Hi Maarten. Super helpful video with excellent advice. Last year I booked overnight stops, this year, following your advice, I'm planning to camp out. Preparation as you say is super important, and checking your gear, weighing it all carefully before you go to help decide what you need and what you don't. I hope we will cross paths on this year's Trail !
Hi Maarten, thanks for the tips and your experience. I am starting in 2023, so roughly in a month. Maybe we'll catch up, greetings and thanks for sharing, Jan
Thanks Marcus!!! I'm sure you'll pass the medical. Can't wait for the first videos of you preparing for the TT. Maybe we should do a collab series. We'd become an iconic duo like Bert & Ernie or Han and Chewbacca :-)
Thanks Maarten for the useful tips. I completely agree with the preparation part. Every average cyclist can do the Tuscany Trail. I'd put myself in this category too. I did not really trained for it. All I did was commuting every day for 25km and I was well prepared. More important from my point of view is that you are comfortable with your bike and gear. It's not required the use the most expensive and lightest gear. As mentioned you should think about what to pack, but don't over-stress it. Just keep in mind, you want have fun, meet nice people and enjoy Tuscany. ...and don't forget your sunglasses (or sunscreen)! 😉
Hey Ronny! Good to see you here! And thanks for your feedback! I agree on the bike and gear, I'll do a separate video on that. Let me know if you have more ideas on what I should mention. Or maybe I should interview you :-)
@@MaartenOverweg Hey Maarten, inmiddels ingeschreven voor de 2023 versie en in afwachting van de goedkeuring medisch attest....ga jij ook dit jaar? Voor het eerst een rondje ipv enkel traject, gemakkelijker voor de logistieke kant...see ya... 😉🍻
@@rogervansimpsen1657 Hi Roger! Mooi man, medisch attest komt helemaal goed en dan lekker genieten in Tuscany! Ik denk niet dat ik kan die jaar helaas, misschien dat ik last minute beslis mee te fietsen.
Great videos. Only one question: If you could only choose two objects that you carried with you, which was the most useful and which was totally useless. Now I'm sure...I will partecipate the next year 💪
Wow, that’s a great question. And very hard to answer, to be honest. I had my down jacket with me just in case the weather would be very bad. But I did not need to use it al all. So, maybe you would call that totally useless. Most useful I would say my wallet, because I can loose everything else and still manage if I just have my credit card and money 😅
Thanks for the great video, Maarten! Hoping to sign up for this 2023 event and will be coming from Singapore to do LEJOG before joining the event. One question, would 7-8 days to finish the whole event be allowed? Thanks!
Thanks, Kelvin! Wow, also doing LEJOG? Yes, 7-8 days (or more) is allowed. The finish is in a park and they keep the finish banner up quite long. On the banner is a QR code you can scan to prove you made it to the end and get on the finishers list.
Hello Maarten, your videos are fantastic. Is it possible to do the Tuscany Trail sleeping and eating in a town or village each night, rather than camping?
Thanks Jeremy! Really appreciate that, always fun to hear what people think of my stuff 🙂 Short answer to your question: Yes. The route next year is probably fairly similar to this years and we passed through villages and towns about every 15 to 25 km at least. So, there's always a place for food during the day and in the evening that you will be able to find. Also sleeping in hotels or B&B's isn't that difficult to arrange. The only thing you then have to figure out is how much you think you can ride in a day. The route can be quite slow going due to the climbs and surface conditions.
Hi Maarten, very helpful videos you have ! After viewing them I have signed up for TT 2023. I didn't buy a light tent yet, I hope you will still share your thoughts ons the naturehike tent that you used 😀.
Hi Nico, thank you very much! I'm sure you will really enjoy the TT, let me know how it went! Oh man, I feel guilty I still haven't made a video about the NatureHike tent. In short: I love that tent. It's light enough, easy to pitch, it fits on my bike and has quite some space inside. For this price a great tent. Some of my bikepacking buddies have the 1-person Decathlon trekking tent, maybe you should have a look at that tent too. Let me know what you decide to go for!
