Overview

Buongiorno! Your Trek Travel guides will meet you at Via Fiume 12, just outside Hotel Albani in Florence, at 11:00 AM to kick off your Strade Bianche bike tour. From there, a one-hour shuttle brings you to Hotel Athena in the heart of Siena—your home for the next five nights. After a light lunch, your guides will cover bike safety and share tips for riding in Tuscany before fitting you to your Trek Checkpoint. Then it’s time to hit the road for a warm-up ride through rolling woodlands and your first sweeping Tuscan views. This evening, we’ll enjoy a 10‑minute stroll to one of our favorite Siena bistros, where we’ll kick off the week with a delicious meal and wonderful new friends.

Overview

Start your day with a hearty Italian breakfast and fresh-brewed coffee before rolling out onto Tuscany’s iconic gravel roads. Fuel up—today is a rewarding, calorie-burning ride through the breathtaking Crete Senesi, where rolling hills, cypress-lined ridges, and endless white roads create the kind of scenery that reminds you why you ride. We wind along peaceful country lanes toward the charming village of Asciano, where we’ll pause for a relaxed and delicious lunch at a local trattoria. After lunch, the route continues toward Siena, with riders on the Avid option taking on the legendary Monte Sante Marie sector—also known as the Cancellara sector—a defining stretch of the Strade Bianche, featuring steep, technical gravel pitches reaching up to 18%. Later, we regroup and head to an exclusive visit to the Lidl-Trek Team hotel, where you’ll enjoy a relaxed Q&A and social hour with team representatives—an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse into pro cycling just moments before race day.

Overview

Strade bianche is Italian for "white roads," and today we'll test our wheels on these famed routes. The name comes from the color of the dry limestone gravel that lifts into a fine white dust that lingers along the race course. We'll ride on the traditional L’Eroica course, which starts in the town of Gaiole and covers some of the most beautiful roads in the area of Chianti, winding among historic vineyards leading to the cypress-lined entrance of Castello di Brolio. Here, we’ll stop for lunch at the Eroica Café—full of retro cycling vibes, local flavor, and just the right dose of nostalgia. You'll feel like a pro today as our guides support you in a battle against the same steep climbs that challenge the world's best. This evening we'll gather as a group for a relaxing dinner at the hotel.

Overview

Today you will live the race like a true Italian cycling fan. The 133-mile (215 km) Strade Bianche race begins and ends in Siena, with a grand finish at Piazza del Campo, and roughly 40 miles (63 km) of white gravel roads along the route. We'll start our morning on bikes and get to the first gravel section, where we'll wait for the women's race to pass by and then move on to see the men's peloton on another strategic gravel section. After the on-course viewing, we'll ride back to Siena, where we'll enjoy lunch, soak up the race atmosphere, and watch coverage of the last approaching sections on TV at our exclusive Trek Travel viewing spot in the center of Siena on the Piazza del Campo. Then, it's time to join the fun and witness the finale right before our eyes as the race finishes in the square. After an exciting day of race viewing, this beautiful town is yours to discover and enjoy dinner at your leisure.

Overview

Did all of that live race action give you inspiration to test your own legs? Today is your chance to tackle a Tuscan classic at the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche, a dusty challenge you can choose to ride for your best time or at your own pace. We'll begin in the center of Siena for the start of the Gran Fondo, where you'll pin on your number for a true Italian cycling adventure. The Fondo route takes on some of the legendary sectors we saw the pros tackle yesterday.— a twisty and undulating course, with no long climbs but with punchy hills, most significantly on the unpaved parts. There are roughly 20 miles (32 km) of gravel roads on the Gran Fondo course and around 12 miles (20 km) for the Medio Fondo. The finish line is at Piazza del Campo, where a huge crowd welcomes the arrival of all participants. Tonight, we will dine together and relive the day over a hearty dinner in our guides' favorite restaurant. Cheers to an unforgettable Strade Bianche bike tour!

Overview

It’s time to bid farewell to Tuscany. Rise bright and early this morning to make the most of the stunning light and watch a bright new day rise over the Tuscan countryside from the hotel terrace. Take a stroll through Siena's cobbled alleys or choose to linger a while over a hot cappuccino and enjoy a leisurely morning at the hotel. At 10:00 AM, you'll say farewell to your guides at the hotel before boarding a private shuttle back to Hotel Albani in Florence.