Eroica does not sell a single gravel ride. It sells a whole weekend full of ‘strade bianche’, local food and vintage atmosphere. Looking at the programme of the second edition of NOVA Eroica Istria watch, then in Croatia that seems like more than marketing talk.
The NOVA Eroica Istria - Truffle Tour returns on 1 and 2 May 2026 in Novigrad, in northwestern Istria. The first edition took place last autumn, but for 2026 the event moves to spring. The date coincides with Labour Day. The festival ties in directly with local traditions that have attracted audiences for years, especially from Slovenia.
Two different days
Friday is all about community. At 10am, a brass band opens the day with a traditional reveille, followed by a picnic with live music in Karpinjan. A Family Bike Ride, designed for families and recreational cyclists, starts at 11am. No start numbers, no pressure. Later in the day, from 5pm, there will be the Vintage Tour for owners of vintage bikes and participants in retro bike clothing, entirely in the spirit of the original Eroica. There is also a bike exhibition in the Lapidarium.
Saturday gets more serious. Then three gravel routes are scheduled, all with start and finish in Novigrad:
- Truffle Route (150 km) - for experienced riders, along Motovun, Livade and Oprtalj, through truffle country and medieval villages.
- Teran Route (100 km) - a good middle ground between sporty and scenic.
- Malvasia Route (60 km) - for those who mainly want to gravitate and eat, without driving themselves completely to pieces.
More than 80% of the routes consist of the characteristic Istrian white roads, similar to Tuscan sterrato. A good part of the course runs across the Parenzana, a former narrow-gauge railway which once connected Trieste to Poreč and now serves as a cycle path. Along the way, there are supply stations with local products: truffles, olive oil, wine.
“The return in May and the growing interest among participants show that Istria has great potential for the development of top-level international gravel competitions,” said Denis Ivošević, director of the Istria Tourist Board.
Bike rentals will be offered during the event, for those who do not want to lug a bike bag.
NOVA versus classical - please clarify
For those not keen on the distinction: the classic L'Eroica in Gaiole in Chianti is strictly vintage. Steel frames, gears on the down tube, pre-1987 bikes. NOVA Eroica is the modern branch, founded in 2017, where you can just start with your carbon gravel bike. The same dirt roads, the same philosophy of landscape and gastronomy, but without the obligation to ride a piece of nostalgia. However, there are technical requirements: drop bars, disc brakes, minimum 32mm tyres.
The rest of the 2026 NOVA Eroica calendar
Istria is the flavour of spring, but the rest of the calendar offers plenty of alternatives. A brief overview:
- NOVA Eroica Buonconvento (11-12 April, Siena, Italy) - The Tuscan home of the circuit. The showpiece here is the 290km randonnée-style Epic Route: fully autonomous, mandatory lighting, and a seriously long day in the saddle.
- NOVA Eroica Gran Sasso (6 June, Castel del Monte, Italy) - For climbing goats. Elevation, Apennines, timed special trials. Mountain bikes and e-bikes are exceptionally allowed here in the tourist categories.
- NOVA Eroica Svizzera (13 June, Poschiavo, Switzerland) - Hybrid formula in the Grisons. More compact, tighter, alpine. The 50km Fondovalle Bio route is the only category where e-gravel is allowed.
- L'Eroica (3-4 October, Gaiole in Chianti, Italy) - The mother event. Vintage only.
Each event has its own character. Istria bets on festival and gastronomy, Buonconvento on long distance, Gran Sasso on altimeters, Poschiavo on a tighter alpine formula. The different editions offer a choice between a relaxing weekend in Istria with truffle stops or the challenge of 290 km of Tuscan sterrato.
