A short description of the events I've been to and links to my reports for those who are interested:
L'Eroica
The mother of all C&V rides. Started in 1997 as a playful protest against the paving of the
strade bianchi in Tuscany, it has grown into a worldwide franchise. The original event in the small town of Gaiole now hosts thousands of participants every year during the first weekend of October. While that may sound daunting, it is amazing to see how well the Italians handle it. And how relaxed the atmosphere is, even though the town is brimming with people from over fifty different countries. Various ride distances, from a (relatively) short 46km to the grueling 209km. None are to be underestimated, though.
I've been there in
2013,
2015 and
2017. And will
likely be back in
2019.
Retroronde
Where L'Eroica finds its inspiration in the history of the Giro d'Italia, and heroes like Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi, the Retronde is based in the Flemish countryside where the Ronde van Vlaanderen has challenged riders with mud and cobblestones since 1913. Here the heroes are Flandriens like Briek Schotte and Rik Van Steenbergen. The 800 participants from all over Europe fill up the town of Oudenaarde nicely, for a weekend where the festivities are as important as the ride. Ride distances vary from 40km to 160km. The shorter routes are relatively easy but the 100km and 160km have all the nasty bits.
Mrs non-fixie and I were there in
2014,
2015,
2016 and
2018. And will definitely be back next year.
La Savoureuse
A heads-up from a fellow BF member brought us here
last year, and it was so nice that we came back
this year. A fairly small event (~200 riders) with a "retro" focus and routes for various skill levels. Important ingredients are the stops every 10km or so, to savour the local produce. Very nice!
Tour d'Historique
A small but lovely event, organized by a couple of friends from Haarlem if and when they can find the time.
This year was its fifth edition. Here are the reports of editions
three and
four. A group ride of around 60km at a moderate pace with 80 participants this year. Which is about all they can handle, so don't come over all at once
.
EDIT: the original organizers have pulled out, and while they are encouraging others to take over, no-one has come forward yet, AFIK, so likely no Tour d'Historique this year.
Eroica Limburg
The Dutch Eroica franchise chose Valkenburg as its home base. This is the hilly area that has hosted a few world championships and of course the classic Amstel Gold Race. Since it is close to the German, Belgian and French borders there are lots of participants from those countries. This year about 1,000 in total. A well-organized event in an interesting area: borders are crossed, so bring your passport.
Various ride distances, but the 60km always ends up being 75km for some reason. And so far that has not been a particularly easy route either. Yet we enjoyed ourselves every time (
2016,
2017 and
2018) and will be back next year.