Attention all Cycling Enthusiasts

Paolo Bettini

Another great reason to visit Tuscany next September is to see the 2013 UCI World Road Race Championships. This is the first time Tuscany will host this prestigious cycling event.
From September 22-29 the cities of Florence (and Fiesole), Lucca, Montecatini and Pistoia (and their local countryside) will be the race track to decide who will wear the world champion’s rainbow jersey for 2013.

Enthusiasm is very high here, since Tuscany is notoriously a cycling heartland and home to many of the sport's greatest champions, like Gino Bartali, Fiorenzo Magni, Mario Cipollini and Paolo Bettini. Great care has been taken to prepare for the race, which will be Florence’s biggest sporting event ever. Local authorities are also hopeful to lock in participation as a stage for both the 2013 Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in 2014, giving them the prestigious honor of hosting a grand slam of events – never before achieved by any other city.

The various routes will pass through the cities as well as the countryside, and there will be flat courses and hilly circuits that promise to challenge even the best racers –  in fact the men’s elite race is predicted to be the toughest since 1980, at the French championships in Sallanches. But after all, this is Tuscany and amazing hills are its trademark!

Record attendance is expected for the event and the region is already organizing to offer its best hospitality. So think about coming to cheer on the cycling champions while enjoying the beautiful climate and scenery of September. It really is a unique opportunity.