L’Eroica comes to California

L’Eroica, Tuscany’s famed gran fondo completed on vintage bikes and in retro clothing, is coming to California this spring.

L’Eroica’s unique premise is that participants may only use a bicycle that was built before 1988, with many riders using two-wheelers built prior to World War II, over a route that often uses Tuscany’s dirt and gravel ‘white roads’. The first-ever Eroica California will be held on April 12.

Eroica California will feature three route options (41, 65 and 123mi), all starting and finishing in downtown Paso Robles. Registration is limited to 1,000 riders and will cost US$150, with some of the proceeds going local non-profit Hospice of SLO County.

The weekend will also include a Classic Bicycle Concours in central Paso Robles and a Vintage Market, including classic bicycles, parts and other merchandise.

L’Eroica began 19 years ago in Tuscany when Giancarlo Brocci acted on his desire to reconnect others to the heritage that inspired much Italian sport, literature, culture and music. Because much of the ride takes place on Tuscany’s white roads, L’Eroica also led to efforts to protect and preserve the remaining gravel roads in Tuscany. Today the route is marked year-round in Tuscany.

Now the event has grown outside Italy. This year, there will be L’Eroica events in Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan. Bocci chose Paso Robles as the location for the first L’Eroica in the United States, and Wesley Hatakeyama, a long-time local resident and a former participant of L’Eroica Italy, will be serving as event director of L’Eroica California.

For more information visit www.eroicacalifornia.