Il Grillo' tells it well:
"A sort of parallel universe suddenly opened up to me, no longer made up of traffic, horns, dangerous crossroads and exasperated agonism, but of paths, silence, streams to wade through, roads of (grey) gravel on which to pedal just for the fun of it.
Hence the idea: why not organise an event that would enhance this magical place?
A territory waiting to be discovered, from Chianti to the Etruscan Coast, from the hills to the sea, passing through extraordinary natural phenomena such as geysers and boraciferous fumaroles, which make the landscape almost lunar. I asked for a helping hand from my good friends at Sportful, with whom I have been collaborating for many years now, and here we are, announcing the first edition of GeoGravel Tuscany together: not just a cycling event, but a true gravel festival."
The event will begin on the morning of Saturday 23 September with the opening of the GeoVillage in Pomarance (PI), the real beating heart of the event, which will host the start of all the rides as well as concerts and food and wine stands. At 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, the bravest will set off to tackle the 250 km ‘Ultra’ route, while on Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., the Long, Medium, and Short rides will start.
The grand finale will be hosted at the GeoVillage, from 12 pm onwards, where all participants will gather for the pasta party that will conclude the event.
Here are all the specifications of the four planned routes, the programme and how to register. The collaboration between Sportful and Paolo Bettini has allowed them to conquer the most coveted goals in the world of cycling: two rainbow jerseys and Olympic Gold in Athens 2004.
From now on, their palmares are enriched with a new colour. The unprecedented, fairytale-like and unique colour of the Strade Grigie.