Hi Maarten, thanks for your super-quick response. I think I will go for the cloudup 2, then I have a solution also when my wife would join on a next occasion. But before TT, we are doing the Ardennes Arbelète ( yes, you inspired me 🙂 ), but with hotel stays at night, as we will do this in the first week of April now.
@@NicoVerhelst Hi Nice, no problem and thanks again for the kind words. And how fun you are also doing the Ardennes Arbalete! I found that to be tougher than the TT, very hilly and lots of hike-a-bike. And it was also very rainy and cold on our second day. Good luck and good choice going for hotels! Let me know how it went!
Great and helpful videos, Maarten. Thanks a lot. I‘ve registered for the 2023 TT and am thinking about spending the nights in a hammock under a tarp. Based on your experience, do you think I should find enough trees to hang a hammock? I‘d like to stay flexible and do not wanna book hotels in advance nor wanna bring a tent. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks and see you hopefully early June
Thanks! You'll love the TT, it's an amazing event. I think you'll have to be a little creative with hammock and tarp. We met a gentleman who brought a hammock and he told is he couldn't use it every night but sometimes just put has sleeping system on the ground with the tarp over him. Worked fine, he said.
Hello Maarten! Thank you for the great video and advice. Would you know what is the average total cost to ride, eat, sleep the trail not including airfare and/or transportation to get to Tuscany?
@@rythymsection7335 Hi! Allow me to take a stab, sorry I can’t be super precise because it’s been a while…we were with the 2 of us and split the bill for sleep and eating. We stayed in hotels 3 nights (100.- average for a room), stayed at a campsite 2 nights and did one night of wildcamping. So, that would be something like 250.- per person for sleep. And food and drinks were on average 50.- per day. So in total roughly 500.- but please note you can do it much cheaper (or much more expensive 😅).
@@rythymsection7335 Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy to help where I can 🥳 amazing you’re looking into doing tho event coming all the way from Canada 💪
@@ElizabethEvans-if4ud No worries and understandable you didn't see my other video. Thanks for watching, I still find it amazing people actually watch my little videos. Anyway, to your question: it will depend on the weather conditions. You'll be fine on the roads and gravel sections. But there will also be more MTB single track and we had rain so it was extremely muddy and slippery so I was very happy with my 40mm. If you can, go wider wold be my advise.
Thanks for your kind words! And great job signing up! You're gonna have so much fun 🥳 I'm doing the Veneto Gravel bikepacking event in Italy this year, also really looking forward to that. Will you be making a video about your Tuscany Trail? Would love to follow your adventure!
Hi there ! How did you transport you bike to Tuscany ? By train ? Trains usually ask for us to fold the bikes and the transportation bags are so big to carry on through the entire adventure. Can we rent bikes over there ?
Hi Eri! We went to Tuscany by car from the Netherlands, so that was easy (bikes in the back of the car). This year the start and finish location are the same, which makes it a lot easier as well. Last year we had to take the train to travel the first bit from the car park to the start, was no problem to bring the bike on the train. No folding or transportation bag was asked. I believe the only limitation in Italy is you can't use the intercity trains when bringing a bike. But this is explained on the website of the Italian railroads. I never found a place to rent bikes myself over there, fortunately I had my own bike with me. You could ask if anyone knows about a bike rental on the TT facebook page, hopefully someone on there knows. I hope you really enjoy the TT. Make a video and let me know how it went! All the best, Maarten.
Hi, you have to fill out date of birth when you register online. And when you arrive at the start and pick up your startnumber and stuff you have to show your passport or ID card. But I don’t know if the limit is 18 years old?
@@MaartenOverweg Yeah, of course they ask for date of birth, and I mean, it's not a problem. I was wondering if they stated anywhere that you need to be 18 to register, but since they didn't explicitly state it anywhere and there's no info about it on the website, I guess you don't have to be 18. I sent a question to the info mail of the TT so I hope they respond soon. Thanks anyways! Great video, very helpful!
