L'Eroica: inside the race

We have already talked about 'L'Eroica', a unique race based in Gaiole in Chianti that lets cyclists ride vintage bikes on the dirt roads nearby Siena. It's an event famous all over the world and a real must for all lovers of 'heroic' cycling, that every year comes back to life during this wonderful event. After having described roads, landscapes and dress-code, this time we are trying to take you "inside" the race, and let you understand  how it feels to live this adventure. This year Paolo, with his team Tuscany Ride a Bike, led a group of cyclists who came from various countries, to take part in this incredible experience. When we ask what it means to be here, Paolo tells us that it's an exciting but very tiring challenge: "Only those who have tried it, knows what it means to ride 50km or more on a bicycle that counts 14-15kg, running gears that on modern bikes, (only 7-8kg), are used in plains. You can't relax even downhill because you need to be very careful not to fall on those gravel roads, to govern slim wheels and brakes, which of course aren't those used on modern a Mtb! What drives you to do it ?! The unique emotion that you can feel in this competition can't be easily described: far from the stress of competitive races, in Gaiole in Chianti, you can test on your own skin the spirit of ancient cycling. In this way everone can understand the determination and the passion that animated those extraordinary people who made the history of our sport, as Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali; infact, the legendary tuscan cyclist, started from these roads to win 3 'Giro d'Italia' and 2 'Tour de France' (as well as several other races), and actually represents more than anyone else an era of sports, now gone away but whose values are unforgotten. Only in 'L'Eroica' you can meet so many fans of this world, with whom is possible to share the experience of 'heroic' cycling. Then, if  we consider the beauty of landscapes and the magic atmosphere after the race, the scenario is complete. At the end of the day, when the participants relax eating tuscan food, drinking Chianti wine and sharing the most entertaining stories about the day, already starts the countdown for the edition 2017 "