Bicycle elegance contest at Gaiole: preserved versus restored
Among the many things revolving around the 29th edition of L'Eroica, the one that intrigued me most is the Concorso d'Eleganza dedicated to the bicycle. We are used to seeing it for vintage cars, much less for two wheels, yet the idea makes deep sense: the bicycle has always had its own elegance, made of design, materials and the hand of the great frame builders.
The contest is organised by Eroica together with Biciclette d'Epoca, the leading magazine in the sector. The story that accompanies it starts from Karl Drais's Draisine, ancestor of all velocipedes, and moves on to the Italian production that set the standard. I also liked the quote from Giancarlo Brocci, the creator of Eroica, who calls himself a 'genetic inelegant' but admits he appreciates elegance as whatever improves human relations.
The bikes in competition fall into two large families: preserved and restored. It is a distinction that anyone in the vintage world knows well, because respecting the original as it has come down to us is quite different from bringing it back to factory condition. What the rider wears also counts, since in classic cycling events the whole ensemble is part of the show.
There are nine prizes, one for the best example in each category, plus three cross-category awards. The Premio Fedeltà goes to the most complete and coherent bike from the point of view of restoration; the Combinata d'Eleganza rewards the pairing of machine and clothing; the Best in Show will be published and analysed in issue 78 of Biciclette d'Epoca.
Entry costs 35 euros, with the deadline at midnight on 29 September 2026. The bikes were on display on Friday 2 October from 9 to 12 at the Luciano Berruti monument, the contest starts at 14:30 and the awards ceremony is at 17:30. A prize, I would say, for those who love steel frames even when they are standing still.
Source: Eroica
The contest is organised by Eroica together with Biciclette d'Epoca, the leading magazine in the sector. The story that accompanies it starts from Karl Drais's Draisine, ancestor of all velocipedes, and moves on to the Italian production that set the standard. I also liked the quote from Giancarlo Brocci, the creator of Eroica, who calls himself a 'genetic inelegant' but admits he appreciates elegance as whatever improves human relations.
The bikes in competition fall into two large families: preserved and restored. It is a distinction that anyone in the vintage world knows well, because respecting the original as it has come down to us is quite different from bringing it back to factory condition. What the rider wears also counts, since in classic cycling events the whole ensemble is part of the show.
There are nine prizes, one for the best example in each category, plus three cross-category awards. The Premio Fedeltà goes to the most complete and coherent bike from the point of view of restoration; the Combinata d'Eleganza rewards the pairing of machine and clothing; the Best in Show will be published and analysed in issue 78 of Biciclette d'Epoca.
Entry costs 35 euros, with the deadline at midnight on 29 September 2026. The bikes were on display on Friday 2 October from 9 to 12 at the Luciano Berruti monument, the contest starts at 14:30 and the awards ceremony is at 17:30. A prize, I would say, for those who love steel frames even when they are standing still.
Source: Eroica
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