THE WAY BY BICICLE
Those who travel by bicycle are well aware of the sense of freedom and intimate contact with nature that cycling can offer, allowing them to get to know the soul of a territory in depth in a reasonable time: they can quickly reach the most beautiful places, see incredible views and cross amazing landscapes.
Traveling takes time and often we pass up on an adventure, because the places are far away or difficult to reach. Leaving can also be an experience within your reach: an average cyclist with a suitable bicycle, such as a MTB or a good gravel or travel bike suitable for dirt roads, in a couple of days can cross Tuscany from Versilia up to Pistoia. The climbs are there, but they are not long; the route is varied and very scenic, the places of historical and artistic interest are truly endless. You can spend the night in one of the pilgrim shelters or in a traditional structure, all of a good standard. The points of departure and arrival are well served by the train; you arrive and depart without problems, for each destination. You equip your bike with a few bags, and you leave for 48 hours of pure nature and culture.
In thinking of a path for bicycles, we naturally started from what was traced, for the Via Francigena and the Cammino di San Jacopo, for walkers. The presence of various sections on the path or with a disconnected surface, of maybe short but with a considerable slope and of hilly dirt roads that end in villages, villas or monasteries has forced us in several cases to make profound changes to the route: this is especially true for stages 4 and 5 which unfold mainly on the hills of Lucca and Pistoia. However, we recommend that those who will cycle this path to make some digressions and still reach the beautiful villages, religious and artistic places that we describe in the stages, then returning to the path followed and continuing beyond.
We have prepared gps files that can be downloaded from this link:
In addition to the route layout, in standard GPX format, you will find numerous waypoints (fountains, directions, ATMs, villages, shops, etc.).
In giving these indications we have considered bicycles of the “mountain bike” and “cycle tourism” category including the Gravell, thus excluding the city and racing ones. Naturally, more trained and more “reckless” cyclists, equipped with suitable means, can also tackle other sections, perhaps accepting the possibility of getting off the bike and walking the sections that are more difficult. In this case you can download the GPS tracks for walkers from the appropriate page.
Finally, we give below a list of the bike assistance services that are on the route:
Pietrasanta
Bacci Renzo Bike Shop – Via Tremaiola, 76 – tel. 0584 20626
Two Wheels For All – Via Aurelia Nord, 80 – tel. 329 1423596
Aliverti – Via Aurelia Sud, 47. – tel. 0584 792622
Cicli Mario – Viale Versilia 137 – tel. 336 688516
Camaiore
Speedy Bike – Via Italica, 393 – Capezzano Pianore – tel. 0584 915204
Montemagno
Cycles Magnus Camaiore – Montemagno di Camaiore – tel. 329 978 6062
Lucca
Ciclofficina – Viale G. Puccini, 1407 – tel. 0583 513746
Pro Classic Cycle – Via Cesare Battisti 58/60 – tel. 0583 464657
Filgomma Bike – Via Borgo Giannotti 58 – tel. 349 845 9228
Pescia
Tiki Bike – Via Giovanni Amendola 62/64 – tel. 333 146 5501
Montecatini Terme
Giovannelli Cicli – Viale Alessandro Bicchierai, 22 – tel. 0572 78942
Pieve a Nievole
Cicloidea – Viale Giovanni Amendola 24 – tel. 0572 952796
Pistoia
Bici & Bike – Via Francesco Andreini 17 – tel. 0573 24992
Cicli Panconi – Viale Vittorio Veneto 32 – tel. 392 980 7592