GUEST OPINION: Love letters to Lecchi
"I’m not an avid cyclist. In fact, I got a beautiful bike as a birthday present last June, and prior to my experience with inGamba, I had only…
”MORE THAN A DESTINATION OR TRIP. MORE THAN A BIKE TOUR. BEYOND ANYTHING WE HAD HOPED FOR IN A JOURNEY THAT WE WAITED 14 YEARS TO EXPERIENCE AND IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER.
Blake RStrade Guest 2024
25 Feb 2025
3 Mar 2025
The Strade Bianche experience
Our 2024 trip sold out in weeks so this is the first trip of 2025 which is now available to book!
Riders have been grinding gravel in Tuscany long before it became fashionable elsewhere. The region’s dusty backroads give an alternative view on this beautiful part of the world, and offer an enchanting glimpse into cycling’s golden age, when most bike races were run on unpaved roads and Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali were Europe’s biggest sporting superstars.
This trip gives you the opportunity to not only ride the Gran Fondo on the Sunday, but also get motivated by watching the pros ride this spectacular race on the Saturday.
The famous Strade Bianche weave through the Tuscan countryside unnoticed by most travelers, but they’re treasured by those in the know. There are undulating swathes of ochre and olive in every direction, crumbling stone walls and cypress-lined narrow strips of powdery gravel, climbs that bake in the sun, exposed hilltops, and twisting descents through vineyards. In short, they’re the best way to explore this part of the Bel Paese.
We’ve called Chianti home for years and this trip combines the very best gravel roads we know with some of our all-time favorite routes in Tuscany, giving you the best of both worlds in one truly unforgettable package.
Included With Trip:
- All lodging*
- All food and beverages**
- Pinarello Grevil+ Disk with SRAM RED eTap AXS
- Daily Bike Wash
- Custom Castelli × inGamba cycling kit
- Daily post-ride massage from a professional soigneur
- Laundry service for cycling clothing
*Pre/post-trip lodging is not included
**Beverages ordered by guests beyond normal amounts and away from group activities will incur additional charges
MEET THE GUIDES
EROS POLI
THE CHAMPION
The night before Eros Poli took victory atop Mont Ventoux he couldn’t sleep. It was not like he was dreaming of victory or even had the slightest idea the next day’s stage would change his life forever. It was just that it was hot. Unbearably, unsleepably hot in his less-than stellar French hotel. His roommate had taken his mattress off the bed and was sleeping on the small balcony outside their room. And the man who would shortly become known as Monsieur Ventoux was watching football, Italy vs. Brazil in the World Cup final, to be exact. Italy lost. The following morning as Eros dragged his weary, tired legs out of bed and down the stairs, as there was no lift, James Brown came into his head. “I feel good, I knew that I would now,” started to repeat over and over in his head. As it would the rest of the day. He felt good and the rest, as they say, is history.
Giorgio Valvassori
The Storyteller
You may hear the sweet, sweet notes wafting towards your window at Borgolecchi, as our resident aristocrat practices his new found love of the clarinet. We’re never quite sure if all of his stories are based on reality, but they are without a doubt highly entertaining. Probably the greatest tale Giorgio is prone to tell you is that he’s not really a cyclist. This yarn is not to be believed.
THE TRIP AT A GLANCE
START LOCATION:
Florence
FINISH LOCATION:
Florence
TOTAL ELEVATION:
7,221m
TOTAL DISTANCE:
425km
DAYS RIDING:
6
GROUP SIZE:
8-12
LONGEST DAY:
Day 6 – 138.5km
BIGGEST CLIMBING DAY:
Day 6 – 2,000m
DAY BY DAY BREAKDOWN
PINARELLO GREVIL+
The versatile GREVIL + from Pinarello is ready for anything. It can accommodate any kind of wheel or tyre combination, adapting to your every need, giving you the freedom to push the limits and compete with yourself.
WHEELSET:
Zipp
FRAMESET:
Pinarello Grevil+
COCKPIT:
ZIPP Service Course SL
TIRES:
Vittoria
GRUPPO:
SRAM RED eTap AXS
BOTTLE CAGES:
Elite
PEDALS:
Speedplay
BIDON:
Elite
SADDLE:
Prologo
COMPUTER:
Garmin Edge 1030
COLOUR:
InGamba Black
