Tour Colombia

One of the best hotels in the area is the meeting point of this bicycle experience through Colombia, which is located at 2100 masl and 5 minutes far from the international airport José María Córdova. After some rest, unpacking and setting up the bikes, we will be having a Welcome dinner where Gregario´s team will be introduced. Some recommendations will be made to make this experience more enjoyable. Also, it could be an excellent opportunity to share with other cyclists that will take part in Tour Colombia.    

After having breakfast, we would be running our first stage on this cycling adventure. To spin legs and acclimatise the body to an altitude over 2000 m, we will be riding in one of the most popular places in Antioquia, where amateur and professional cyclists frequently cycle.  This 80 km stage will pass through three traditional and colonial towns in the valley of San Nicolas. This ride let us acclimatise our body to this altitude and test our bikes while enjoying an iconic route for locals: Vuelta Oriente. The biggest challenge of the day will be Alto La Unión, a 7.2 km climb at steady 5%.

https://www.strava.com/Vuelta-Oriente

Conception is the leading destination on this stage, a well-conserved colonial town, which was declared the "cultural and historical heritage of the nation" in 1999. We will face a charming but challenging route to go to Concepción in a stage that UCI could denominate as a low mountain stage. The biggest challenge would be Alto Las Frías, a 7.9 km climb at 6.0% just after returning from Concepción. This route to Concepción is a remote town that ideally represents a traditional town for Eastern Antioquia, and you will love it! 

https://www.strava.com/Concepcion

It is time to leave the Eastern Antioquia Region and start our way to Alto del Sifón. After riding for 40 km on flat terrain, we will descend to Puerto Triunfo and pass through two second-categorized climbs, Padre Mira and  Monteloro.  However, this is not a transitional stage, with 149 kilometres becoming the longest stage in this cycling adventure. Due to different altitudes during this stage in a range of around 2100 to 200 metres, you will enjoy variations in the climate with a wide variety of plants. We will be arriving at a charming hotel located close to “Hacienda Napoles”, one of Pablo Escobar's icons and Cartel of Medellín, something that doesn’t make us proud Colombians but is part of our history.

https://www.strava.com/Way-to-Letras

Magdalena, the main river in Colombia, will witness this 108 kilometres stage. This flat terrain stage will help you spin your legs to get ready for the Queen Stage, “Alto del Sifón” the next day. We will be arriving at Honda, a colonial town founded in 1539 that played a vital role in Colombian history when Magdalena was the only transport link communicating Bogotá with the port of Cartagena and thus with Europe during the Spanish colonisation. A colonial boutique hotel will help you relax in order to enjoy the preparation for tomorrow.

https://www.strava.com/Magdalena-river

This is an epic day with the Queen Stage, “Alto del Sifón”. This HC climb, with its 88 km, dethroned Alto the Letras in 2024 as the longest paved climb ever raced in a UCI professional race (Vuelta a Colombia 2024). 

The days starts early in the morning with a balanced breakfast to fuel our bodies for the upcoming challenge. Our team will get the bikes ready for the 45-minute car transfer from the hotel to the base of the climb in Armero Guayabal. pedaling is expected to start at about 7 am, to avoid the high temperatures at 350 masl.

This 4% climb will make you suffer during its 88 km, but at the same time, you will experience a rewarding scenery.

https://www.strava.com/Alto-del-Sifón

After sleeping over 3800 metres above sea level and experiencing how some elite endurance athletes train, we will leave Paramo to visit a symbolic place, the Coffee Region. During this stage, we will be riding through the Andes mountain range, enjoying the coffee crops and the culture that involves the economic activity of producing the best coffee in the world. Finlandia is our destination, and a modern architecture hotel that cyclists have designed for cyclists will be our home for at least two nights. Finlandia is in the heart of the Coffee Region, declared a world heritage zone by UNESCO.

https://www.strava.com/Coffe-region

The last stage of this cycling tour will be more than enjoyable, especially if you are a coffee lover as we are. On this day, we will be visiting Salento, the second most visited city for international tourists in Colombia, and the Cocora Valley, a place with a unique atmosphere. The main challenge of this day is an 8.7 kilometres climb at 5.6% that will bring us to Cocora Valley. After having lunch at Cocora Valley, we will return to our hotel in Finlandia. At night we will be having our welfare dinner and sharing some memories that our staff captured on camera during this journey.

https://www.strava.com/Salento-cocora

IIt is time to say goodbye, and we hope that this experience will be in your memories for the rest of your life. For those planning to return to their country or visit other cities in Colombia, we will be dropping you at the International Airport of Pereira (PEI) in just 45 minutes. However, we encourage you to spend a couple of days cycling in this region which offers plenty of routes.