With Le Vie del Bike, Italy is putting itself on the map. A insanely beautiful cycling route that, when you cycle the whole thing, shows everything about Italy in all its beauty. From the beautiful North, across the Po Plain, to Tuscany, and further south. The rugged south, but also here you’ll find great places to cycle. Explorer Femke went on a trip for us and rode a section of the route. Therefore, you should also read the first two parts of this trip. Cycling in le Marche is a big tip for 2023.
By: Femke Rotteveel
Le Vie del Bike: Le Marche
The last region of our trip is Marche. The landscape is just a little bit different from Tuscany and Umbria. At this time of year, in autumn, you have beautiful colors surrounding you. The route takes us past the town of Genga, 18 kilometers after the border with Umbria.
Special stops: Valadier
There are two special stops to make here. For one, you have to walk a short distance from the road. There you will find the lonely white chapel of Valadier, which was built in a cave at the request of Pope Leo XII. You cannot see the church from the road, but once inside the cave the view is truly breathtaking. For this visit, you can leave your bike behind and continue on your way afterwards.
Special stops: Frasassi stalactite caves
The second stop we make is the stalactite caves of Frassassi. Stalactite caves are always very special. It is definitely worth a visit, even if I wouldn’t do it in my cycling outfit, as it’s only 14 degrees inside, even in summer. But if you’re looking for a hotel nearby, this is a nice getaway on a day off!
Sometimes it's not easy
In Umbria We really had Dutch weather again: rain and a very cold headwind. Andrea joked that in Le Marche the sun always shines, and what do you think? It’s radiant weather on the last day. This area in Italy is less well known to foreign tourists. More than 75% of the visitors come from Italy itself. The other tourists come from Austria and Germany; the Netherlands isn’t even mentioned. Not knowing makes you indifferent. In my opinion, that’s totally unfair. What can you expect when you go cycling in Le Marche? It’s “Tuscany on steroids”, because there are more hills (closer together) here that are just as steep but also higher. When you stand on one of those hills, you see the beach and look out over the Adriatic Sea. At this time of year, around November, we mostly see a lot of empty fields, and I ask the tour guide what is actually being grown there. Well, the main reason to do this part of Le Vie del Bike in July and August is sunflowers!
Panorama galore
The route runs along the coast southwards, taking you from one panorama to another. At various points you can see the beautiful white cliffs. Am I in France or Italy? Our ride & weekend stop in Ancona, and I’m curious to see if this will become a popular stop for cyclists who are going to do the Grand Tour, because how nice would it be to be able to take a dip in the sea after a day of cycling!
Le Vie del Bike
I think Le Vie del Bike is going to become a bucket list item for bike enthusiasts. The Dolomites are already popular and we all love watching the Giro d’Italia and the Strade Bianche. You know the dinner is always good, there are no better coffee stops than in Italy and that’s not even mentioning the ‘Gelato‘and the views while cycling.
Discovering regions
Cycling the route is the perfect way to discover new regions in the country, and you can do it for as long or as short a time as you like: one holiday or a little bit every year. The route is suitable for road bikes, gravel bikes, or various types of e-bikes. The regions in Central Italy have been perhaps the best introduction to Le Vie del Bike. As the guide said: in Northern Italy, people live to work, and in Southern Italy, they work to live. Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche have found the perfect balance in that regard.
Cycling in Le Marche – the route
The route from this story
- Italy: Le Vie Del Bike – Ancona19.0 km · 245 hmGPX ↓
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.