Earlier this summer, Claudia Gerosa, who rides for the Shimano Gravel Alliance was invited to join an all-women gravel experience in the Finnish wilderness. “Among the forests and lakes” is her inspirational story from the trip. If you’re looking for a dollop of gravelly inspiration then read on…
When I think of the word "vastness", my mind immediately goes back to those four days spent in the Lahti region of Finland. A gravel adventure that went far beyond just riding: it was a deep immersion in nature, shared laughter, unifying fatigue and a unique bond among women.
Lahti is located in the heart of Finland’s lake district, an area known for its pristine natural beauty. Less than an hour and a half from Helsinki, this peaceful town sits on the shores of Lake Vesijärvi and is surrounded by dense coniferous forests, perfectly rideable gravel roads and an endless network of trails that seem made for those who want to lose themselves in nature. Here, water is everywhere: lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams weave together, mirroring skies that shift color by the hour - from deep blue to silvery grey.
Riding in Finland is a meditative experience. There’s almost no traffic, the landscapes unfold in a muffled silence, broken only by the crunch of tyres on gravel, birdsong, or the rustle of wind through the trees. Every time we turned onto a new path, I felt like I was stepping into a parallel world where time slowed down and everything boils down to the essentials: breath, spinning legs and eyes lost in towering trees and endless reflections of water.
Coming from northern Italy, from a small town squeezed between busy roads, honking cars and concrete, it felt like breathing freely for the first time in ages. No cars, no rush, no distractions. Just nature, the group and total freedom. At every bend, every clearing that opened before us, I felt a new lightness: the joy of moving without constraints, without borders, guided only by the rhythm of my wheels and the urge to keep going.
The most surprising change? The light. In midsummer, the sun never truly sets. Around midnight, the sky stays light, suspended in a sort of permanent twilight. It completely reshaped our days: with no rush, no deadlines, we could ride, explore and stop whenever we felt like it. Time seemed to stretch and so did our energy.
There are moments I’ll carry with me forever: a descent through birch trees glowing in the golden light of late afternoon, the sharp scent of moss and resin after a climb, the sound of water flowing under a wooden bridge where we paused to take photos. Every corner felt untouched, primal, as if human presence had only tiptoed through, leaving space for silence. And then there were the hidden saunas among the trees, the solitary docks, the small wooden shelters overlooking the lakes - places that seemed straight out of a Nordic fairy tale.
What made this experience even more special was the group: all women, all with different backgrounds, united by the same desire to discover, to share and to push ourselves just a bit further. Some were on their first multi-day gravel trip, others had been riding for years - but there was no comparison, only mutual support, laughter, and a natural bond that grew stronger every day.
The breaks, often unplanned, were precious moments: dusty-legged ice cream stops, wooden cabins by the water, endless chats about bikes, travels, relationships and dreams. Day by day, the bike became more than just a means of transport - it brought us closer, not just to the landscape, but to one another.
Lahti is not just a postcard destination. It’s a place where you can ride in silence for hours, stop to swim in a secluded lake, discover a hidden sauna among the trees, or sleep in a wooden cabin with nothing but the wind in your ears.
When the tour ended, I didn’t just have tired legs and a camera roll full of photos - I had new friends, new self-awareness and the certainty that some experiences change you. And that riding among women, in a place as vast, quiet and gentle as Finland, is something that stays etched in your heart.
A special thank you to No Gods No Masters for making this experience possible and of course to Shimano Italia for providing the perfect bike for this short adventure. The GRX 2x12 Di2 drivetrain performed flawlessly in every situation.
Images courtesy of Claudia Gerosa & No Gods No Masters
If you would like to follow in Claudia's tyre prints, you can find her routes here: