TUSCANY TRAIL 2022

It is a hot Monday afternoon in late May. I’m in Sorano, the third to last village I meet along the Tuscany Trail. Together with Andrea and Daniele, met on the track a few hours earlier, I order a sandwich with ham and pecorino. The waiter from the shop on the outskirts of the village comes back a few minutes later with a layer of bread, cheese and sliced meat 7/8 cm high – the Tuscan-style bar, the charge it takes for the last 80 km.

It is the second time that I find myself putting together the memories of a Tuscany Trail. But what should I tell about a bikepacking in Tuscany, in the company of 3,000 people from all over the world, on the gravel roads without repeat what has been said hundreds of times? I think back to that Sorano sandwich and the chat with my travel companions on the last of three days of adventure. Memories come back to mind, intense like the exceptional heat of a weekend at the end of May. I think back to the smiles of the bikepackers who ride their overloaded bikes, to the moments when I thought I was alone on the trail and instead another person would appear behind or just ahead of me – and the wonderful feeling of never feeling alone. I think back to Tuscany, to the intensity of its scents and colors in early summer. I think back to sweat and dust, signs of adventures that at the end of the day you almost feel nostalgic about washing off.

This year’s departure is unprecedented: Castagneto Carducci, Bolgheri, land of great red wines – even if we in Tuscany are fresh beer people, a glass of Tuscan red with pici is something heavenly. The new route offers a menu of 450 km with about 7,000 meters of positive elevation gain, seasoned with dirt roads and fairytale villages. After an evening at base camp spent chatting from Tuscany on what will be everyone’s strategy for the next few days, my adventure finally begins on Saturday 28 May. By my side Dima, on his first Tuscany Trail.

Mindful of the experience made in 2020, for this year’s setup I am relying (again) on a gravel bike with 40mm tires mounted on 700C carbon wheels. The path promises to be smooth and so I decide to opt for a reliable compromise, but faster than the 650Bs used in my first Tuscany. The bags contain the essentials for pedaling 3 days and sleeping (if necessary) in the sleeping bag – I try to favor lightness and compactness of the luggage in order to have an agile and stable vehicle. For the gearbox, I rely on a 38 T (mono) chainring and 42 T cassette to better tackle the 39 climbs of the route.

It is just past 8 in the morning and after crossing the pine forest of Cecina and seeing the sea up close, I pedal on the streets of Bolgheri. The countryside is a sight – now I understand why many had advised me to see this part of Tuscany. The air is already very hot and the scent of the sea mixes with that of the clay of the fields, a new fragrance for my nostrils. The path runs fast under the wheels; the gravel creaks under the tires and sets the rhythm of the pedaling. The temperature rises quickly over 30 degrees. Each fountain therefore becomes an obligatory stop before tackling the climb to Santa Luce, a beautiful dirt stretch luckily largely in the shade of the woods. From here on, the Tuscan countryside reveals all its splendor and its brutality which manifests itself in the climbs. And as if the slope were not enough, the thermometer now marks 38 degrees. You go up towards Lajatico and then Volterra under the sun. The dirt roads reflect the sun’s rays like a mirror; the air smells of freshly cut hay. I bless the organizers for creating a track that never leaves you without points to refuel. And if these coincide with a jewel like Volterra, you understand that with the Tuscany Trail you have made the right choice. I reach San Gimignano at the first light of the evening. The square is packed with tourists and bikepackers. I share dinner with Paul, an English guy with whom I just made the ascent from Volterra to San Gimignano in a reciprocal exchange of stories about personal life. Dima, Alessandro and Riccardo join the table – the last two we met during the lunch break in Lajatico. Toasts and laughter precede a fabulous night of sleep in the sleeping bag.

The second day the heat is felt less and it’s a whole different story. Monteriggioni, Siena, Buonconvento are the intermediate stages before arriving in Pienza. The Via Francigena with its single trails in the woods, Siena with Piazza al Campo and the Val d’Orcia with its golden hills mark my journey. I’ve cycled several times on these roads, but I can’t get enough of them. Despite the hardness of its climbs, Tuscany pays off. It is a generous land and you realize it in the diversity of the landscapes, all to be left open-mouthed; you realize it in the beauty of its villages that are difficult to reach, but precious points of support; you realize it in the goodness of its simple dishes, but able to provide you with that refreshment that body and soul need when you travel by bicycle. I arrive in Pienza where a Florentine steak and a hotel room await me – this time I couldn’t resist the luxury of a shower and a bed.

If on the one hand the Radicofani climb can be climbed without too much difficulty (it is long, but adequate ratios and a little wisdom help to get out of it with intact legs), the walls of the Maremma are really challenging: short climbs, but with slopes, those that the gps marks in red. It is the last day and the finish line is approaching. I am in the company of Andrea and Daniele; we cheer each other on and spirits are high. But there is still a long way to go and the heat does not give up. Being able to count on sources of water along the way helps a lot and fortunately we make a strategic stop in the villages of Sorano, a marvel dug into the tuff, Pitigliano, with its famous staircase, and finally Capalbio, with an obligatory ice cream stop in the town square. From here on, the path descends gently towards the sea and the air returns to the scent of salt. I catch a glimpse of the Pineta della Feniglia and I understand that the adventure is about to end. A few more kilometers and I’m on arrival. Crossing the finish line is always an emotion, but after having devoured three pizzas and a porchetta sandwich, nostalgia assails me. After three days in which the biggest concern was surviving the heat and the Tuscan climbs (for heaven’s sake, it’s a lot of work for the legs), I realize again that I will have to wait for another edition of the Tuscany Trail to relive this show. Because the Tuscany Trail is not just a (perfect) track that leads you to discover crazy places and lots and lots of good food. The Tuscany Trail is its people and pedaling on some of the most beautiful roads in the world in the company of thousands of other bikepackers is an emotion that stays with you – like dust mixed with sweat.

Andrea Fossati