The Hazelnut Bike Festival is the event dedicated to the promotion and to the tourist valorisation of the Alta Langa, a hilly territory which includes 38 municipalities on the border with the Langhe of great wines and the Savona hinterland, where the vineyards leave the place to hazelnut cultivations, woods and grazings, which smell of sea breeze.
This festival, created at the behest of the Unione Montana Alta Langa, is organised by the Ciclismo Divino team and by the Ente Turismo Alba, Bra, Langhe, and Roero. This year it will take place on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May. The programme includes the Cronoscalata dei Campioni between Sinio and Albaretto della Torre on the first day and the Granfondo Alta Langa: starting point and finish line in Santo Stefano Belbo, on the second day.
The Hazelnut Bike Festival was born in 2017 and it is a unique occasion to enjoy this beautiful territory through a sport suitable for everyone: from the expert cyclists to the more relaxed tourists, included families with children.
The PGI Langhe Hazelnut, one of the best in the world, is the central theme of the event, because it is the real heart of this area. In this part of the Langhe you will be immersed into a real suggestive landscape.
The programme
Saturday 18th May The start of the Cronoscalata dei Campioni is scheduled at 4 p. m. from Albaretto Torre. It will run through the panoramic and technical via Lesme, which overlooks the whole Alpine arch and the castle of Serralunga D’Alba. The most difficult climb is more than 6km long. This edition includes also the route variation opened in 2018: a more difficult path which leads to the centre of Albaretto Torre, the last kilometres of this route it is absolutely astonishing.
The top event will be the Granfondo Alta Langa which will take place on Sunday morning. A strong union between the Alta Langa territory and this cycling event, that bears the name of the previous event created in 2007 in Bossolasco to enhance the climbs of the champions. In the past it counted six ascends dedicated to Anquetil, Bartali, Bobet, Coppi, Gaul e Pantani. During the years more and more people joined the Granfondo Alta Langa competition.
The ring path is 120km long and includes 4 timed traits very technical, suitable for the cyclers. The starting is scheduled at 9.30 a. m. from Santo Stefano Belbo and the route leads to Cossano Belbo, Scorrone, Castino, Cortemilia, Torre Bormida (SP439), Bergolo, Levice, Prunetto,Gorzegno, Niella Belbo, San Benedetto Belbo, Bossolasco, Albaretto Torre, Lequio Berria, Campetto, Rocchetta Belbo, Sant’Elena, Mango, Camo and finally returns to Santo Stefano Belbo. The last difficulty of the path will be the Final Climb SM 1619: the ascend that leads directly to the Relais San Maurizio.
Santo Stefano Belbo is the biggest municipality of the Unione Montana Alta Langa and counts about 4000 inhabitants. Since 2018 it has a key role for the Bike Festival because it hosts the starting and finishing point of the Granfondo San Maurizio 1619. In Santo Stefano Belbo you can visit Cesare Pavese’s native house, admire the vineyards landscapes and taste a glass of
Moscato,, one of the excellence of the Alta Langa territory.
Registrations available on the website www.bikefestival nocciola.it.