3 days of talks, workshops, free shows and a gravel ride, under the banner of rights and sustainability
Once again this year, the Val Mivola area welcomes the W! Festival!
W! Festival is an event that speaks of the sense of belonging, of the strength of being a group, of women. But also about the beauty of slow travel and the wonder we feel every time we immerse ourselves in nature, about the freedom that only cycling can give us.
W! Festival is the festival of those who love bicycles and dream of a more sustainable and inclusive world… and it is open to everyone and everything! See you in the Roman Amphitheatre of Suasa (Castelleone di Suasa, AN)
On Saturday 14 June there will be the beautiful W! Gravel Ride that will take you to discover the Valmivola and the Castles of Arcevia, and of course the possibility of spending both nights in a tent under the stars (W! Gravel Ride and tent space for a fee). There will also be a food & beverage area and an expo area at the venue.
ALL bikes are allowed at the W! Gravel Ride, even MTBs and e-bikes (but we advise against BDCs). To participate in the W! Gravel Ride we require membership of an ASD or a medical certificate. Gravel bikes, MTBs and e-bikes can be hired on site.
The Festival is organised with the support of the Unione dei Comuni Le Terre della Marca Senone and the municipalities of Castelleone di Suasa and Arcevia.
Who are the Cicliste per caso?
The Cicliste per caso are Silvia Gottardi and Linda Ronzoni.
The name Cicliste per caso was born during a cycling trip on the Carretera Austral, the legendary 1,200 km dirt road that runs against the wind along the Chilean Patagonia, among fjords, glaciers and wild nature. After that first mythical journey, Silvia and Linda have never stopped cycling. Cicliste per caso is a project about cycle travel, sustainability and women-empowerment. Linda and Silvia’s goal is to encourage women to travel, be autonomous and enterprising. More generally, they cycle towards a fairer and more inclusive world.
The book “Cicliste per caso, l’Italia in bici sulle tracce di Alfonsina Strada” is in all bookshops. The documentary “Cicliste per caso, Grizzly tour” can be viewed on Amazon Prime Italia and Netflix Europe. The podcast ‘Io, Alfonsina’ is on Spotify and all major listening platforms and was nominated for the Italian Podcast Awards in 2023, for the ‘Diversity’ section. They are the creators of the Mia Women Ride, the first multi-day bikepacking event for women only in Italy. Silvia and Linda are not only travel companions, they got married in 2018.
Where and When 13 Jun 2025 - 15 Jun 2025 - Suasa Archeological Park
PROGRAM 5 P.M. | OPENING W! FESTIVAL
Let the W! Festival begin! As soon as you have pitched your tents, we look forward to a toast in the Roman Amphitheatre with our very own Paola Piacentini.
7.00 P.M. | GREETINGS CYCLISTS BY CHANCE
7.15 PM | TALK: CAROLY RIDING FOR CHANGE
Caroly Italiano, on IG caroly_riding_for_change, travelled by bike alone for 5 months across Europe to prove that it is possible to change the way we women understand travelling and travelling alone. She has also recently launched the Vai Gina project.
Sono con noi per approfondire il tema Cristina Simi (CEO World Dimension E-bike) di Women in Cycling, iniziativa internazionale che ha l’obiettivo di promuovere l’uguaglianza e la diversità nell’industria della bicicletta, e Sabina Sartini, Consigliera di amministrazione di Coop Alleanza 3.0 e Presidente dell’Associazione Dalla Parte delle Donne.
8.15 PM | TALK: SYUSY BLADY
Journalist, actress, TV presenter. We grew up watching her in the programme Turisti per caso, in which she travelled around the world together with Maurizio Roversi. Since 2011 she has been on Rete 4 with “Italia Slow Tour”. She comes to talk to us about slow and sustainable tourism.
8.45 PM | MUSIC & DINNER
The food & beverage area will be active throughout the evening, but let’s take a break to toast, chat, dance, and prepare for the next talk.
Arianna Casiraghi e Daniel Rayneau-Kirkhope sono i We go by bike. Da 5 anni hanno scelto di vivere senza macchina, e durante le vacanze viaggiano assieme alla loro cagnolina Zola con una cargo. Hanno disegnato la bicicletta più grande del mondo (con GPS) per promuovere l’uso della bicicletta.
10 PM | CINEMA: WOMEN DON’T CYCLE BY MANON BRULARD – EVENT IN COLLABORATION WITH CINEMA SUASA
Women don’t cycle is a documentary by French director Manon Brulard about what it means to be a woman who cycles in different countries around the world. When Manon set off with her partner to cycle from Brussels to Tokyo, she took a camera with her and interviewed the cyclists she met on the journey. The film tells those stories! (Running time 47 min/ subtitles in Italian).
7.30 A.M. | MUSCLE AWAKENING
A yoga practice to prepare for the W! Gravel Ride with Flor Marsili.
8.30 A.M. | W! GRAVEL RIDE
Staggered start at 8.30 am for the W! Gravel Ride , a beautiful gravel ride that will take you to discover the Valmivola and the Castles of Arcevia (short and long itinerary being defined, refreshments along the way). To register HERE!
12.30/16.00 P.M. |MUSIC & LUCH
Whether you have cycled the W! Gravel Ride, or if you just want to browse and celebrate, we look forward to seeing you for a beer in the amphitheatre. At the location, from breakfast to dinner, there will always be a food & beverage area.
