If you are unable to participate in the Eroica vintage cycling event in Tuscany (Italy) at the beginning of October, you can still complete the course whenever you want. It has become a permanent route with direction indicators for several years now.
For those who don't know Eroica: it is an annual cycling race for cycling enthusiasts in almost pre-war conditions. The participants of the Eroica must ride a bicycle from before 1987 on the course, which consists largely of unpaved roads (the so-called “strade bianche”).
You can choose from different distances. Those who want to brave the entire circuit must cover no less than 200 km and pass, among other things, the Chianti region, the Crete Senesi and the Val d’Orcia. The most beautiful of Tuscany, you drive between vineyards, olive trees, picturesque villages, grain fields, rock formations, forests and much more.
Permanent route of 209km
You can of course cover the total distance of 209.1 km in 1 go, but that is more for the avid cycling enthusiast. It is recommended to complete the tour in 2 or 3 days to allow enough time to enjoy the beautiful regions you cross and to visit the towns that lie along the route.
There are also plenty of holiday homes along the route that, in addition to sleeping places, also have washing machines and bicycle sheds where you can wash your bicycle and repair it if necessary.
If you want a lasting memory of this heroic journey, you can get, through the organization of Eroica a diploma . At the start in Gaiole in Chianti you buy a stamp card for €5 on which you have to collect 6 stamps that you get at the various intermediate points on the route.
In exchange for your full stamp card, you will receive your Eroica diploma upon arrival. You can also request the stamp card by email at info@animatoscana.it. The price is €10 and in addition to the stamp card you will also receive a road book with a plan and elevation profile of the course.
If you want to ride this route in the same conditions as the historic cycling race Eroica, you use a steel vintage racing bike with gear levers on the frame, regular pedals with straps and you dress in retro wool bib shorts and jersey.
Route description
The trail starts and ends in the Chianti Classico town of Gaiole in Chianti. There are no less than 90 direction indicators and 80 signs with kilometer indications along the route, so you can't go wrong. The course is split into 5 zones:
- The Chianti region
- The region Siena Valdarbia
- The aerea around Montalcino
- The Val d'Orcia
- The Crete Senesi
From Gaiole in Chianti you drive through the beautiful Chianti region towards Siena, passing the picturesque towns of Radda in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti. Just before the city walls of Siena you will find yourself on the beautiful cypress-lined strade bianche of the Crete Senesi. You pass the picturesque village of Murlo and find yourself in a region rich in testimonials from the Etruscan era.
You continue until Castiglion del bosco where the street starts to rise up to Montalcino. This stretch of strade bianche is one of the most difficult and was the setting of a heroic stage in the Giro d'Italia in 2010, with the stage winner being then world champion Cadel Evans. You are now driving between the vineyards of the famous Brunello di Montalcino and before you realize it you leave the Val d'Orcia for the Val d'Asso.
At Torrenieri you leave the asphalt for the road of Cosona, one of the most beautiful strade bianche in Tuscany. Following this street you first come to the small village of Lucignano d'Asso and then to San Giovanni d'Asso, famous for its truffles, the so-called Oro Bianco (white gold) of the Crete Senesi.
Only 10 km now separate you from the beautiful picturesque town Buonconvento, one of the most beautiful villages in Tuscany and the perfect place to catch your breath on a terrace. After a short stage on the Via Francigena pilgrimage route, you will return to the region of the Crete Senesi where you will find the via di Montauto and the ascent of Monte Sante Marie mountain from which you will get a beautiful view of the desserto di Accona.
After these intense stretches of strade bianche you first arrive in the village of Asciano and then in Castelnuovo Berardenga and thus back in the Chianti region
In the last part of the Eroica you cycle again through vineyards and olive groves and you pass Radda in Chianti and the picturesque hamlet of Vertine before finally cycling back to Gaiole in Chianti.
Technical characteristics course Eroica
- Condition of the roads: asphalted and gravel roads
- Strade bianche: 15 strips with a total distance of 107.7 km
- Type of Bicycle: gravelbike, mountainbike or vintage steel bicycle if you want to do it in Eroica style
- For who: cyclists with experience and good condition
- Startpoint: Gaiole in Chianti
- Distance: 209,1 km
- Highest point: 605 m (Poggio di Montalcino)
- Dislevel: circa 3860 m
- Maximum rate of increase: 20% on white roads
- Difficulty: if you divide the total distance over 3 days or more, the course is very doable for the experienced cycling enthusiast.
