L’Eroica:
135 km of nostalgia
How cycling was in the times of legends like the “champion of the champions” Fausto Coppi and the amaranthine “Iron Man” Gino Bartali? That’s what Giancarlo Bocci wanted to recreate with L’Eroica. What started in 1997 turned into an event that today is celebrated by thousands on locations throughout the world. For us, however, the real experience is only on the gravel roads of Tuscany. Our buddy Alex joined the Vivi Kola team at the classic L’Eroica ride in Gaiole. Team Vivi Kola wore classic merino wool jerseys Alex recreated for them. These jerseys and some more are now available at Le Picot as part of our Heritage collection.
L’Eroica was born in 1997 in the province of Siena, Italy. In the first years, only a couple hundred cyclists participated. When my group arrived in 2013 it was over 6000 entered. The founder, Giancarlo Bocci, wanted to celebrate the historic golden era 1940–1950s when Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali split Italy into two fan bases. Bocci wanted the historic “Strada Bianca” gravel roads of Tuscany to provide the perfect course for the event. To experience “the beauty of fatigue and the thrill of conquest”, as he put it. Make today’s cyclists experience what the real cyclists did in the 1930–50s. The rules of L’Eroica are simple: road bikes must be made before 1987 with visible brake cables, friction shifters for derailleurs and participants should wear vintage wool jerseys and shorts of the era. Modern carbon and aluminum racing bikes are not allowed. Don’t even think about showing up with MTB or modern polyester team jersey or you will be shamed like Cersei in Game Of Thrones!
A few months before the event, I was in contact with a group of German and Swedish friends who wanted to ride L’Eroica. I was the most hardcore vintage bike collector in the group. I offered to produce the wool jerseys and shorts so we could be a team. The same jersey makes finding each other easy and makes for great photos.
At Eroica, you see all body types and levels of fitness. My group was “lean cuisine”, i.e., fit cyclists. This particular year I had Vivi Kola as the sponsor and hence Vivi Kola wool jerseys. I had a feeling the other cyclists would come to respect the Vivi Kola power train once we went past them!
L’Eroica has several route options and our group chose 135 km. I planned to ride in the back of our support car and document the event on celluloid. That’s film to the young digital kids. I would use Super 8 film for motion pictures and 35mm film for still photos. Film has a soul that captures the vintage feel of L’Eroica in the correct way.
Gaiole is the village where L’Eroica starts and finishes. On the first weekend of October the town balloons from 2300 population to over 10,000. Saturday is registration day and also the famed vintage bike market. Vintage cycling shoes, used racing bicycles, spare parts, wool jerseys, posters, and endless Italian hand gestures abound. I heard a bike dealer, with cigarette precariously held between his lips, say “Caro? Ascoltami, questo e introvabile!” Every Italian dealer of antiques has to throw in the word introvabile. Unfindable. He said so.
After registration, our group returned to the hotel some 40 minutes away. The historic manor was north of Siena and surrounded by beautiful vineyards and a view of the warm Tuscan sunset. The landscape, the smells and sounds of the Tuscan countryside assured us this cycling weekend would be magical. We all tried to get a good night’s sleep on Saturday night for Sunday’s event.
Riding L’Eroica is a great joy. Shooting photos allowed me to see thousands of colorful cyclists pass by waving to the camera. I felt a kinship to them all.
Early Sunday morning, with disheveled hair and heavy eyelids, we drove off into the darkness to Gaiole. Bags of clothes, water bottles, shoes, bike frames, and wheels were stuffed into every available space in the car. Like dogs excited to visit the dog park, we too became more energetic when we saw cyclists with halogen lamps riding to the starting line. Anticipation was in the air.
Our team got to the start line and within minutes they were off with thousands of other vintage-clad cyclists. We drove ahead of the group about 3–4 km to set up the tripod for a scenic shot of the riders coming out of the forest and into the morning light. By 07:15 the skies were a bright, crystal blue. Ancient Italian villas dotting the landscape and I wished we had more time to take in the beauty.
Riding L’Eroica is a great joy. Shooting photos from the car and the side of the road allowed me to see thousands of colorful cyclists pass by waving to the camera. I felt a kinship to them all.
Every 30 km is a rest stop where cyclists can enjoy much-needed food and refreshment. Bananas, bread, honey, salami, grapes, soup, wine, water, and song are offered. I loved walking up and down the road while inspecting some beautiful vintage racing bicycles of my fellow “Appassionati”. One hears languages from all over the world: Australia, Japan, Sweden, Singapore, Finland, etc. One common thread that we all share is our love of historic bike racing.
The hills along the course pose a big challenge to the old cyclists with heavy 1920-40s bikes. Many cyclists opted to walk up the gravel hills while fit cyclists danced up them with little effort. Broken chains, flat tires, cracked frames, unfortunate wrecks, and everything in between can be seen along the course. One Austrian rider had a broken chain and was standing alone by the side of the road. I said, “if you hold onto the back door frame I will tow you to the next rest stop.” Four km later I got him to the repair station and continued on.
After eight hours on the bike, our group arrived at the finish line to great fanfare. Gaiole, normally a sleepy Tuscan town, is now Cinderella for the weekend. Bands are playing, photos being taken, backs being patted, and stories being compared. The old Italians peer down from their apartment above the finish line and take in all the excitement that comes to the village once every 365 days. A feeling of accomplishment awaits everyone at the finish line. By 19:00 our group is back at the hotel to freshen up and have our last supper together. The next morning, we say our goodbyes and depart for home. The L’Eroica weekend went by too fast and next years can’t come soon enough. Until then, nostalgia will keep the dream alive.
The wool jerseys of the Vivi Kola team are a reminder of the sponsorship of Vivi Kola, the Swiss Cola. During the golden years of cycling in Switzerland, the winners wore these jerseys while emptying a cool bottle of Vivi Kola in front of the public and cameras. The current jerseys were redesigned by our friend Christian, the owner of Vivi Kola. For our Heritage Collection we knitted jerseys for women for the first time. We knit the jerseys from the finest merino wool and embroider them by hand like in the good old days. Have a look at our webshop! Oh, and if your cycling team is planning to participate in the Eroica or just needs unique jerseys for themselves, contact me at woolistic.com. Woolistic has been a leading manufacturer of individually designed wool cycling jerseys and sweaters for racing teams since 1999.
Alex
