Tuscany with an e-bike

If you are looking to experience Tuscany in a different way, a biking tour is a great idea to actively explore the countryside. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to pedal uphill and downhill discovering the beautiful landscape?

It sure sounds like a lot of fun. I had never done it, though. Downhill ok, but uphill? I’m not much of a cyclist and I only own an ordinary city bike to ride around town. No, biking in the Tuscan hills was not for me, or so I thought.

Until one day my friend, Willemijn told be about her friends Toscana by Bike. With the top notch e-bikes from bicycle rental shop Toscana by Bike also untrained cyclists are able to enjoy the hilly landscape of Tuscany.

An e-bike is a bike with electric motor assistance. You decide how much support you need during a climb, but you have to keep pedaling, it’s not a scooter!

Last year the owner of Toscana by Bike, Massimo Chellini, decided to change his life around and he opened up a bicycle rental shop in his hometown Montespertoli. Besides the bike rental he also he organizes guided tours, also with a Dutch or English speaking guide.
If you are a more experienced cyclist you can also rent a normal MTB.

Some of my family members came over from Holland in May for a visit and the four of us drove down to Montespertoli for our very first e-bike ride. The website of Toscana by Bike list several different routes that you can download on your mobile. We decided to do the tour that Willemijn had recently added. It conveniently includes an audio guide that provides tidbits of information about the area and its history.

Massimo was very helpful and patiently answered all our newbie questions. He selected the best bikes for us, adjusted their height and explained how to use the battery. We put on our helmets and because the weather was quite changeable, he also gave us a couple of wind jackets.

The biggest challenge of the day turned out to be finding our way out of the village. Once out in the countryside there are not so many roads to choose from and following the route was not a problem.

It was amazing to pedal over small roads between olive groves and vineyards. The e-bikes of Toscana by Bike are really of top-notch quality. They give you just that little push so you don’t wear yourself out and can fully enjoy the beautiful surroundings and views.

The men in our bike party wanted to try to reach the summits without electronic assistance and that turned out to be quite a challenge! I must confess that I switched to the highest Turbo gear several times. Why make things harder than they have to be, right?

I’m no speed devil and going downhill I gave the brakes a good run for their money. My boyfriend however, had a blast dashing down without giving his brakes so much as a squeeze. He reached a top speed of 51 km/h!

This tour passed through a couple villages where you can stop for a drink or a bite to eat. We had panini prepared for us in a small alimentari and we had lunch somewhere quiet in the countryside.

Fortunately, it didn’t rain that day and the sun even came out in the afternoon. It was a wonderful experience to explore the beautiful hilly landscape by bike.

On the website of Toscana by Bike you will find various options for tours with or without a guide and information about prices and reservations.