I used to worry about this short stretch of gravel on part of the route. Now that L'Eroica is famous and "strada bianca" has become trendy, I've decided to rebrand the gravel to the more desirable "strada bianca" and capture a small bit of the allure of L'Eroica.
Although I have to be honest that not a whole lot of Heroic spirit is required to ride it....
Steve in Peoria