L’Eroica in Gaiole in Chianti

The first weekend in October sees tens of thousands of pedlars and peddlers descend on the little Tuscan village of Gaiole in Chianti for a celebration of vintage bicycle culture.

Bikes of all sorts here, only requisite a bike built before 1987. None of those fancy feather-lite carbon racers. It’s all steel, including some wonderful old contraptions that Mulga Bill would have gladly traded for a horse.

A three day festival. A market where traders sell delicious Tuscan food and wine. Artisan gelato: my favourite, raspberry with rosemary. Live music and dancing. Piped music and dancing. People from all over the world. Friends swapping cycling stories. New friendships being formed.

And old bikes and bike stuff, heaps of it!

Steel frames from every era, old pedals, seats, stems, handlebars, gears, brakes, wheels (even wooden ones)… You can get any old bike bit you want or need here – everything from rusted cotter pins to beautiful as new “nuovo record” campagnolo group sets. Ancient looking bike lamps that could have once guided the Verona mail run. Cycling clothing too, traditional wool and imitation. Team names and brand logos that inspire memories of the races and champions of yesteryear that I used to read about in bike magazines or see on black and white TV footage.

A reminder too of how big and important cycling was to the revival of Italy after the debacle of WWII. The post war rivalry of Italian cycling champions Bartali and Coppi on these gravel roads that once inspired the nation became the inspiration 20 years ago for the birth of L’Eroica now an international phenomenon being replicated all over the world.

Then there is the ride. My friend Georgina and I have hired old bikes. They’re good, sturdy racers from the late 60s – early 70s, with what would have been high end components for that era. I only wonder how I will make it up the hills with such big looking gears.

Georgina is riding the 135km route, I’ve opted for the 209km one with over 3,700m of climbing and over 70km of the bianca strada or white roads as the gravel is called. I’m hoping my Dolomites cycling has prepared me enough. I set off in the dark with 2,000 others.

It’s exhilarating seeing the little dots of lights wiggling their way through the blackness, trusting that there is a good enough road under tyre to keep me upright and rolling forward.

The route winds its way along the back roads and hills of Chianti and Siena, through picturesque forest, pasture, olive groves, vineyards, tiny medieval villages. All of the time little traffic.

We start in fog and occasional drizzle. By mid-morning the sun appears revealing the majestic Tuscan landscape.

Our first section of bianca strada comes at Brolio, a steep climb along a famous cypress-flanked avenue lit only by torches. Luckily, Georgina and I had ridden here a couple of days ago, so I know what to expect and position myself well for the slippery bits. This part of the route was included a decade ago when the Ricasoli family gave permission for the ride pass by their home at Brolio Castle. Barone Ricasoli have been making wine here since 1141 making it the oldest wine producer in Italy and one of the oldest enterprises in the world. They are also discovered the formula used throughout the region for making the famous Chianti Classico wine.

It seems the whole region is involved in supporting the ride. At Montecasino, another winemaker has offered their winery as a checkpoint. A queue to have your card stamped, then wonderful platters of energy rich organic foods and wine (of course) to sustain the increasingly weary legs and lungs.

The afternoon is warm and humid, perfect weather for snakes! Later I discover I nearly ran over a venomous European asp or viper (Vipera aspis).

Bites from Vipera aspis can not only be very painful, but can kill you! In fact, this species is responsible for 90% of all cases of snakebite in Italy.

Apparently, you’ll soon know if you are bitten by a Vipera aspis. Symptoms include “rapidly spreading acute pain, followed by edema and discoloration. Severe hemorrhagic necrosis may occur within a few hours. Vision may be severely impaired and degradation of blood vessels in the eyes will ensue. Eventually, if untreated, the bite will lead to a nasty death due to renal failure”.

Here I was thinking that cycling was a benign pastime…

The late afternoon riding was incredibly enjoyable. The hills softened a little, the scenery even more stunning. As the earth rotated away from the sun, and the shadows lengthened, I found new reserves of energy undoubtedly reward for my dolomitic preparations.