling museum that sits in an enviable position overlooking Lake Como is a must for any cycling fan. The pedestrian streets of the center of Mendrisio trace its history to early Roman times, while the surrounding villages are shadowed by Monte Generoso, and line the shores of Lake Lugano.

Exemplary Service
Enjoy the festivities of the World Championships in addition to the Time Trial and Road Race events. 4-star luxury surrounds you in both of the hotels, and your central hotel location in Como places you in the heart of the thriving historic center; the other is a peaceful oasis overlooking Lake Lugano. Uncover the gastronomic secrets of the Mendrisiotto region- local wines grown from Bordeaux style vines; formagello cheese from the Muggio Valley and Monte Generoso, to fresh lake fish and the regional produce grown on the hillsides that surround Mendrisio.

Tour Details