Marca Bianca La Epica

La Epica is the closing chapter of the Marca Bianca gravel season: a non-competitive ride with no clock and no rankings, starting and finishing in Pieve di Soligo, the town at the heart of the 2023 UCI Gravel World Championships. Riders roll out in a relaxed French-style start and follow the GPS track at their own pace, and any rideable bike with decent tyres is welcome.

The routes cross the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, and reuse white roads from the 2023 Worlds. Fast gravel along the Piave river gives way to the steep vineyard walls of Le Rive and Tenade, where the vines cling to grassy terraces, while the gentler option winds through the Palù, an old Benedictine land reclamation of enclosed meadows, ancient trees and waterways.

Food and wine are half the point. In 2026 themed feed stations served local dishes with Prosecco along the way, and the day ended with a giant spiedo roast in Pieve di Soligo. That edition drew around 850 riders, including groups from Austria, Slovenia and Poland, and the organisers closed entries early to protect the experience.