Cycling & running events in Florence, 2026

Florence Training Notes

Running: Locals run the Arno when they want flat Z2 and easy bearings. The city centre gives you a short hit, and a roughly 3 mile route runs from Piazza di Santa Maria Novella past Ponte Vecchio, Ponte alle Grazie, the Uffizi, Piazza della Signoria, and Piazza del Duomo. Piazzale Michelangelo gives you the honest work, with those never ending feeling stairs and one dawn loop that ran a little over 4 miles with 233 feet of gain. Runners of Florence - ROF meets every Tuesday at 7:30 PM at YellowSquare Florence for 10 KM. Anchor races include Notturna di San Giovanni, XLII^ ESTRA Firenze Marathon, and 51° 100 Kilometri del Passatore.

Cycling: Locals ride west through Cascine Park when the legs need easy base miles. The city centre rides fine, but the real work starts on the edges. Giro di Fiesole heads north to a village 10 km from Florence, and Via San Domenico still has that 2013 Worlds feel. Impruneta points you toward the northern part of Chianti, while Giro di San Casciano, Greve in Chianti, Monte Senario Convent, Consuma Pass, and Vallombrosa give you proper climbing days. ASD VeloClub Florence By Bike, ASD Mugello Toscana Bike, Toscana CRIT, Rouleur Cycling Team, Toscana Factory Team, and Badia Cycling Club keep the group scene moving. Anchor rides and races include Chianti Classico Gran Fondo, L’Eroica, Strade Bianche, and 51° 100 Kilometri del Passatore.

Season: April to October gives Florence its best training window. Spring gives runners clean interval nights along the Arno and cyclists steady Z2 through Fiesole, Impruneta, and Chianti. Summer gets hot, and average highs sit around 30°C, so locals go early, ride longer toward Vallombrosa Forest, or use the Cascine Park shade when the plan is easy. Vallombrosa Forest sits 15 degrees cooler than Florence, which makes it a real summer escape. Winter brings cool, damp mornings, and November can still give runs with temperatures in the mid 40s. 5 days drop below freezing, so both runners and riders keep the kit simple and the efforts controlled.