Nova Eroica Prosecco Hills

Nova Eroica is the modern, gravel-bike branch of L'Eroica, the ride that turned Tuscany's white roads into a celebration of heroic cycling. Its motto is race, ride, relax: on the two longer routes a handful of timed sectors let you go as hard as you like, while the stretches in between are ridden at your own pace, to regroup with friends, look around and refuel.

The Prosecco Hills edition is set in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of steep vineyard ridges shaped by centuries of farming. The routes stitch together gravel lanes and quiet back roads with short, sharp climbs, passing medieval castles and small hamlets, with the mountains rising behind the vines.

Off the bike it is as much a festival as a ride, with a spiedo (spit-roast) party at the finish, Prosecco tastings, talks, music and activities for children, and a large share of riders travelling in from abroad. It is run by L'Eroica, the team behind the vintage ride that has kept Tuscany's gravel roads in use since 1997, and it carries the same blend of sport, food and territory to the Veneto.