Bassano Club House

Jan 10, 2025

The southern gateway to the Alps.

On a gray December morning, I drove to Bassano del Grappa, situated on the beautiful Brenta River, right at the foot of Monte Grappa. It's an epic sight: a mighty river flowing through the town, with the misty mountains beyond. A wooden bridge designed by Alessandro Palladio—the famed 15th-century architect commissioned by the Doge of Venice to design magnificent villas in Veneto, luring Venetian nobility to the countryside—spans the Brenta River and leads you directly to the doors of the Bassano Club House. I was there to meet Ben Williams, the Club House's Store, Events, and Brand Partnership Manager, or BCH.

Walking through Bassano, you immediately sense that this place is different from the rest of the north. It seems more prosperous, and the people are very proud of their town's history. They have always been pioneers in art, engineering, and especially in the distillation of grappa. Today, the mountains surrounding the town are a popular destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, canoeing, and cycling – all year round. It's no wonder that many companies and bicycle frame builders have sprung up in this region. Basso Cycles also originated here and gave birth to the idea of the BCH.

The 6-pillar concept

Standing in front of the 18th-century building that houses the Club House, you'll see six pillars supporting the main entrance. The folks at BCH took this as inspiration for their Bike Experience Hub: a café, hotel, retail, events, workshops, and bike rental. Founded in 2024 by the Basso family, it quickly became a meeting place for cyclists from all over Northern Italy. The geographical location is ideal for connecting road cycling enthusiasts with mountain bikers; even the guys from GCN recently visited the Club House and explored the region together. The clear goal is to connect international cycling culture with the locals and offer everything you need for a great biking experience. Weekly social rides, exciting events, a café, and the recently opened BCH Hotel create a perfect playground for cyclists.

Even on this gray, foggy day—definitely not an ideal cycling day, at least not by Italian standards—I sat with Ben in the café area, surrounded by a few young riders discussing the tuning of their suspension forks while older ladies enjoyed their morning cappuccinos. Talking to him gave me a better understanding of what it means to run a place like this.

On this day, the shop was decorated for Christmas like a small luxury boutique.

For me, as an Austrian growing up in post-Iron Curtain Vienna, the Italian style of design has always been fascinating—and perhaps a little intimidating—as it seems to consider everything before I even realize it exists. Admiring a place like this perfectly describes what Gravelation.com stands for. It's the great beauty of cycling in Europe: around every corner, you discover something unexpected, and we should revel in the wealth of culture that unfolds before us as we travel to different countries.

The BCH captivates you, leading you from one corner to the next. Time and again, you come across a special bike in a limited-edition color that makes you feel like you're in a sacred place of cycling culture. On this day, the shop was decorated like a small luxury boutique, with giant Christmas baubles hanging from the ceiling. In the workshop, people were already preparing for an evening bike care event, sipping espresso and discussing the best setup for winter rides.

In the backyard, it felt more like the famous Getty Museum in Venice than a hotel. There are several rooms to accommodate groups of cyclists, and breakfast, yoga, and stretching classes are offered in the morning. The BCH can accommodate up to 12 people, and Ben's company, Epic Italy, organizes cycling holidays in the region. You can find all the links at the bottom of the article.

My conversation with Ben shifted from Basso Cycles and their vision for the retail portfolio, featuring brands like Fizik, Pedaled, Fulcrum, Castelli, Basso, and Lee Cougan, to bikepacking and cycling holidays. Ben explained to me that each brand at the BCH has its own space and can host events or parties there. I understood the BCH as a place that's constantly evolving—you can drop in once a month and always discover something new. I'm excited to see how things develop over the next few years and look forward to participating in one of the social rides this spring.

We at ape-zero.com will be offering a select range of gravel bikes starting in fall 2025 and will be testing these bikes to write reviews and testimonials. Our goal is to provide as much information about the products as possible on our website—and we also saw the Bassano Club House as a great opportunity for testing and reporting.

Also check out the video from GCN.