← All eventsL'Eroica
Vintage 'ciclostorica' heritage ride from Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany — the origin of the whole eroica gravel movement. 46-209km with ~112km of white gravel on the long route (~3,768m). Non-competitive, ridden on pre-1987 steel bikes. ~8,000 riders. Next edition ~2 Oct 2027 (approximate).
The ride that started the whole white-gravel movement. L'Eroica sends around 8,000 riders out from Gaiole in Chianti every first weekend of October, on pre-1987 steel bikes with downtube shifters and toe-clips.
The long route runs 209km with roughly 3,768m of climbing, and over half of it, some 112km, is on the strade bianche: the loose white gravel of the Crete Senesi and Val d'Orcia.
It is not a race and not a mountain day. It is a relentlessly rolling all-day test of durability and bike handling, 12 to 15 hours on deliberately old kit. The bike is the point, and it will humble you.
Is L'Eroica for you?
- Riders drawn to the history, not a result. This is a non-competitive heritage ride, so finishing on a period bike is the whole reward.
- Patient diesels who ride steady for hours. The long route rewards durability across 12 to 15 hours, not sharp power.
- Confident hands on loose surfaces. With over 100km of white gravel on skinny tyres, handling and line choice matter as much as fitness.
- Riders who enjoy tinkering with old bikes. Pre-1987 steel with downtube shifters and toe-clips is a hard rule, so mechanical patience is part of the deal.
Training plan for L'Eroica
A training plan for L'Eroica isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- Over 100km of loose white gravel on narrow tyres, where traction and line choice decide your day
- Roughly 3,768m of climbing that never lets up: relentless rolling, not big cols
- 12 to 15 hours in the saddle on the long route, often finishing near 10pm
- A vintage steel bike with friction shifting and marginal brakes to nurse the whole way
- Long Z2 rolling rides, 3 to 6 hours on hilly terrain, building duration week by week
- Long gravel rides, 3 to 5 hours on loose surface, so durability and handling grow together
- Back-to-back weekends, a long Saturday plus a medium Sunday, for cumulative fatigue
- Hours on the actual vintage bike from the build block on, until its position and gearing feel normal
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
