By now most road riders know of the classic Eroica gran fondo events that roll classic, pre-1987 bikes out to ride classic roads, always including a mix of pavement and gravel. The retro bikes have been doing it for more than 20 years from its renaissance on the white roads of Tuscany. But now we’ve all caught up and want to ride the same mix of asphalt & dirt on our modern road bikes too!
Now you don’t need to dig up an old deathtrap to get the same experience. Nova events in Sienna, California, and now Britain mean you can ride your modern carbon gravel wunder-bike too! Not timed races overall, the Novas go the enduro route, letting you cruise to have a good time and then pin it on select timed segments to satisfy the competitive urges.
For the Nova Eroica Britannia you can ride 86 tough miles (138km) in the Peak District on Saturday, June 16. Then on Sunday you can do it again on a slightly different course for the classic Eroica Britannia on your old bike, decked out in wool & tweed. See which one is fastest, and enjoy the weekend’s bustling festival atmosphere. But act fast, spaces are quite limited for the modern bike version, and it’s likely to sell out soon.
