Our staff will meet you at Pisa International Airport and will accompany you to your hotel in Lucca. After a light lunch we‘ll be ready for our bike tune-up and a first warm up ride, also known as “sgambatella” in Italian slang, to prepare our legs for the days to come. From Lucca down-town, we will reach some of the most beautiful hills in a few minutes, surrounded by age-old olive groves and vineyards. After a refreshing aperitivo in one of the nicest local enotecas we will toast to the amazing week ahead. We will go back to the hotel and get ready for dinner in one of the finest restaurants in Lucca.

Meals: Dinner

Cycling: distance 35 km, elevation 500 meters

Pick-up location: Pisa International Airport

We will leave from Lucca passing through an amazing countryside and after a short gradual climb we’ll stop to admire the breath-taking view of Massaciuccoli and the Versilia coast. The composer Giacomo Puccini lived nearby and often went hunting around the lake and on a hill with a stunning view of the sea. We will ride downhill and pedal some kilometres flat before the gentle climb of Monte Pitoro. After this descent we’ll find our third climb 6.5 km long at 7% passing through Gombitelli, a tiny Medieval hamlet where we will come across the remnants of its famous castle and San Michele church. Here we will stop for a cyclist-friendly lunch. After a long slope we’ll pedal along the Serchio’s Valley before reaching Lucca where we will enjoy a well-deserved post-ride massage before reconvene for dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cycling: distance 80 km, elevation 600 meters

This morning we’ll set off to our first destination, San Gimignano. The first part of our route is pretty flat before we take on some gentle slopes heading towards San Miniato, a town made famous for its wine and white truffles. We’ll stop for lunch and we’ll savour flavour local wines and taste the delicious white truffles that have made this town famous. After lunch we will approach the Val D’Elsa cycling along the Via Francigena that will take us to San Gimignano, a medieval town where we will admire the beautiful La Rocca di Montestaffoli and the Torre Grossa. You will have time to relax before being ready for a traditional dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cycling: distance 85 km, elevation 1000 meters

After relishing our breakfast, we will set off for our next destination Siena, cycling along some ups and downs. The first uphill of the day will be the one that brings us up to Colle Val d’Elsa and Strove, a small village which was built in the 6th-century. After a brief stop to regenerate we will cycle along the via Francigena, passing through the amazing historical hamlet of Monteriggioni where we’ll stop for a light lunch, until we reach the Cassia, which we will cycle along to reach Siena. In the afternoon we will have time to relax and discover Siena before dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cycling: distance 75 km, elevation 800 meters

An unforgettable immersion into the Tuscan countryside in the Terre di Siena, evoking a bygone era in cycling history. We feel this ride is a once in a lifetime experience, to be savored with each pedal stroke. It is both unforgiving yet immensely rewarding – with stunning views of open landscapes near Siena, vineyards, cypress lined lanes, and dotted with small medieval villages along the way. Dusty, tough, challenging – a truly heroic effort is required for today’s ride!

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cycling: distance 80 km, elevation 1200 meters

This is the day of an unforgettable cycling showdown, when the top pro riders will battle it out on this dusty, rough battlefield called Strade Bianche. The weather at this time of year can be sunny and dry or cool and rainy, but whatever the conditions, it is surely one of the most exciting one day classic races here in Europe – not to be missed ! We will do our own early morning ride, then catch glimpses of the ride from its most exciting vantage points – for both the men’s and women’s pro race. And of course, we will be present at the finish line for the race, as the pros hammer up the final, steep, cobbled medieval streets of Siena, in preparation for the final mad sprint finish into Siena’s spectacular Piazza del Campo – arriving triumphantly like Roman gladiators after an excruciatingly, long, bloody battle.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cycling: distance 50 km, elevation 500 meters

Today we will test ourselves on the occasion of the Granfondo Strade Bianche alongside thousands of other cycling enthusiasts. Our equipment won’t let us down, as we will be riding high spec, perfectly maintained carbon bikes. Our pro mechanic will always be nearby, just in case of any mechanicals caused by the brutal race conditions.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Gran fondo – Distance: 142.5 km of which 54.7 km gravel Elevation Gain: 2,250 m

or

Medio fondo – Distance: 86.8 km of which 21.6 km are gravel Elevation Gain: 1.350 m

This morning we will surely reminisce over an espresso, about our Tuscan cycling exploits of the past week – and revel in our new friendships, which will last a lifetime, built by true cycling camaraderie and love of this amazing sport.

Meals: Breakfast

Drop-off: Pisa International Airport