@@krconemanja I can't find anything about that either. I don't think there is an age limit, to be honest. But good thing that you asked the organisation (although they are very slow with e-mail responses). Have a great time doing the TT! Let me know how it went!
Mmmm, good question…I really enjoyed meeting a lot of other participants along the way. We had great conversations and fun with complete strangers who we could share a common experience with. It was always the same questions when you met each other: how’s it going? How far are you going today? Do you have a place to sleep? But of course, if that’s not what you’re looking for then doing the track on your own is great too.
Hi Maarten. Super helpful video with excellent advice. Last year I booked overnight stops, this year, following your advice, I'm planning to camp out. Preparation as you say is super important, and checking your gear, weighing it all carefully before you go to help decide what you need and what you don't. I hope we will cross paths on this year's Trail !
Hi Maarten, thanks for the tips and your experience. I am starting in 2023, so roughly in a month. Maybe we'll catch up, greetings and thanks for sharing, Jan
Hi Jan! Thank you for your comment and watching my video! I’m sure you’re gonna have so much fun doing the TT! Enjoy!
I just registered for the tuscany trail 2023. Thank you for your helpful tips :)
Thanks! That really means a lot! Have fun doing the TT, it’s a great event! And let me know if you have any questions.
Brilliant, informative video. I'm SO up for this in 2023 - if I pass the medical 😉.
Thanks Marcus!!! I'm sure you'll pass the medical. Can't wait for the first videos of you preparing for the TT. Maybe we should do a collab series. We'd become an iconic duo like Bert & Ernie or Han and Chewbacca :-)
@@MaartenOverweg 😂😂😂😂
Nobody actually does one...ha ha.
Really great helpful advice... thanks.
Thank you! If you have any questions, just let me know.
Very good tips buddy! Thanks a lot!
Thanks Jan!
Thanks Maarten for the useful tips. I completely agree with the preparation part. Every average cyclist can do the Tuscany Trail. I'd put myself in this category too. I did not really trained for it. All I did was commuting every day for 25km and I was well prepared.
More important from my point of view is that you are comfortable with your bike and gear. It's not required the use the most expensive and lightest gear. As mentioned you should think about what to pack, but don't over-stress it. Just keep in mind, you want have fun, meet nice people and enjoy Tuscany.
...and don't forget your sunglasses (or sunscreen)! 😉
Hey Ronny! Good to see you here! And thanks for your feedback! I agree on the bike and gear, I'll do a separate video on that. Let me know if you have more ideas on what I should mention. Or maybe I should interview you :-)
:-o What an honor! Sure, can I share my thoughts. I will reach out to you via private message for details.
Seems not to be possible to send you a PM and we didn't shared contacts on the tour. :-(
@@Ronny_W you have LinkedIn? You can find me there and send me a message.
Thanks for the videos, i'm doing the tuscany trail this year, maybe we'll meet you there, greetings
Thanks! I'm sure you're gonna love the Tuscany Trail, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did! Let me know how it went 🙂
Hoi Maarten, thx for the very usefull tips§tricks..thinking about participating 2023 edition..grtz from Flanders..🍻
Hallo Roger, thank you very much! Great to hear you found this usefull! Maybe see you next year 🥳
@@MaartenOverweg Hey Maarten, inmiddels ingeschreven voor de 2023 versie en in afwachting van de goedkeuring medisch attest....ga jij ook dit jaar? Voor het eerst een rondje ipv enkel traject, gemakkelijker voor de logistieke kant...see ya... 😉🍻
@@rogervansimpsen1657 Hi Roger! Mooi man, medisch attest komt helemaal goed en dan lekker genieten in Tuscany! Ik denk niet dat ik kan die jaar helaas, misschien dat ik last minute beslis mee te fietsen.
