It’s all about the preparation. Or as they say in Italy: ‘È tutta una questione di preparazione’. Whatever the holiday destination is, in the weeks leading up to a holiday I’m always busy creating and searching for bike rides near my campsite. I search for gpx files of routes, try to create routes myself and save all my rides in a collection in Komoot. Then, when the big news came that the holiday destination was Tuscany If I was going to Tuscany, I got to work right away. Because Tuscany… that means white gravel roads, cypress trees, beautiful cities, rolling hills, the Strade Bianche, Chianti Gravel and L’eroica. Gravel fun guaranteed! I’m going to have a great time graveling with locals in Tuscany on the Crete Senesi!
Text and photos: Robbert Flim
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In my search for routes, I came across the gentlemen from ‘Tuscany Gravel’After some back and forth messages, I get an invitation to go for a ride together when I’m in the area. I won’t let that be said twice. Once I arrive at camping Orlando in Chianti, I make an appointment with Marco from ‘Tuscany Gravel’ to meet at Taverne d’Arbia on a Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. For me, this still means a three-quarter-hour drive from the campsite. You have to make some effort to gravel bike with locals in Tuscany
Crete Senesi
Around nine o’clock I turn into a parking lot in Taverne d’Arbia. Next to the only other car parked there, a man in cycling gear is lifting a gravel bike out of his car. This must be Marco; there’s no way he could be missing. After some minor infractions, we quickly get on our bikes. We finally have 70 kilometers to cover before we have to talk.
Within five minutes we have left the village and are driving up a hill. Immediately, a landscape unfolds that is characteristic of Tuscany for me: white gravel strips, hills with agricultural vegetation, cypresses and here and there a farm. And that under a bright sunbeam. I immediately want to grab my phone to capture these images. Marco manages to temper my enthusiasm with the remark that there are many more beautiful vistas ahead.
Every gravel is just different again
By the way, it’s not really gravel we’re driving over either. It’s more of a clay-like surface. Marco says the area is also called ‘Crete Senesi’. This area stretches in the southwest of the province of Siena. The characteristic of ‘the Crete’ is the clay soil. It gives the hilly area a grey-azure blue color. Sometimes it’s almost as if you were on the moon.
The area is characterized by the production of grain crops, interspersed with olive cultivation. You will also find the well-known white truffle here. For many, a delicacy. See, that’s exactly what’s great about cycling with a local. It’s not just about the cycling; you’re immediately paired with a personal tour guide. It really adds something extra to the cycling experience.
Monteroni d’Arbia
We ride along fantastic gravel paths towards the village of Monteroni d’Arbia, where we stop for a short coffee break in a trattoria. Marco orders a cappuccino and a brioche, and I order a cappuccino and order a croissant. During the break, we talk about cycling, work, and family life. The gentlemen from Tuscany Gravel They also organize bikepacking tours from Siena to Rome, also known as the Via Francigena. A multi-day journey that ends at St. Peter's Square. Marco talks about it so enthusiastically that I decide that this will be on my bucket list. We'll keep it warm!
Here's another (cheap) way to enjoy it
As a thank you for Marco's hospitality and his offer to ride with me, I'll count the coffee stop. The total turns out to be €4.50 for two coffees with some extras. I love Italy! We thank the lady behind the cart and continue driving south. Marco talks about the sunflower fields we pass, the (former) function of fortified farms we pass, and the changing colors of the landscape throughout the year. The harvest season is coming again, so the farmers are busy on the land. In spring, it’s sometimes like riding in Ireland, because the hills have an intense green color. I immediately get the invitation to come back again in spring as well. The bucket list gets longer and longer.
After 25 kilometers, the biggest climb of the day begins. A steep gravel climb between the fields with peaks around 15%. As I reach the top, I wait for Marco, while I immerse myself in this beautiful environment for the umpteenth time.
You can find a path everywhere
After the climb we descend and Marco tells us to turn left. In my eyes there is no path, but Marco effortlessly finds the beautiful hotspots: We cycle through a narrow goat path up a hill through the arid grassland and it’s as if we’re riding the screen of Windows 95. Brilliant.
The southernmost point of the route is Buonconvento. Just outside the city walls we find a fountain where we can fill our water bottles. Another advantage of cycling with a local: they know exactly where to find water. Leaving the town, there is a sign that says that it is still 200 kilometers to Rome. Immediately my new item on the bucket list pops up in my head. If this route is as beautiful as what we’ve cycled so far, then this trip should definitely be in the top 10.
On a stretch near Ponte d’Arbia, we are approached by a farmer on a tractor. Since my Italian is of such a level that I don’t bother to try to understand, I don’t interfere with it, but from the arm movements of both the farmer and Marco I conclude that we need to take a different route. After a mutual ‘Ciao,’ we continue on our bikes. Marco tells me that the stretch we’re cycling on is just accessible, but the farmer prefers that we take a different route. His argument is that there is hunting in that area, and that it could therefore be dangerous. Marco brushes it off with the remark that he has already had this conversation with a farmer and that it’s not exactly hunting season at the moment. So no problem.
Split paths
On one of the many hills, the path is split by a gully where not even very long ago quite a bit of water had made its way. Marco says that the clay roads are perfectly passable when it’s dry. When it rains, you can’t cycle here; it’s sometimes like you’re driving through wet cement. I can imagine all sorts of things happening. The final highlight of the route is a hill of really white gravel between the yellow-brown meadows, with cypresses on one side. In the distance, even the skyline of Siena can be seen. How much holiday feeling do you want to get at a glance?
Returning to the car, I can only conclude that the route I just rode is by far the most beautiful holiday bike ride I have ever taken. It’s the combination of the surroundings, the views, the route, and cycling with a local.
The Crete Senesi… I will definitely come back again! Thank you very much
Questions & tips
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