When I first came across L’Eroica I was warned that once I took part the risk of getting “infected” by the Eroica virus would be very high. After riding L’Eroica in 2015 for the first time (135km route) I got hooked immediately and I bought the domain eroica.at in order to write down and share my experiences of this beautiful event in Tuscany.
L’Eroica (“The Heroic”) is an annual cycling event in the Chianti region in Tuscany, Italy. It started in 1997 and was initiated by a local guy called Giancarlo Brocci who came up with the idea to create an homage to vintage cycling while at the same time preserving the beautiful white gravel roads in Tuscany (“Strade Bianche”). The event started pretty small but has turned into a huge festival over the years with around 7’000 participants in its 20th edition.
There are four routes ranging from 46km (“Leisure Route”), 75km (“Short Route”), 135km (“Medium Route”) up to the “Long Route” of 209km which is Eroica at its most authentic. For the XX Edizione of L’Eroica a new 115km route has been added, the so-called “Chiani Classico Route”.
What you need to participate is a vintage bicycle (built up to and including 1987) made of steel with downtube shifters, brake cables that pass outside and over the handlebars as well as classic pedals with cages (modern clip-less pedals are not allowed).
In addition, participants are encouraged to wear vintage or vintage-style cycling gear, such as wool jerseys and shorts.
What makes L’Eroica quite challenging is the fact that more than 50% of the routes are gravel roads (“Strade Bianche”), it’s quite hilly with climbs up to 15% and all this needs to be ridden on a vintage bike with narrow racing tyres and a gearing ratio that was typical for the 1970s or 80s. There are even guys riding on much older bicycles with single speed gearing. Some of them take up the challenge of the long route and succeed – true heroes indeed!
The most important thing: L’Eroica is everything but a race. It’s an adventure and a challenge. It’s passion and emotion. It’s a festival that celebrates the beauty of cycling and the delights of La Dolce Vita.
“We want people to rediscover the beauty of fatigue and the thrill of the conquest”
Giancarlo Brocci, Creator of L’Eroica
Next chapter: Finding the right bike