Over the years, when we hear the name Eroica a clear image comes to mind, that of historic bikes and riders dressed in old clothes around the fields of Tuscany, Italy. Eroica has become a phenomenon that goes beyond cycling and attracts thousands of people to experience a totally different connection with the region and the sport.
In order to continue expanding and spreading this perception to everyone, a new version was embraced and adapted to current times, the Nova format, which welcomes all kinds of bikes, including ‘modern’ ones. The next natural step for Eroica as the event kept evolving was to move away from the Tuscany lands but always maintaining its essence. For the first time, Prosecco Hills will host a Nova Eroica event in this magnificent UNESCO heritage site rich in culture, tradition, amazing landscapes, and hidden wonders to discover. On April 30th and May 1st, the Nova Eroica Prosecco Hills will take place in the northern region of Venice welcoming all types of cycling enthusiasts.
A full-weekend festival
Nova Eroica is a cycling race for gravel, cyclocross, and road bicycles, a format based on a principle, “the beauty of fatigue and the thrill of conquest“, which is born from the culture of its founder Giancarlo Brocci and which shapes not only an event but a style of pedaling and facing challenges.
Three routes have been scheduled for Sunday, May 1st. These have been designed to chase white roads, unusual views, and steep climbs to spice it up. The locals will be surely surprised and foreigners will be amazed, and not just for the fatigue but also for the surroundings.
From shortest to longest, the first track, “Via dei castelli”, will allow you to enjoy the uniqueness of the territory along 50 km (+700 m) of riding between Susegana and Collagù. As a second option, the 93 km (+1.390 m) route of “Via dei vitigni eroici” will reach Valdobbiadene, the heart of the UNESCO site, along some of the most beautiful roads in the area. The ultimate challenge is the breathtaking “Via dei Laghi”, 120 km (+2.500 m) along lakes, mountains, vineyards, and unexpected views up to the center of Vittorio Veneto.
The Nova Eroica Prosecco Hills program also includes the Nova Eroica Family, an event dedicated to families, who on Saturday will be able not only to enjoy the captivating atmosphere of Eroica, but also have fun and test themselves along a 20 km route, designed also for the little ones and open to all types of bikes.
Nonetheless, the weekend is not only about the sport of cycling, as the Nova Eroica Festival also offers visits to wineries (obviously by bike), meetings, presentations, concerts, and much more. With this, the organizers want to promote the area but at the same time keep on with the spirit of Eroica, making cycling not only a sport, but also a community that knows how to appreciate music, art, food, and wine, outlining a fun journey around the excellence of the territory.
The scenery
The organizers of Eroica strongly wanted to bring their great event to the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene with the idea of combining sport and culture and enhancing a unique territory. Without any doubt, Eroica’s values, such as the beauty of effort, solidarity, and friendship, are consistent with the characteristics of this land and with its sparkling wine Prosecco Superiore.
These hills are a unique territory, characterized by hilly ridges, ‘ciglioni’ (small vineyards on narrow grassy terraces), forests, villages, and crops. All vines are exclusively worked by hand by the technique called ‘grass ridge’, as the hills with steep slopes (the hogbacks) are hard to work otherwise and locals want to preserve tradition. This method results in a particular geometric arrangement of the plants which has contributed to giving the territory that checkerboard aspect that today makes it so unique and recognizable.
