I've written before that when I worked guiding cycling tours in Italy, the first question I usually got in the morning was "what about the hills?". People had booked their trips having understood the level of difficulty of the trip, but they wanted to know specifically about that day's hills.
Well, Tuscany has a few hills.
If you're okay with hills, Tuscany is a fabulous place for cyclists. (A traveler
on one of my trips once told me "It's the downhill I don't like, because I know that I'm going to have to go back up again at some point." I thought it was interesting that he happened to be the CEO of a large and successful company.) A cycling itinerary in Tuscany can include vineyards, small atmospheric towns, amazing food and wine, shopping, and maybe even fields of sunflowers or poppies. All this, and you're seeing everything at a slower pace.
Tuscan hills compared to the rest of Italy
Most of Italy is covered in hills and mountains. But in general, Tuscany is not as hilly as Sardinia; it's about the same as Umbria; it's a little more hilly than the Veneto. If you want to cycle somewhere relatively flat, try the area around Parma and the Po Valley. If you don't want to spend entire days on a bike, but would like to go for a short ride, try Lucca or this ride up in the Dolomites.
If you're considering a cycling vacation, here's a great podcast from The Amateur Traveler about a week-long trip biking in Tuscany.
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