- Ride L’Eroica for an unforgettable experience in Tuscany – Bianchi and Thomson Bike Tours have teamed up to create the most authentic Italian cycling experience, a challenge on a vintage bike recalling the feats of cycling’s past champions. The L’Eroica powered by Bianchi experience from Sept 25 – Oct 2 will see you take on excursions across Tuscany’s Strade Bianche in style and luxury, topped off by a ride in the original vintage event – L’Eroica in Gaiole in Chianti. The first 6 days of the trip will take in performance rides on the very modern Infinito CV through the Chianti countryside, covering 658km of riding. Then on Sunday riders will swap over to a proper vintage bike for the Eroica gran fondo. you’ll even get a chance to buy a modern vintage Bianchi L’Eroica-certified bike at a discount after the event, handmade in Italy from Columbus steel tubing and painted in traditional Celeste with chrome lugs and fork ends – the only modern bike in the world certified by the Eroica committee to be used in their events. Details, schedule, and pricing at: ThomsonBikeTours.com.
Check out plenty more places to ride after the break…
Where to ride
- Go retro in France this June with Anjou Vélo Vintage festival – Anjou Vélo Vintage is a weekend event packed with riding and good times with fellow vintage bike aficionados. Whether you are looking to ride from 30 to 120km on your retro bike there are 5 different routes planned to suit all tastes. A couple of routes are sold out, but there are plenty left to let you explore the paved & gravel roads of the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Natural Regional Park area in western France. Besides riding and geeking out on classic bikes, there are plenty of concerts and swing dancing to be had to keep the evenings filled. Anjou-Velo-Vintage.com
- Pre-ride the UCI new Middle East Cycling Tour for Peace finishing in Jerusalem – This pre-event ahead of the inaugural Middle East Cycling Tour for Peace will take riders through Jordan and Israel before the UCI race comes to town. The MECTP will be a 7 day, 600 km multi-country UCI stage race in the Middle East, hoping to attract regional riders. The pre-ride will start in Amman on April 24 and finish in Jerusalem April 27 with a group of riders taking on different parts of the 2018 route. MEPTour.com
- Follow along on a 3125km roadtrip across southern Norway this May – Starting in a few weeks German photographers Laura Drosse & Constantin Gerlach will hop in a van to spend 2 weeks cruising around southern Norway to explore the countryside. There’ll be some bikes along the way, but it’ll be just as much about experiencing the change in weather along the way. It’s something we like to keep tabs on, of for no other reason to scope out another place we’d like to ride. Follow along via Instagram.com/onthenorway.
- Take on the 9th Zillertal Bike Challenge MTB stage race this summer – From June 30 – July 02 join beginners, amateurs, and pros as they battle it out in the 3-day Austrian mountain bike stage race. There will be spectacular Alpine climbs, gravel road traverses, and technical singletrack descending all with panoramic views of the mountains. Then to finish, you’ll arrive onto the Hintertux Glacier at 2700m for a unique end to the weekend of racing. More info and registration at: Zillertal.at.
- Saalfelden Leogang is getting ready to welcome riding season in the Alps again – Every European mountain biker should know about biking in Saalfelden Leogang. No matter if you are a lover of flow trails, a DH addict, or someone looking to try out an eMTB or beginners sticking more to the valley, the region has plenty to offer. Opening Weekend is fast approaching at Leogang’s bikepark on May 12-14. Just one of many reasons to get your bike prepared for a new season.
Contest
- Liv’s Trail Squad contest is now live – Just a quick update from a couple of weeks back… everything is running now with the winners to ride away on a new Pique and all the gear to start training, plus Pro athlete advice from the Liv squad to train and improve their riding skills, then finally the opportunity to attend one of the top XC races worldwide all on Liv’s dime. Apply to be a part of the Liv Trail Squad with a 60 second video on Instagram with #HowWeLiv AND #TrailSquad. Share on Facebook and Twitter for bonus points, then email the TrailSquad. More info at Liv-Cycling.com
