Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

Cycling is a passion, always. At the highest level, one strives to gain an extra centimeter or to arrive  a fraction of a second earlier.

The Sunday sportsman has the passion to wake up before dawn and work hard on his day of rest. Whether the pink jersey or a case of wine is the prize doesn’t matter, those two thin wheels rolling hills are the cross and the delight of both champions and amateurs.

In order to pay homage to the thousands of fans that every year reach Chianti by peddling, Chianti Classico will celebrate its 300 years with the maximum expression of cycling, the “Giro”.

For the same reason a few years ago Gallo Nero created its own race which has become a must on the agenda of cycling amateurs and others. The “Gran Fondo del Gallo Nero” will hold its fourth edition next September 18.

The race will start in the main piazza of Radda in Chianti, but the streets for the 2016 race will be new; offering breathaking segments in one of the most beautiful areas of the world during the wine harvest.

The race will have two different itineraries, a longer one of 140 km and a medium of 89. The only ones who will be classified are those who will have a chip that measures the time of performance, while non-competitors will participate in the tourist version of the race.

The difficult route of the “Gran Fondo del Gallo Nero” has been confirmed. It goes from Passo del Morello , which rises from Radda towards a unique panorama surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and enters a series of ramps in the middle of the forest before arriving at the Valico di Morello at 750 meters above sea level. This is almost 7,5 kilometers long with slopes that reach 17%.

The prizes will also carry the theme. The best of the different categories will bring home some of the finest wine in the world donated directly by the producers of Gallo Nero. The first prize will be the winner’s weight in wine. The winner will stand on a scale and be given as many cases of wine as his weight. The last to arrive will receive the black jersey of the black rooster (gallo nero), a uniform recently promoted by Chianti Classico.

In honor of the Giro d’Italia, applications for the Granfondo race will be available on Sunday, May 15 at 12:30 when the first participant in the Chrono will leave Radda in the direction of Greve. For info and sign up consult www.granfondodelgallonero.it.