Florence, Italy

Louise, on Triban, 
Tuscany as a challenge 
with gravel! 

Testing yourself while testing a bike…the hardest gravel race in the world can offer you this challenge. A very talented and adventurous cyclist has taken up this challenge too.

To stretch your legs and visit places, Louise Roussel needed a challenge. In June 2019, she signed up for the most important gravel race in the world: the Tuscany Trail. Her goal: 4 days to finish up 540 km. Louise is a determined sportswoman.The Tuscany Trail is a monster race. 750 people participating and a very hard route with no marking or assistance. She is not scared at all! Her secret? “I have a personal goal and also a professional goal” explains Louise, who works at Triban. She has also tested the RC520 Gravel LTD.

“I wanted to test this product in extreme conditions, and take this bike as far as possible”. And check how it goes. Modifications have been made to get on side roads, mountain paths, Stoney trails, and other traps: shorten and reverse the bicycle stem to get the straightest position. Add extension cables to diversify positions and take the weight off hands, like the famous pressure on nerves. Double the guidoline, for more comfort. Choose WTB tubeless tires to avoid flat tires. The Result? “A great success”. No flat tire in 4 days. Last modification: “ I changed the chain wheel but it was too strong for this kind of route with a lot of elevation and technical fields”. When ready, Louise gets to her first day. The test is not timed. She aims to finish it off. 

It was hard: 150 kilometers and 2 500 elevation meters to start up with: “ I went through every path even the steepest ones, and I am not a good climber !” 130 kilometers and 3 000 positive elevation meters the second day. Louise gets to the bivouac at night but finishes the test. Trails with white gravel, high up in the Tuscany countryside on the third day, on her 28th birthday. She cycled with success the highest point of the race, the Radicofani point. And the last day is also extreme: 35 km with a mountain bike and 900 elevation meters. “My whole body felt as if it had been crushed !” said Louise, but she goes home helped by German people with water as she had no more.

“ It was like finishing a good novel: being in a hurry to get to the end, keeping in mind that the experience will end up and you will get back to the everyday life”. Louise’s challenge was a success. Finishing the Tuscany Trail in time. Her gravel helped her a lot, and the Tuscany landscapes will remain great memories. Gravel cycling is growing. The French Cycling Federation has taken this fact into account. Louise will be part of a mountain test, the Gravel Pyrénées on September 12 and 13 2020. Louise is getting ready to cycle through this stony and rocky mountain designed for gravel cycling and adventurous sportswomen.

July 2020

Decathlon Firenze Novoli

Triban

Triban is a road bike without any notion of time, guided by comfort: enjoy the pleasure of speed, sharing moments between friends while discovering new places and beautiful landscapes.

Because you will meet liberty and adventure at the next curve.