5.30 PM | RECOVERY ENERGY
A yoga stretching practice to relieve your muscles after a ride, or to feel good and full* of energy if you haven’t cycled. With Flor.
6.00 P.M./9.00 P.M. | CIRCOPLÀ FUN AREA
Elisa and Andrea founded the Circopla’ Circus School in Serra dè Conti (AN) 13 years ago. 0Today at Spazioplà they run courses in educational and social circus for all ages! At the festival they will create a space for fun and sharing with wooden games and functional juggling suitable for the whole family, to test themselves, experiment and rediscover the pleasure of play.
6.30 PM | TALK: GREEN GANESHA
Fabiana and Samuela are the Green Ganesha, cooks and vegetable cooking experts who, through their social channels, courses and events, accompany people on a path of awareness and change. They come to talk to us about plant-based nutrition in sport and tell us their story.
7 P.M. | TALK: ELEONORA DEL NEVO
Eleonora, an environmental consultant and mountaineer from Bergamo, lost the use of her legs in 2015 while climbing, but never gave up. A few years ago she covered 1,500km of wind and dirt in Patagonia on a hand bike, last summer she navigated the Yukon River in a canoe, retracing the prospectors’ route between Canada and Alaska.
7.30 P.M. | TALK: ELISA GALLO
Elisa Gallo often talks and writes about bicycles, cycling in the city, in the hills of Turin and travelling by bike. She is an activist – national councillor of FIAB Italia and former president of FIAB Torino Bike Pride – committed to the promotion of active and sustainable mobility and for social, environmental and economic justice. She comes to talk to us about gender mobility.
8 PM |TALK: CYCLISTS BY CHANCE
We will tell you about our latest trips: the Gender Equality Ride from Bolzano Oslo, from Valencia to Bologna for “M’illumino di meno”, Bolivia solo and much more.
9.30 P.M. | CONCERT: GIULIA MEI – LIVE 2025
Giulia Mei, singer-songwriter and pianist from Palermo, will bring to the W! Festival the songs from her new album, with a very special trio formation. The live show is conceived as a stream of consciousness, a narration also rich in instrumental pieces that accompany the way between one song and another, between one state of mind and another, between minimal and total chaos. THE CONCERT IS FREE!
11.00 P.M. | PARTY TIME WITH DJ OLLY
Dancing to the notes of DJ Olly
08.00 | WAKE UP CALL
A practice to get the day off to a great start, always with our Flor.
9.30 | WORKSHOP: HOW TO STAY IN THE SADDLE
A workshop with Paola Paonessa, physiotherapist and expert in Cycling Biomechanics. With her we will talk about the right position in the saddle for travelling and how to adjust the bike to avoid problems.
10.30 AM | WORKSHOP: CYCLING MECHANICS FOR TRAVELLING
Francesca Luzzana, she pedals a lot and is involved in communication (for many years at Cinelli). You will find her in bookshops with Come fare… la manutenzione della bicicletta. Illustrated manual of cyclomechanics. She will explain the basics of cyclomechanics and how to solve the most common problems that can occur during a trip.
11.30 AM | WORKSHOP: HOW TO PREPARE FOR ADVENTURE
Dino Lanzaretti, from mountaineer to cycle traveller, has crossed 67 countries on his bike in over 15 years of unconventional journeys, pedalling to places where no one had ever been before. Who better than him to tell us how to organise ourselves for a great adventure? This workshop is a small preview of what you will learn in his Bike Travelers Academy.
12.30- 14.00 | MUSIC & LUNCH
Time for a last beer together and goodbyes. Active food & beverage area from breakfast to lunch.
2 P.M. | END W! FESTIVAL
PRICE gratuito
PETS ADMITTED 
INFORMATION
Ufficio stampa W! Festival
Elisa Gallo
tel. 328.7355957
info@elisagallo.it
Ufficio stampa Val Mivola
Maria Chiara Salvanelli | Press Office & Communication
Maria Chiara Salvanelli
Email mariachiara@salvanelli.it | Cell +39 333 4580190
BOOK YOUR TENT SITE
W! Festival was born to meet each other, share our stories and be a group. That is why we invite you to bring your own tent and sleep under the stars together.
The cost of the tent site (€26) is per person for both nights. Of course you can also share a tent, as long as everyone pays their own share. Vans and camper vans are also welcome: the same cost per person applies as for the tent site.
The location is spartan: there will be chemical toilets and showers outside. If you prefer more comfort, here are some affiliated facilities (Camping Suasa, Albergo Bellucci, Cantine Politi, Borgo Loretello, Agriturismo Il Rustico). Otherwise HERE you can find many other facilities in the area.
SIGN UP FOR THE GRAVEL RIDE
A beautiful ride that will take you to discover the Valmivola and the Castles of Arcevia. You will cycle in the High Marches, between cultivated hills and the Apennines, through the Gola della Rossa and Frasassi Natural Park and medieval villages where time seems to stand still.
Two routes to choose from: REGULAR (65km / 1,110m D+) or LONG (86km / 1,610m D+). Along the track several refreshments will be waiting for you and at the return in the Roman Amphitheatre of Suasa a party with DJ Set and beer! Registration costs € 30 per person (€ 25 in early bird until 6 April) and entitles you to GPX track, welcome bag and mechanical assistance along the route.
ALL bikes are allowed at the W! Gravel Ride, including MTBs and e-bikes (not suitable BDCs). In order to participate in the ride, we require membership in an ASD or a medical certificate. Possibility to rent gravel bikes, MTBs and e-bikes on site.
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