The Grand Escape

Get your 2026 events guide

Be the first to get dates, info, routes and everything in between for the three editions and a special surprise.

La tua iscrizione non può essere convalidata.

La tua iscrizione è avvenuta correttamente.

What is The Grand Escape?

Three bikepacking road events without rankings, time trial, all that wanna-be pro stuff.
Leave the KOMS behind and ride with your head held high, watching around what nature has to offer.
Join like-minded people (over 2000 since 2023) on the most beautiful roads of Europe and live the adventure you deserve.
No social pressure, no race. Come as you are and enjoy the best experience on tarmac you can get.
Ready? Ok, let's talk about where you'll go.

Your 2026 adventure

Registration opens: January 12

20 June 2026

Italy / Slovenia IV Edition

550km 7000m 
Start/Finish: Udine (IT) loop route
All on asphalt

5 September 2026

Germany / Austria III Edition

500km 5500m 
Start/Finish: Innsbruck (AT)  loop route
All on asphalt

10 October 2026

Tuscany IV Edition

600km 7500m 
Start/Finish: Campiglia Marittima (LI)  loop route
All on asphalt

What you'll find at The Grand Escape

We believe cycling should feel like it did when you first discovered the joy of two wheels.

Before power meters and social media turned rides into spreadsheets. Before every hill became a competition and every photo became content.

The Grand Escape brings back what matters: the smell of morning air on empty roads, conversations that happen naturally when you share miles with strangers, the satisfaction of reaching a viewpoint not because you beat a time but because you chose to be there.

We stand for moments that can't be quantified.

For the understanding that the best cycling experiences live in the spaces between start and finish. For the belief that adventure doesn't require suffering, and community doesn't need rankings.

This is cycling stripped of everything that doesn't serve the essential truth: bikes make life better when we let them.

No Race

Ride at your own pace. Don't get distracted by plastic trophies or a bland Instagram post. At The Grand Escape, no KOMS, no fastest time matters. The people around you are not your adversaries. They are your companions. Together, you will embark on a journey filled with good times, overcoming challenges, and joy.

Human curated routes

We are cyclists like you. We don't enjoy going on a straight, busy road. Our routes are meticulously designed and tested throughout the year. You'll ride on the best roads possible: backroads, cyclepaths, hidden secrets, and always great scenery. No impossible climbs, no useless hardness. Experience, first. No AI bullshit.

Be in good company

Live a fulfilling holiday with your friends, partner, or on your own. You'll create new friendships here. The people who come to The Grand Escape don't race each other. Enjoy a relaxing vibe with no wanna-be pro stuff.

Your pace, your time

There are no fixed times or checkpoints. Take 4 days, a week or two. There are no cut-offs and no rankings. You choose how to plan it, where to stop and eat. Enjoy the freedom of the definitive unsupported bikepacking adventure.

Where you will ride

Italy / Slovenia IV Edition

Cross borders on two wheels through Europe's hidden green heart. Emerald rivers guide you through untouched valleys while ancient forests whisper stories only cyclists get to hear.

This route reveals the secrets locals have guarded for generations, quiet roads that wind through landscapes so beautiful you'll question if they're real.

Slovenia and Italy at the pace they deserve to be experienced: yours,

Limited spots available

550km 7000m 

20 June 2026

Start: Udine (IT) - loop route

Registration: January 12, 2026

Germany / Austria III Edition

The Alps without the agony. We've cracked the code on alpine cycling—all the majesty, none of the impossible gradients.

Wind through fairy-tale villages where castle spires pierce morning mist. Breathe pine-scented air as you cruise beside crystal lakes.

Follow cycle paths so perfectly designed they feel made just for you.

500 kilometers of pure alpine magic, accessible to every rider.

Limited spots available

5 September 2026

Start: Innsbruck (AT) - loop route

500km 5500m 

Registration: January 12, 2026

Tuscany IV Edition

Italy distilled to its absolute essence.

Rolling hills dotted with cypress trees. Medieval towns that crown every ridge. Renaissance cities where art lives in the streets, not just museums.

From Chianti vineyards to Tuscan hilltop villages, this route connects the postcard moments everyone dreams about but few get to experience from the saddle.

Limited spots available

600km 7500m 

10 October 2026

Start/Finish: Campiglia Marittima (LI) - loop route

Registration: January 12 2026

What people felt

99% would ride again

We know that your time is precious, so our focus is for you to live an unforgettable experience. These adventures feature people on their first trip, experienced bikepackers, families on vacation, and people looking for something new.

Here’s what the riders told us via the finisher survey

Each climb takes you to a more beautiful place than the next. A true celebration of cycling!

