The 127 km long race with 1,389 m of climbing starts in the historic city center of Pistoia, at the Piazza del Duomo. From there, it heads south towards what is arguably the heart of road cycling in the world: The Montalbano hills. This inauspicious, 500m tall hill with vineyards and olive groves is home to some of the greatest professional riders, past and present, as well as numerous races from junior level all the way to World Tour. The area is not just famous for its cycling heritage; at km 80, the course traverses Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, the artist-scientist genius.

After the opening 26 flat kilometers, the course starts in earnest south of the Arno river with three climbs. At the most southern point of the course, the third of the climbs leads up to the small town of Montespertoli in the Chianti hills from where you can catch a glimpse of Florence, just 20km away.

Heading back north, the Castro climb on the western side leads to the highest point of the race at 420m. It is followed by a twisty-fun descent down to Vinci. From there, the 11km-long gradual climb to the San Baronto village at an altitude of 365m begins. It’s rarely steeper than 3% and a feast for your senses and why Toscana is considered a cycling paradise: it winds its way through vineyards and olive groves, offering spectacular views of the Lucca valley and the Apuan Alps.

From San Baronto at 91km, the course leads you back to Pistoia by first descending to Lamporecchio. From there, 25 undulating kilometers lead you back to Pistoia and the finish at the Piazza del Duomo.

The medium route is 52 km long with 300m of climbing. Riders share the same course as the long route riders until km 16. From Quarrata, you get to do a beautiful loop through wine and olive groves on the slopes of Montalbano before heading back to Pistoia.

LONG COURSE IS A COMPETITION: Only the finishers of the long course are eligible for category rankings and Overall and Podium awards. If you want to race and be ranked in your category, you must complete the long course. Top 10% of finishers in each age group earn a spot in the Qualifier Corral at every GFNY World event.

MEDIUM COURSE IS NOT A COMPETITION: The riders of the medium course will be provided their start-to-finish time, but will not be ranked by finish time. All finish times will be listed in alphabetical order.