When Rob first got in touch with us to say that he was staying down by Siena and wanted to do a couple of days riding in that area, we immediately knew what we could suggest: the classic and famous segments of the Strade Bianche, the first gravel segments of the Eroica and even a little taste of the Via Francigena. What cyclist could say no to that?!
One Bike Guide Plus Van Support
In order to make those rides possible we had a guide on the bike (Jason Fuller a.k.a. Tuscany.cc on Instagram) and Andrea (of Z Adventures) providing van support along with a coffee station and snack supplies. The package also included use of a 3T Ultra with some Pirelli Cinturato H tyres – ideal for the mix of road and gravel.
San Martino In Grania & Monte Sante Marie
We began on day one by driving from the hotel, the magnificent Castel Monastero resort, down to San Quirico d’Orcia. We then had a 78km ride back to the hotel with a not insignificant gain of almost 1500m! We began by following the Via Francigena in reverse – so traveling north – until we connected with the newest segment of the Strade Bianche: Seravalle. From there it was onto the most famous ling segments of San Martino in Grania and Monte Sante Marie. These have to be on every cyclist’s bucket list. You can’t fully appreciate the Strade Bianche race until you have ridden these gravel sectors yourself. We then had a smooth last few kilometers of tarmac to ride back to the hotel, just in time for lunch and a power nap to prepare for day 2…
Colle Pinzuto & Le Tolfe
The second day began by climbing up to over 700m on the old road to Monte Luco. The descent on asphalt took us to the winery of Castagnoli where vineyard after vineyard gave us many photo opportunities. On the short and gentle climb to Brolio we joined the initial kilometers of the Eroica and skirted around the imposing Castello di Brolio with its famous gravel driveway, an epic backdrop. But the main event was still to come: the gravel sectors of Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe. Where the longer segments are known for wearing riders down, these shorter segments, coming later in the race, often see vicious attacks such as Matthieu Van Der Poel’s in 2021 with an average of 738 watts for over a minute. Fortunately, we didn’t need to drop such watt bombs and with that final segment done it was time for a lift back to the hotel for some well-earned spa and pool time.
If you would like to arrange an epic, once in a lifetime ride on the Strade Bianche, get in touch!
