L'Eroica: Bikes From 1987 or Earlier, on the White Roads of Tuscany

01A Race to Save the Dust

In Tuscany, the "strade bianche," the white gravel roads, risk disappearing under asphalt. Giancarlo Brocci, a writer and sportsman from Gaiole in Chianti, dreams of protecting them, Rolling Stone Italia reports.

The starting point is more modest. Two weeks earlier comes the Gran Fondo Gino Bartali, a long ride for amateurs. The Eroica is first a bonus for its participants, who can sign up without paying again, Brocci tells Il Post.

The first Eroica starts on October 5, 1997, according to Il Post. 92 cyclists line up, drawn "more out of curiosity than competitive spirit," writes Rolling Stone Italia. The rules of that first edition warn, as Il Post quotes: “Vogliamo solo chi sarà abbastanza matto da accettare i disagi proposti” (“We only want those mad enough to accept the discomforts on offer”). Nothing to win: it's a period ride. After the finish, everyone throws a party to polish off the leftovers.

02The L'Eroica Vintage Bike Race Rule: 1987, Not a Year Later

To line up today, your road bike must have been built in 1987 at the latest: the official rules say "up to and including 1987." Gear levers on the down tube, brake cables running outside, above the handlebars, toe clips and straps, wheels with at least 32 spokes on low rims: that's the spec sheet.

Why 1987? For the Eroica, that is when the rapid modernization of the bike begins. A coincidence noted by Cyclocross Magazine: it is also the year Campagnolo stops making its original Nuovo Record and Super Record groupsets. The organizers acknowledge that clipless pedals and indexed shifting already existed before then. But a line had to be drawn somewhere.

A spicy detail: in 2001 there were "no hard-and-fast rules," VeloNews writes. According to Il Post, the Eroica has been reserved for vintage bikes only since 2009.

03Wool, and a Single-Speed Peugeot

The rules strongly encourage period clothing, wool jerseys and shorts above all, and ban lycra. According to VeloNews, a regular, Luciano Berruti, rides in 2001 on a 16 kg single-speed Peugeot, in wool shorts held up by suspenders. The year before, he had started on an 1890 Clément.

04At the Aid Station, No Gels

Forget energy gels. Rolling Stone Italia lists Tuscan bread, ribollita, cured meats and chianti; its reporter, though, did not see any ribollita, but porchetta, cheese, honey and red wine. Il Sole 24 Ore cites unsalted bread, pecorino and pappa al pomodoro, with ribollita at the Asciano aid station. Brocci jokes that the Eroica gets you to the finish heavier than you started.

05From Game to Phenomenon

In 2016, more than 7,000 line up at the start, according to Il Post. In 2025, Il Sole 24 Ore reports more than 9,000 cyclists, enthusiasts from 50 countries and routes from 46 to 209 km.

And the side effect is sporting. In 2007, two days after the Eroica, professionals race from Gaiole to Siena in the Eroica Montepaschi, Il Post recalls. Today it is called Strade Bianche, the race that brought gravel back to the highest level. There is criticism too: Il Post mentions merchandising judged excessive.