Lucca, City of Bicycles - Lenora's Italy Travel Blog

The 2013 Bicyclists UCI Road World Championships took place in Tuscany, Italy, September 21 and 22, 2013 right after my Italy Retreat for Women group left Lucca, City of Bicycles.

The Championships consisted of 12 events for elite, under-23 and junior cyclists. It was the 86th Road World Championships, the 13th in Italy and the first time that the event took place in Tuscany. The different events took place in Florence, Pistoia, Poggio a Caiano, Carmignano, Lucca, Fiesole and Montecatini Terme.

Bike riding and bike racing are popular activities in Italy, especially in Lucca, the City of Bicycles. Of course, our group did not participate in the championship bicycle race, but we sure had fun riding bicycles on top of the 3 mile wall, and throughout the city center, along with the local Lucchese. Bikes are easily rented near Porta San Pietro, Porta Santa Maria, and other entrances to Lucca for 4-5 euros per hour. You can easily spot the rental stores because all the bikes are lined up outside.

During The Italy Retreats for Women that I lead, I focus on fresh air and outdoor activities. This balances out any gelato and pasta that we indulge in, as seen in my other posts!

I love seeing everyone of all ages riding bikes throughout the town. They inspire all of the tourists to step it up and get more active. I’ve found that one challenge that some travelers’ experience is jet lag. Usually with short vacations, we don’t have time to wait until we’re completely over it before we start exploring. One simple travel tip to alleviate jet lag is to exercise. Walk a lot in the fresh air or ride a bicycle. Secondly, do not nap during the day, but get right into your day (even though it really is your night time at home). The wall around Lucca just invites us to ride on top, through tree-lined parks and breathtaking views of the mountains.