TRAVEL: NEGRONIS, GRAVEL & GOOD CHAOS
451KM | 6580M UP | 5 DAYS | 12KG RAGU | 5.6L NEGRONI
End of May. Five perfect days in Tuscany with the OG crew - founders, friends, and the kind of people who’ve been part of CHAOS since day one. No race tape, no watts to chase. Just a rolling bikepacking holiday through medieval villages, cypress roads, sun-drenched hills, and one very long dinner table.
The Tuscany Trail isn’t a race - it’s a choose-your-own-adventure through one of the most beautiful places you can ride a bike.
You decide the pace. We chose slow mornings, strong coffees, fast climbs, dusty descents, pasta every day, and Negronis at night. Zero injuries. Zero mechanicals. Plenty of laughs.
The Route:
Venturina Terme → Castiglione della Pescaia → Castiglione d'Orcia → Siena → Montecatini Val di Cecina → Venturina Terme.
5 days, 451km, 6580m up, and 24 hours in the saddle - plus about the same on bar stools.
WHAT WE PACKED (AND WHAT WORKED):
Fabian kept it light, tight, and fully dialed.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
Essentials within reach (frame bag):
Pass, phone, sunscreen, cash, lock, charger cables, multitool, tubeless kit, chain links, brake pads, zip ties, CCC stickers (obviously).
In the saddle bag:
Rain jacket + pants, arm/leg warmers, down jacket, fresh kit + socks, basic first aid, hygiene gear, electrolytes, and a swim in a wetbag.
On the bars:
T-shirts, spare undies, hoodie, twill pants, shorts, sneakers in a musette. Minimal. Functional. Chaos-certified.
The soundtrack:
Our CHAOS playlist, blasted from a JBL strapped to the bike.
VIBES? IMMACULATE.
We slept in hotels and Airbnbs. We rode all day, ate like kings, got tipsy every night, and truly drunk in Siena. Gravel roads, wild climbs, fast descents, sun in our face, dust on our legs. Spring in Tuscany is a kind of magic you can’t explain. You feel it in your bones. The memories? Absolutely forever.
THE PHOTOS
And because words can only do so much, we’ll let the photos take it from here. Shot by the one and only Andi Speck – our CHAOS lens master, always in the right place, always chasing the perfect light (and somehow riding just as hard as the rest of us).
Scroll down. Feel the dust. Smell the ragu. This was Tuscany, the CHAOS way. Wanna ride it next year? We’ve got route tips, stay recs, and some hard-earned advice. Just shout - we’re happy to share.
