SANTINI T-SHIRT EROICA

In Search of Heroic Rides

We've all seen the iconic photography of the greats of cycling's early days. Black and white images of whip-thin riders on bikes that weighed three times what a modern bicycle does. Riders in baggy wool clothing and goggles who carried tires like bandoliers across their chest and drank water from corked aluminum bottles. Riders who had to shift gears users levers on the down tube or, if you go back far enough, had only one, fixed gear. They fought over primitive mountain passes, in all kinds of weather, in heroic performances that still motivate cyclists today. Such riders were the inspiration behind L'Eroica, the epic, vintage-cycling-inspired event held each year in Gaiole, Chianti Italy.

Riding The Wheels of The Greats

The Italian world Eroica means Heroic. L'Eroica means The Heroic, and refers to an annual cycling event in Gaiole, Italy where cyclists pay respect to the heroic performance of cycling's early sporting pioneers by riding long distances on rural Tuscan roads using only vintage (pre 1987 by strict rule) equipment and clothing. Since its inception in 1997, Eroica has grown more and more popular among cyclists who want to and connect to the authentic roots of the sport. As well as the original event in Gaiole, Italy, there are now Eroica events in Spain, Japan, the United States, South Africa, and other places where people want to come together to celebrate cycling's values and traditions.