It’s called Venetogravel, without any space between the name of the Italian region and the word that defines an ever larger niche of cyclists and their bicycles: gravel, indeed.
However, it could be called “Veneto = gravel”, given the huge passion of this territory and its inhabitants for the banks of the rivers, the easy single tracks in the woods, the secondary roads, and the climbs on gravel roads. In short, the passion for all the ingredients that are at the basis of a beautiful gravel route.
For this reason, we at 3T had no real choice but to support this event and its organizers: Roberto Polato and Velia Agostini, “gravellists” for five years who come from the Granfondo scene both on the road and MTB. Both of them always try to do everything to give a good experience to the participants of their events and, above all, they travel the tracks kilometer by kilometer.
Venetogravel is the longest among the tracks of European rides: with its 690 km it touches all the provinces of Veneto: Padova, Belluno, Treviso, Venice, Rovigo, Vincenza and Verona. The total ascent, in relation to the length, is not the hardest: “only” 4,500 meters, but almost all concentrated in the beautiful Berici Hills, which will be awaiting the participants at the end of the route.
Every year the route starts in Piazzola sul Brenta: a town characterized by the presence of the large Camerini amphitheater, which overlooks the beautiful Villa Contarini. Hundreds of cyclists meet here every mid-April: last year there were 328 cyclists and this year – the organizers hope – over 400, including many foreign cyclists.
In order to join the Berici hills with their endless up and down and touch the sea of
