The Appenninici – Lillo Lenzi, in love with the Apennines

Who said that at 70, you’re too old to take part in a six-day stage race with over 14,000 meters of elevation gain? Lillo Lenzi is the demonstration that limits are just relative, even in a technically and physically challenging sport like mountain biking.

At 70, Lillo was the oldest rider at the start of Appenninica 2024. Since it was the last opportunity for him, as 70 is the age limit for participation to the event, Lillo Lenzi made the most of it, thoroughly enjoying the experience on the trails of the Emilia-Romagna’s Apennines that he knows like the back of his hand.

“For my 70th birthday, I gifted myself Appenninica, thinking ‘now or never’,” Lillo Lenzi says. “It’s an experience that is impossible to explain, because they offer exceptional service, taking care of every aspect and leaving you only the pleasure of riding and enjoying the landscape.”

Lillo knows the Emilia-Romagna Apennines’ landscapes very well. He hails from Gaggio Montano, in the province of Bologna, and has ridden up and down the ridges many times. Yet, despite knowing the trails and routes, he keeps being impressed by all their beauty.

“I’ve always enjoyed biking, discovering new paths, even randomly,” Lillo told. “In 70 years of life, I’ve ridden a lot in these mountains, but every day you discover that something has changed. When we were on the ridge, sometimes it was cloudy, and then suddenly the sky cleared up and the mountains started shining with colors. You’re there in that moment, and you see one thing; you go the next day and see another: the Emilia-Romagna’s Apennines are amazing.”

Lillo enjoyed such wonder with the 150 participants of the 2023 Appenninica MTB Stage Race, most of whom coming from outside of Italy.

“I challenge any of the 150 participants of the Appenninica to say they haven’t seen anything throughout the day that has left them speechless. All this happens in a race, not during a ride among friends, but it’s impossible not to stop and look at the beauty around you,” explains Lillo.

Among the adventures of his 70 years of life, Lenzi features winning a MTB stage race in Libya, a success that made him famous throughout the Bolognese Apennines and beyond. Though he has travelled the World, for Lillo Lenzi nothing can beat his home trails.

“Compared to the Alps, which are also great and beautiful, the Apennines are more familiar and cozier. Riding in the Apennines is different than doing it anywhere else.”

After riding here for 70 years, we’d better believe him.

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