White gravel roads, passion and the bicycle: since 1997 Eroica has celebrated the values of cycling with its romantic spirit. The event takes place in Gaiole in Chianti.
In Gaiole in Chianti (Siena), "holy week" began a few days ago — the prelude to one of the most eagerly awaited events in the cycling world, which has always taken place in early October: Eroica. We are talking about the legendary ciclostorica that this year celebrates its first 25 years. A great gathering, a race with neither winners nor losers, a journey through the beauty of Tuscany — but above all a monument to the values of cycling as it once was, evoked on gravel roads and vintage bicycles. This is Eroica, the joyful "Christmas on wheels" that unites the community of bicycle lovers: people prepare meticulously for the celebration of a ritual awaited with eager anticipation until autumn arrives, when at last everyone rides together and celebrates, chewing dust and savouring good wine.
For the twenty-fifth edition, around 9,000 cyclists are arriving from all over the world, seduced by the magic of the white gravel roads of Chianti and the Val d'Orcia. Thirty-eight per cent of participants come from abroad: as many as 1,200 from Germany, while other large groups come from Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France. The word has spread across the Atlantic too, with 130 cyclists from the United States, 34 from Australia and 30 from Canada. Men and women of different ages, social backgrounds and origins, ready to ride vintage machines and show off relics of the past — wool jerseys, leather helmets and an inner tube worn across the shoulder.
The Eroica regulations — which have set a benchmark in the world of ciclostoriche — require bicycles built before 1987, with brake cables running on the outside of the handlebars, the gear lever on the down tube and toe clips or cage pedals (meaning no quick-release cleats). The bike must be made of steel, though it may be a recent build provided it complies with these rules. Clothing must not strike a discordant note either: wool jerseys and padded shorts may be original vintage items or faithful reproductions. Attention to detail is never wasted, and elegance is rewarded by a dedicated competition — as are beards and moustaches.
Eroica is not a race; you ride for the love of it, choosing from 5 routes according to your own fitness level. Options range from the approachable 46 kilometres to the gruelling 209 kilometres, which represent a genuine challenge even for the most seasoned riders. You pedal through vineyards and olive groves, climbing and descending among the hills of Chianti, the Val d'Orcia and the Crete Senesi, passing through enchanting villages. Along the way there are various refreshment stops where you can pause to restore your energy with a bowl of ribollita, Tuscan "ciccia" or a piece of bread and olive oil accompanied by a good Chianti. You rediscover the pleasure of slow travel, of physical effort and of shared experience.
This year, for the first time, the event will be broadcast live on Rai3 and Rai Sport.
Thanks to the success of the event — which, among other things, "saved" the white gravel roads from being asphalted over — a "permanent route" was established, today frequented by thousands of cyclists from all over the world throughout all twelve months of the year. But there is more. From 2012 onwards, Eroica was "exported" abroad. In 2013 it arrived in Japan, where riders pedal through an incredible landscape that leads along "the black roads" (made of lava) at the foot of Mount Fuji, the sacred mountain.
In subsequent years it landed in many other countries, including Great Britain, California, Spain and South Africa. Many different Eroicas, each with unique characteristics and above all each a child of the romanticism that has always defined this event, since 1997.
