An unmissable event every first Sunday of October for the historic race dedicated to vintage cycling, through that Chianti which is among the most beautiful landscapes in Italy
A small town in the province of Siena, in Tuscany, Gaiole in Chianti is beautifully nestled among the Chianti hills. And it is famous not only for its winemaking tradition, but also for a unique event in Italy: it is L'Eroica, a bicycle race that refers to ancient times.
Every first Sunday of October L'Eroica is an unmissable event for yesterday's cycling enthusiasts, the one that was run on dirt roads and that - today - is brought back to the scene by amateurs, on their vintage bicycles. Because it is much more than a cycling race, L'Eroica: here it is also the aesthetics that count, with the bikes to be admitted before 1987 and the cyclists who pedal in tight-fitting T-shirts wearing vintage caps.
For the occasion, bicycles from the early twentieth century are taken out of cellars and attics. Maybe, memories of grandparents and great-grandparents. And you put yourself in the saddle by choosing the path to each one more appropriate: the simplest is the Piccolo Chianti, 46 kilometers long. Then there are the 81 km short course with a 1500 meter drop, the 106 km hundred course and the middle course - Crete of 135. Finally, the most "strong" (which is permanent): 209 kilometers between the Val d 'Arbia and Montalcino, through Castiglio del Bosco, Asciano, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda (possibly with recommended stops and refreshments).
The history of L'Eroica began in 1997. And if at that time there were 92 members, today the organizers had to introduce a closed number: maximum 7000 participants - the "heroes", precisely - who compete in a competition that rather than competition, it enhances the beauty of fatigue and the taste of the company.
And while cyclists pedal (arriving here a little from all over the world, from Germany in the first place but also from England, Switzerland, the United States, France and Poland), those who do not ride on a bicycle can enjoy all the magic of a Gaiole in Chianti festively decorated, with stalls and music and theater shows, and with banquets selling old cycling memorabilia.
The Eroica
in Gaiole in Chianti you ride between vintage bikes
and vintage cycling
