Hillside living

True to form, this year’s Vuelta doesn’t shy away from the high mountains and offers just two nailed-on sprint stages

Right in the shinbone of the Italian boot lies Gran Sasso d’Italia National Park. One of Italy’s most biodiverse and seismic regions, this 2,014km² reserve is among the largest protected areas in Euro

Length: 21.3km Elevation gain: 1,142m Average gradient: 5% Maximum gradient: 12% The Colle del Nivolet in north-west Italy is the most beautiful mountain road in the world. Fact. But that’s not the on

“Today is the third greatest day of my life.” Hans-Joachim Stuck has tears welling in his eyes. “After the birth of my two sons, nothing I’ve done has matched this. Nothing.” This from a man who has s

In the Catalan Pyrenees, everything is bigger. This larger-than-life landscape, 200km north of the soft sands of the Mediterranean coast, is where Catalonia’s colossal peaks mark the region’s borders

Times are changing at the world’s biggest bike race. For most of us watching at home, the more fans, the more razzmatazz, the more hullaballoo the better. The carefully distilled passion fills up our