The Newbie reaches Venturina and could end there
Instead there is an itinerary that carries on, reaches the harbour and takes you to the island as well. Your first Tuscany Trail goes through an island too.
New for 2027 · Elba Island Detour
The Tuscany Trail crosses the sea
After thirteen editions you board a ferry with your bike and land on an island. The Elba Detour route is included in your entry and it works with the Original route and with the Newbie route alike.
First of all, what it is not
- It is not a separate route, it is yours with one more piece.
- It is not a paid extra, the track is part of your entry.
- It is not compulsory, and whoever does not board has still ridden the whole Tuscany Trail.
- It is not only for the Original route, the Newbie has its own way to the island.
- It does not tie you down, what you choose when you enter can change on the road.
How it works
Three things to know, none that ties you down
- 1 h
- on the ferry, crossings almost every hour
The route is included
The Detour track is part of your entry, with the 460 km Original route and with the 160 km Newbie alike.
It connects to your route
The track shows the junction down to the harbour of Piombino. If you do not board, you simply carry on.
You declare it when you enter, but it is not binding
When you enter you tell us whether you think you will ride it. Then you receive all the tracks and you truly decide on the road.
It sits at the end of the route, and there is a reason
The Detour is the last part of the journey, before the way home. We put it there on purpose. When you reach that junction the kilometres are already in your legs and you know how much time and energy you have left, so you decide with facts in hand instead of with the plans you made in January.
The island villages all look out to sea.
Ph. Roberto Ridi · IG @robertoridi_ph · FB Roberto Ridi
The island
Why Elba
Because after thirteen editions we wanted something that was not just one more white road. And Elba is not one more white road. It is a green island, with the sea appearing at every bend and the outline of Corsica on clear days.
Gravel at the water's edge. This is why the island is ridden on gravel tyres.
Ph. Roberto Ridi · IG @robertoridi_ph · FB Roberto Ridi
There is the house where Napoleon lived in exile, there is a Spanish village, there are the mines that shaped this land and there is the catch of the day in the evening. But the real reason is another one. Elba is best seen from the right bicycle, and the right bicycle is the one you are already riding through Tuscany.
The ferry is the easiest part of the whole journey
Between Piombino and Portoferraio there is almost one crossing every hour and it takes just under an hour. The bike goes on board without trouble, and if you miss one you take the next.
Tuscany Trail riders will get a reserved discount on the ticket. We are closing the agreement and we will write it here as soon as it is done.
In May the beaches are open and still empty.
Ph. Roberto Ridi · IG @robertoridi_ph · FB Roberto Ridi
One day, but a hard one. Our advice is different
The Detour is designed to fit into one day. A hard one, though.
Our advice is to sleep one night on the island. The Tuscany Trail is not a race against the clock, and Elba in the evening is half the reason we go there. Final distance and elevation come with the provisional track, which you receive as soon as you enter.
If you have already ridden the Tuscany Trail
Then you know it all. You know the start, you know the dust of the first afternoon, you know what people say at the Base Camp in the evening. We are not going to describe Tuscany to you again.
The one thing you do not know is how it feels to board a ferry with your bike after three days of white roads. In 2027 that is the part you have not ridden yet.
The questions everyone asks us
The route is included, and you get a discount on the ferry
The Detour track is part of your entry, like all the others. For the ferry ticket we are closing a discount reserved to riders.
It works with the Newbie too
Yes. Newbie riders have their own itinerary that adds the island.
If you skip it, you have still ridden the Tuscany Trail
Nobody keeps count of who went. Everyone goes home with the journey they built, and that has always been the best thing about this event.
You declare it when you enter, but it is not binding
When you enter you tell us whether you think you will ride the Detour. It is not a final choice, you receive all the tracks anyway and you can change your mind on the road.
May is the best time of year for Elba
It is when the island is at its best. Everything is open, it is not crowded yet, and you find anything, from hotels by the harbour to farmhouses inland.
Your bike is the right one
It is the same bike you ride on the Tuscany Trail. Mixed tarmac and gravel, decent gravel tyres. If your bike handles Tuscany it handles Elba.
We cannot promise it for 2028
We are not promising it. The Tuscany Trail route changes every year and the roads we cross reopen one negotiation at a time. What we know is that in 2027 Elba is there.
As soon as you enter you receive the provisional track
All the information comes with the track. The final route is revealed at the event, as every year.
Two dates to save
Bundle entries open in
33
DAYS
22
HOURS
26
MINUTES
48
SECONDS
Tuscany Trail entries open in
65
DAYS
16
HOURS
26
MINUTES
48
SECONDS
1 November, bundle entries open. Tuscany Trail plus a second Bike Adventure Series adventure.
3 December, Tuscany Trail only entries open.