I have to compliment whoever developed this route because it's beautiful, it makes you enter the landscapes, it makes you become the protagonist of all that beauty. The moment you live on the bicycle becomes magical - Francesco (Italy)

I had tears in my eyes multiple times because the people you meet along the route are all incredibly kind, they're all helpful, they're all friendly, it's incredible what kind of nature you experience, it's an adventure. - Tanja (Austria)

We were surprised by the number of cycle paths actually, but always protected. It was very safe for us. We were really in complete safety, not stressed by traffic. - Celine (France)

This kind of participation in an event like this is different. It's different and that's what I wanted to do, to have a new experience. What I'll remember is the landscape. It's seeing the other people, us passing by other friends, colleagues from the event, and talking to each other - Carlos (Portugal)

I'm a little bit surprised, but it was better than I expected, and I think I'll do it again. It was so much so that when we had to go on the roads with the traffic, I was annoyed because we had so many paths that were just for bicycles. - Joanne (UK)

A good dose of rest, of recharging. These four days really took me out of my daily routine, and I loved being here. So I feel much more fulfilled when I'm here even just for a few days. - Roland (Hungary)

The special thing about an organized event for me was that you could simply follow the predetermined route. You couldn't get lost, you didn't have to think about whether to go right or left, you could just enjoy nature, enjoy the ride, turn off your brain. - Timo (Germany)

Since this is not a race but an event, everyone was helping each other. This morning we had a flat tire, and everyone stopped to ask if they could help. - Caitlin (Netherlands)

What riders discover at The Grand Escape

Forget the road race stress mentality

Leave your power meter at home. Your Strava segments can wait.

The riders around you aren't competitors: they're fellow travellers. People who understand that the best cycling stories can't be measured in watts or speed.

Share a coffee. Stop for photos. Laugh at the climbs. This is how cycling was meant to feel.

"Wearing the Grand Escape cap made me feel like I was never alone. People recognised the cap and always spoke.

Offered words or encouragement and a cheery smile. It helped break down possible language barriers.

My advice is don’t be afraid to give it a go. I was certainly anxious as this was my first bike packing trip and boy did it deliver. I smiled loads and was blown away with the amount of cycle ways and scenery.

It was an amazing adventure and one I will hold dear for a long time. Thank you to all who helped the wheels keep turning and for getting such a lovely event up and running. You certainly delivered. Spot on. No complaints."

- Lynn

Roads worth your time

We spend years finding the routes others miss. Hidden backroads that connect incredible places. Cycle paths that feel like private trails. Secondary routes where cars are rare and views are spectacular.

No traffic anxiety. No dodging buses. Just you, perfect tarmac, and landscapes that make stopping irresistible.

Your schedule, your way

Take three days or take a week. Start at sunrise or sleep in. Stop for long lunches or pack energy bars.

No checkpoints. No cutoff times. No officials telling you when to ride or where to rest.

This is unsupported bikepacking at its purest, complete freedom to experience the journey exactly as you want.

Stories worth telling: yours

Our media team follows the routes, capturing moments you'll treasure forever. Not just finish line photos, but the real story—your face when you crest that perfect hill, the group coffee stop that turned into an hour of laughter, the sunset that made you forget you were tired.

These become the photos you'll show for years, proof of adventures that changed how you see cycling.

How to participate?

Registration will open in the following months - we'll send an email with all the details. Subscribe to get all the updates and more info.

La tua iscrizione non può essere convalidata.

La tua iscrizione è avvenuta correttamente.

Why The Grand Escape

Cycling changed our lives. But somewhere along the way, the sport lost its soul to spreadsheets and social media metrics.
We wanted to give it back.

The Grand Escape exists for cyclists who remember that the best rides can't be quantified. People who choose adventure over achievement, experience over ego.

We scout every kilometer ourselves. We test every route multiple times. We obsess over details because your time is precious and these memories last forever.

No shortcuts. No compromises. Just the most beautiful cycling experiences Europe has to offer, designed for people who understand that the journey itself is the destination.

Member of Bike Adventure Series

We’re a founding member of the Bike Adventure Series, Europe’s first no-race bikepacking event series.

Our events are among the best in the world, like Tuscany Trail, NorthCape4000, Final Frontier Patagonia and Unpaved Roads.

Create your account to register for The Grand Escape’s events here.

F.A.Q.

Where to sleep? Where to eat? Which bike?

Lots of questions? We got the answers.

Get the e-book and all the info via email (use your best one!)

La tua iscrizione non può essere convalidata.

La tua iscrizione è avvenuta correttamente.

No Race Road bikepacking
across Europe

Get your 2026 events guide

What is The Grand Escape?