It’s a Friday morning different from usual. Wake up at seven, shower, coffee and drive to Tuscany. What could be better than celebrating one’s birthday by treating oneself to a bikepacking adventure with a gravel bike and in the company of two friends? Gilberto and Martin are waiting for me in Massa: that’s where we will start for the Tuscany Trail 2020.
After three hours of highway travel, I finally managed to get out of the traffic and reach the parking lot of the summer camp. Some cyclists are already involved in the pre-departure operations and I think I’m behind schedule. Actually, I’m not in a hurry: over the next few days, I will just have to cycle and enjoy it, without looking at the clock – except to make sure I find a table for dinner at the end of each stage. Yes, because the Tuscany Trail is not a race and I will be able to take a break from the daily routine and do what I wish, without stress. Nonetheless, I change quickly, pump up the tires of the bike and hope that I have not forgotten anything of the essential equipment for the trail. I finally go to pick up my “race” packet and attach the “Tuscany Trail” table to my bike bag with ties. Finding myself at the start of my first Tuscany Trail, on my birthday, after spending the past months that we all know, is like having already arrived at the finish line. I filled my water bottles and finally pressed the start button on the GPS navigator: let’s go for the Tuscany Trail 2020!