My pulse is hammering against my temples, my thighs are burning and the jersey is scratching my skin like steel wool. Although I'm using everything my legs and lungs have to offer, I just about manage not to lose my balance. Down into the saddle, reach for the down tube and push the gear lever all the way back. But the chain is already on the largest sprocket: 26 teeth at the back, 42 at the front - my ten-kilo Tommasini racer, built in 1987, doesn't have an easier gear to offer. It's unbelievable that something like this was once considered a real mountain gear.
I tighten the leather straps that bind my feet to the pedals and ask myself: what devil has possessed us to cross the Alps on racing bikes from the 70s and 80s? Our devil has an illustrious name: "L'Eroica", the heroic one. This world-famous festival and race in Tuscany attracts enthusiasts and collectors of historic racing bikes from all over the world to Gaiole in Chianti every year on the first weekend in October.
You can find the entire article about the 5-day tour as a PDF download below.
GPS DATA: TOUR offers the tour data for free download. You can download the tracks in GPX format directly onto a GPS device or view them on your computer in Google Earth or Google Maps.
