Cycling at FBC, the 2019 Florence Bike Festival

The Florence Bike Festival will be returning to the Parco delle Cascine from April 12 – 14 for its seventh edition and a weekend full of activities, races and various cycling festivities.

On Friday, April 12 at 2 pm, the park will be transformed into the traditional FBF Village and a party at the Florence Out Of Ordinary bistro, housed in The Student Hotel complex (via Spartaco Lavagnini 70), will kick off the itinerary of events at 7 pm.

Throughout the weekend, the Village will display the latest models of vintage bikes, e-bikes and gravel bikes. There will also be DJs, food, performances and mini-courses for kids; the newest addition this year is a pump track that is coming directly from the Trentino region in northern Italy. The track is designed to be a continuous loop that bikers can ride with minimal pedaling and it includes bumps and banked corners to help bikers develop off-road cycling skills.  

The main event, the De Rosa Granfondo Florence, will take place on Sunday, April 14 and invites cycling enthusiasts to journey through the mountains of Mugello beginning at Piazzale Michelangelo and arriving back down at Via Salviati. Bikers can choose from either the 134km (83 miles) course or the 95km (59 miles) option and registration will remain available the weekend of from 4-7 pm on Friday and 9:30 am- 7 pm on Saturday at the Cascine park. After the race, participating bikers will be treated to a pasta party. (kelsey lentz)