Great videos. Only one question: If you could only choose two objects that you carried with you, which was the most useful and which was totally useless. Now I'm sure...I will partecipate the next year 💪
Wow, that’s a great question. And very hard to answer, to be honest. I had my down jacket with me just in case the weather would be very bad. But I did not need to use it al all. So, maybe you would call that totally useless. Most useful I would say my wallet, because I can loose everything else and still manage if I just have my credit card and money 😅
Nice part of the world you live in!
Thanks! It’s not too bad indeed 😅
Thanks for the great video, Maarten! Hoping to sign up for this 2023 event and will be coming from Singapore to do LEJOG before joining the event. One question, would 7-8 days to finish the whole event be allowed? Thanks!
Thanks, Kelvin! Wow, also doing LEJOG? Yes, 7-8 days (or more) is allowed. The finish is in a park and they keep the finish banner up quite long. On the banner is a QR code you can scan to prove you made it to the end and get on the finishers list.
@@MaartenOverweg Great! Thanks very much Maarten and hope to see you at TT2023!
Hello Maarten, your videos are fantastic. Is it possible to do the Tuscany Trail sleeping and eating in a town or village each night, rather than camping?
Thanks Jeremy! Really appreciate that, always fun to hear what people think of my stuff 🙂 Short answer to your question: Yes. The route next year is probably fairly similar to this years and we passed through villages and towns about every 15 to 25 km at least. So, there's always a place for food during the day and in the evening that you will be able to find. Also sleeping in hotels or B&B's isn't that difficult to arrange. The only thing you then have to figure out is how much you think you can ride in a day. The route can be quite slow going due to the climbs and surface conditions.
Hi Maarten, very helpful videos you have ! After viewing them I have signed up for TT 2023. I didn't buy a light tent yet, I hope you will still share your thoughts ons the naturehike tent that you used 😀.
Hi Nico, thank you very much! I'm sure you will really enjoy the TT, let me know how it went! Oh man, I feel guilty I still haven't made a video about the NatureHike tent. In short: I love that tent. It's light enough, easy to pitch, it fits on my bike and has quite some space inside. For this price a great tent. Some of my bikepacking buddies have the 1-person Decathlon trekking tent, maybe you should have a look at that tent too. Let me know what you decide to go for!
Hi Maarten, thanks for your super-quick response. I think I will go for the cloudup 2, then I have a solution also when my wife would join on a next occasion. But before TT, we are doing the Ardennes Arbelète ( yes, you inspired me 🙂 ), but with hotel stays at night, as we will do this in the first week of April now.
@@NicoVerhelst Hi Nice, no problem and thanks again for the kind words. And how fun you are also doing the Ardennes Arbalete! I found that to be tougher than the TT, very hilly and lots of hike-a-bike. And it was also very rainy and cold on our second day. Good luck and good choice going for hotels! Let me know how it went!
Great and helpful videos, Maarten. Thanks a lot. I‘ve registered for the 2023 TT and am thinking about spending the nights in a hammock under a tarp. Based on your experience, do you think I should find enough trees to hang a hammock? I‘d like to stay flexible and do not wanna book hotels in advance nor wanna bring a tent. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks and see you hopefully early June
Thanks! You'll love the TT, it's an amazing event. I think you'll have to be a little creative with hammock and tarp. We met a gentleman who brought a hammock and he told is he couldn't use it every night but sometimes just put has sleeping system on the ground with the tarp over him. Worked fine, he said.
Thanks for the immediate reply. Very helpful for my planning
Hello Maarten! Thank you for the great video and advice. Would you know what is the average total cost to ride, eat, sleep the trail not including airfare and/or transportation to get to Tuscany?
@@rythymsection7335 Hi! Allow me to take a stab, sorry I can’t be super precise because it’s been a while…we were with the 2 of us and split the bill for sleep and eating. We stayed in hotels 3 nights (100.- average for a room), stayed at a campsite 2 nights and did one night of wildcamping. So, that would be something like 250.- per person for sleep. And food and drinks were on average 50.- per day. So in total roughly 500.- but please note you can do it much cheaper (or much more expensive 😅).
