Varese – Ganna – Luino – Laveno – Angera – Comabbio – Gavirate

This hilly yet easy route for road cyclists (116 km / 72.1 miles) features an elevation gain of about 1000 metres (3,281 ft) and mainly sticks to tarmacked secondary roads for a tour around the Province of Varese.
A series of gentle climbs and descents slaloms its way between the seven lakes and up and down hills.  

The only notable climbs on the Main 7-Lake Tour are:

• If you are riding the route anticlockwise: the road from Gavirate to Varese by Lake Varese provides a gentle 5.4 km / 3.4 mile climb with a maximum gradient of 6% and a few flat sections. The climb is known locally as the “Sasso di Gavirate”; the road is occasionally busy in parts, but offers panoramic views over Lake Varese with the Alps impressively lined up in the background;
• If you are riding the route clockwise: the stretch of road between Cremenaga and Cadegliano Viconago, after Luino, climbs for 3 km (1.9 miles) with an average gradient of 10% and a maximum gradient of 12%.

There are no long flat stretches of road, but neither are there any particularly difficult sections. The route is hilly and on average climbs about 100 m (328 ft) every 10 km (6.2 miles). There are a dozen or so drinking fountains along the way to help quench your thirst!
This area is famous for its lakes and the spectacular backdrop provided by the Alps. There are plenty of lakes to see in the Province of Varese, such as Lake Maggiore, Lake Monate, Lake Comabbio, Lake Biandronno, Lake Varese, Lake Brinzio, Lake Ganna, Lake Ghirla, Lake Montegrino Valtravaglia, Lake Delio and Lake Lugano.

The Main 7-Lake Tour also has an option of a shortcut that halves the length of the route and creates two loops:

• The easier version to the south is 62 km (38.5 miles) with an elevation gain of about 360 m (1,181 ft)

• The version to the north is 80 km (49.7 miles) with an elevation gain of about 900 m (2,953 ft).

DETAILS:

• Duration: 6 hours
• Distance: 116 km
• Difficulty: easy
• Starting point: Varese
• Arrival point: Gavirate