Italy Divide 2026 - More than a route

For months, that was practically all we talked about.
GPX tracks, gear to bring, training, equipment doubts, obsessively checked weather forecasts, late-night messages to figure out if a heavier jacket or a few less grams was better.
Every bike ride in the preceding months had a different meaning because we knew it was preparing us for something we would remember forever.

The Italy Divide wasn't just an event or a bikepacking trip.
It was a small dream.

On Friday, May 1st, we set off for the Classic version.
The first pedal strokes felt special: fresh legs, high adrenaline, and that incredible feeling of finally being immersed in the adventure we had imagined for so long.

For the first three and a half days, we rode together.
Hours and hours side by side, sharing everything: the fatigue of the first big climbs, moments of euphoria, improvised breaks, silly jokes to lighten the tiredness, and those silences that only those who experience such things can truly understand.

We found ourselves immersed in landscapes that seemed to change continuously.
From Campania to Molise, then Abruzzo, Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, and finally Veneto.
Each region had a different color, a different smell, a different feeling.

Abruzzo was probably the place that struck us the most.
The mountains there seemed immense, almost out of scale compared to us and our loaded bikes.
Riding through those landscapes gave a sense of freedom that is hard to explain, but at the same time, it made you feel small, vulnerable.

And right there we found sunshine, biting cold, snow, wind, headwinds.
Within a few hours, you could go from riding in short sleeves to shivering while looking for a windbreaker or long-fingered gloves.

There were epic moments and others decidedly more complicated.
Trails destroyed by rain, landslides, treacherous passages tackled by pushing the bike, endless stretches in the dark of night where the beam of light illuminated only a few meters in front of us and everything else seemed to disappear.

And then there were those almost surreal moments that make us smile today but seemed like movie scenes at the time, like fleeing from the Maremma sheepdogs in Abruzzo, with adrenaline pumping and our hearts beating faster than on a climb.

After two and a half days, a difficult but inevitable choice arrived.
To separate.

We had different rhythms, and continuing together would have meant sacrificing both our paces.
It wasn't an easy decision, because until that moment we had shared every kilometer, every difficulty, and every emotion.

From then on, each of us faced our own journey.
Alone, but never truly alone.

We communicated whenever possible, perhaps during a quick break or in the few minutes of lucidity before falling asleep.
A few words were enough to help each other morally, to remember that even in extreme fatigue, someone else was experiencing the exact same thing.

And in an adventure like this, mental support is incredibly valuable.

Some images will remain etched forever.
The arrival in Rome after endless hours in the saddle.
The arrival in Val d'Orcia; on the roads of Siena, the panoramic arrival in Florence with the storm approaching and that incredible feeling of having made it that far with only the strength of our legs.

And then the indescribable emotion of entering Emilia Romagna, smelling home approaching after so many kilometers.

But the Italy Divide wasn't just spectacular landscapes and heroic moments.
It was also sleep deprivation, shattered legs, doubts, hunger, cold, rain and wind in the face, and moments when your mind constantly asks you why you're even doing this.

And that's exactly when something happens.

Because when you keep pedaling even when you're tired, even when you're wet, even in the dead of night, you begin to discover a part of yourself that remains hidden in normal life; you step out of your comfort zone.

You understand that the real journey isn't just geographical.
It's also within you.

This experience completely pulled us out of our daily routine.
For a few days, there were no normal schedules, comfort, commitments, or habits.
There was only the road, the bike, and the desire to keep going.

And perhaps that's precisely why an adventure like this stays with you so strongly.

Because it wasn't just a sporting challenge.
It was a mental, emotional, and human test.

It tested us, made us suffer, made us laugh, made us feel alive.

And above all, it further strengthened the relationship between Mattia and me.
Because sharing something like this creates a bond that is difficult to explain in words.

The Italy Divide 2026 was a journey, a challenge, and a dream pursued to the very end.

Difficult.
Tiring.
At times, crazy.

But incredibly beautiful.

Words: Luca Ferri (Gerry)

Photos: Luca, Mattia