@@MaartenOverweg Please no apology necessary! Sincerely appreciate your reply! Will help me to plan coming from Canada.
@@rythymsection7335 Let me know if you have any other questions! Happy to help where I can 🥳 amazing you’re looking into doing tho event coming all the way from Canada 💪
Hi Maarten - thank you for the video! what tyre dimensions did you use? What would be the minimum thickness you recommend? thanks
Thanks Elizabeth! I used 40mm wide gravel tyres. Here a little video about the bike: th-cam.com/video/QWKOqvFmuqw/w-d-xo.html
@@MaartenOverweg Sorry I had not seen that you had another video! Super helpful thank you. Would you say that 32 mm gravel tyres would be sufficienct?
@@ElizabethEvans-if4ud No worries and understandable you didn't see my other video. Thanks for watching, I still find it amazing people actually watch my little videos. Anyway, to your question: it will depend on the weather conditions. You'll be fine on the roads and gravel sections. But there will also be more MTB single track and we had rain so it was extremely muddy and slippery so I was very happy with my 40mm. If you can, go wider wold be my advise.
Thanks for the tips n tricks! I'm signed up for 2024. Are you?
Thanks for your kind words! And great job signing up! You're gonna have so much fun 🥳 I'm doing the Veneto Gravel bikepacking event in Italy this year, also really looking forward to that. Will you be making a video about your Tuscany Trail? Would love to follow your adventure!
@@MaartenOverweg because you asked so nicely, I will!!!
@@LIFE_ToBeContinued woohoo! 🥳
How about the beer points? Easy to find?
Of course! Just follow me!
Hi there ! How did you transport you bike to Tuscany ? By train ? Trains usually ask for us to fold the bikes and the transportation bags are so big to carry on through the entire adventure. Can we rent bikes over there ?
Hi Eri! We went to Tuscany by car from the Netherlands, so that was easy (bikes in the back of the car). This year the start and finish location are the same, which makes it a lot easier as well. Last year we had to take the train to travel the first bit from the car park to the start, was no problem to bring the bike on the train. No folding or transportation bag was asked. I believe the only limitation in Italy is you can't use the intercity trains when bringing a bike. But this is explained on the website of the Italian railroads. I never found a place to rent bikes myself over there, fortunately I had my own bike with me. You could ask if anyone knows about a bike rental on the TT facebook page, hopefully someone on there knows. I hope you really enjoy the TT. Make a video and let me know how it went! All the best, Maarten.
Can you just bike this trail on your own at other times of the year?
Sure, that’s absolutely no problem. If you google a bit, you’ll probably find the 2022 and 2023 routes on Komoot or somewhere else.
Hi, did the organizers ask for proof of being over 18 years old at any time during the registration?
Hi, you have to fill out date of birth when you register online. And when you arrive at the start and pick up your startnumber and stuff you have to show your passport or ID card. But I don’t know if the limit is 18 years old?
@@MaartenOverweg Yeah, of course they ask for date of birth, and I mean, it's not a problem. I was wondering if they stated anywhere that you need to be 18 to register, but since they didn't explicitly state it anywhere and there's no info about it on the website, I guess you don't have to be 18. I sent a question to the info mail of the TT so I hope they respond soon. Thanks anyways! Great video, very helpful!
@@krconemanja I can't find anything about that either. I don't think there is an age limit, to be honest. But good thing that you asked the organisation (although they are very slow with e-mail responses). Have a great time doing the TT! Let me know how it went!
What is actually the benefit of doing the event instead of riding the trek on your own?
Mmmm, good question…I really enjoyed meeting a lot of other participants along the way. We had great conversations and fun with complete strangers who we could share a common experience with. It was always the same questions when you met each other: how’s it going? How far are you going today? Do you have a place to sleep? But of course, if that’s not what you’re looking for then doing the track on your own is great too.