Yesterday, Sunday 2 June, saw the conclusion of the second edition of GeoGravel Tuscany, the gravel event created by Paolo Bettini to make the wonder of the Strade Grigie known to the world.
Nearly 250 participants arrived from all over Italy in Pomarance (PI) last weekend to enjoy three days of partying, music, and cycling in the land of Tuscan geothermal energy.
Three days that began on Friday, 31 May, with the inauguration of the GeoVillage set up in the ‘Piazzone’ of Pomarance, which housed the stands of the various partners, kitchens ready to churn out typical local dishes, and a marquee inside which local groups performed on the first evening.
On the afternoon of the following day, Saturday 1 June, there was the departure of the 18 courageous people who tackled the Ultra route - 250 km with over 5000 metres of altitude difference - while in the evening, the Piazzone was the scene of the big party, set ablaze by the music of Saturnino, Jovanotti's historic bass player, whose sound made hundreds of people, who had arrived in Pomarance from all over Tuscany and beyond, go wild.
On Sunday morning more than 200 people set off to discover the uniqueness of the geothermal territory, divided into three routes: Short (46 km), Medium (77 km) and Long (110 km).
Among them were the great guests of GeoGravel Tuscany 2024: Paolo Kessisoglu, Marco Bandiera, and Luca Paolini, already present at the first edition, joined this year by names of the calibre of Giovanni Visconti, the CT of the national team Daniele Bennati, and ‘the Lion of Flanders’ Johan Museeuw.
Participants were able to discover timeless villages such as Libbiano, Querceto, Canneto, and Serrazzano, travel dozens of kilometres along the Strade Grigie immersed in lunar landscapes amidst Mediterranean scrub and oak woods, and then of course the green power of geothermal energy, of which Larderello is the world capital, with its power plants and sulphurous water springs that make this territory unique in the Italian panorama.
Back at the Piazzone, all participants were able to enjoy the pasta party that closed the event, where old and new friends toasted to this three-day celebration on the Strade Grigie, to the success of the second edition of GeoGravel Tuscany.
These are the words of Paolo Bettini, creator of the event: ‘Having archived the second edition of GeoGravel Tuscany on the rise, we are now certain that it is a type of event that is liked and increasingly successful. This is true both for the more strictly ‘gravel’ part - a movement that is clearly growing also in Tuscany, a region that is perfect for this type of activity - and for the GeoFestival, where this year we had the extraordinary performance of the international artist Saturnino, who made the Saturday evening memorable. I would like to thank all the people and organisations that support GeoGravel and make it possible, starting with the municipal administration of Pomarance, the guys of Velo Etruria Pomarance, and of course all our invaluable partners. What can I say, I give everyone an appointment here for next year, for an edition of GeoGravel Tuscany that will surely be even more beautiful.’