The beauty of fatigue and the thrill of conquest

Details of our Eroica South Africa routes taking place on Saturday 22 April 2023:

CLASSIC Route  -  40-70KM

Spend your day out in the Baden and Pietersfontein areas surrounded by majestic mountains and fuelled by delicious local food and drinks at our farm stops on this route. If you have done Eroica before, you know what this is about - a fun, but challenging day out on your bike. 


HERO Route  -  170KM

Ride your classic bicycle up the famous Ouberg Pass and into the vast expanse of the Bloutoring region. An unforgettable experience, that is not for the faint-hearted.


NOVA Race  -  170KM

This is our modern gravel bike race. Will someone get a KOM/QOM on Ouberg?  


A NOTE ON WHAT BIKES ARE ALLOWED AT EROICA SOUTH AFRICA: 


1. CLASSIC and HERO routes

Only pre-1999 steel road bicycles with traditional pedals and toe clips; downtube shifters; and drop handlebars will be allowed on the route. 


2. NOVA race

Only gravel bikes with drop handlebars will be allowed on the route. No suspension forks will be allowed. 


3. NO MOUNTAIN BIKES or MODERN CARBON / ALUMINIUM ROAD BIKES ALLOWED. SEE FULL REGULATION HERE


If you’re entering the Eroica CLASSIC or HERO categories and you don’t have your equipment in order, fear not - our partners at everyone’s favourite South African cycling site, the Bike Hub, have created a special Vintage Bike category on their online marketplace. Here you’ll be able to find many fantastic options to get you rolling, and it could also help you find that missing part in the Vintage Components section.

For those wanting to race NOVA and don’t have a suitable bike yet, you can find some excellent options in the Bike Hub’s Gravel Bikes classified section. 







L’Eroica started in 1997 because of one man - Giancarlo Brocci, who admired the values of past cycling so much that he wanted to reconnect others to the heritage that inspired much of Italian history, literature, culture, and music.

L’Eroica also began as a foundation for the protection and preservation of the last gravel roads in Tuscany. These romantic concepts led to the idea of L’Eroica, an event that initially saw 92 riders - “hunters of feelings and emotions”, as the creator Giancarlo Brocci defines them.

“We want people to rediscover the beauty of fatigue and the taste of accomplishment”


Giancarlo Brocci, Creator of L'Eroica