How to plan a cycle trip on the self-guided Sicily Divide Bike Route

For the better part of an hour, we climbed. Like most of the roads along the 460km, seven-stage Sicily Divide Bike Route, this one leading to a hilltop village was empty and quiet – except for the occasional herd of sheep bleating encouragement. My cycling partner and I were also silent as we mashed pedals and did our best to maintain rhythm and motivation. Each switchback turn on the serpentine ascent acted as both carrot and stick, respectively: markers of progress with incremental glimpses of the hoped-for panorama at the top, and an unrelenting reminder of the work still needed to be done. At the summit, we leaned our bikes against a tree, grabbed water bottles, and sucked for air. We then turned around and stopped. 

The vista below us was a lush patchwork of fertile rectangles. There were no cars, no busloads of tourists. There were only vineyards, olive groves and orange trees broken by old manor houses and distant settlements, which extended beyond the edge of sight. This was not the version of Sicily we’d seen advertised on websites, TV shows, travel articles and Instagram stories, or the one showing holiday-goers lounging at luxury resorts on the Italian island’s coasts or slogging through crowded bucket-list destinations.

And that is precisely the point of the Sicily Divide Bike Route: to provide travelers with a different perspective. 

What is the Sicily Divide?

The Sicily Divide and its GPX tracks – developed during the pandemic and freely available to all cyclists – take adventurers away from the typical throngs by rolling across the width of Sicily’s interior. The itinerary averages about 65km per day on secondary roads with occasional packed gravel surfaces. The route starts in Trapani on the island’s western, Tyrrhenian Sea coast, and rides to Catania, which hugs the eastern, Ionian Sea shore and sits beneath Mt Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the planet’s most active stratovolcano. In between, cyclists will find bike-friendly, Sicily Divide-partnered B&Bs in every stage-ending town and village.

Created by Giovanni Guarneri and Danuta Kanicka, a couple from Palermo who offer cycling tours through their company Inspiring Tours, the Sicily Divide has multiple goals:

• To give cyclists a self-guided adventure in the form of a fun and challenging route that explores and truly engages with Sicily: culturally, gastronomically, and geographically

• To extend the island’s tourism economy (beyond just the resorts) to undervisited communities, which have, over the last few decades, struggled with declining populations

• To encourage bike travel and reduce car traffic

• To divert overtourism away from hot spot bottlenecks across the Mediterranean’s largest island.

“When you visit the communities across the interior you see and taste Sicily’s real flavor, you come away with the feeling that you aren’t just a visitor,” says Giovanni. “You become a participant in the island’s flow.”

Where does the Sicily Divide go?

The route starts (or ends) in the city of Trapani, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily’s western coast. From there it travels due east through a string of villages and towns until it reaches the city of Catania on the Ionian Sea, Sicily’s east coast. In between, the Divide heads over the center of the island’s undulating and, at times, mountainous interior. 

The stage layovers (which can be adjusted based on preference and desired distance) between Trapani and Catania include the towns and villages of Gibellina, Sambuca di Sicilia, Santo Stefano Quisquina (or nearby Bivona), Montedoro, Enna and Regalbuto. The route covers 460km with nearly 9000m of climbing. 

Why choose the Sicily Divide?

Simply put, the Sicily Divide is among the most complete cycle routes I’ve ever ridden. Its compelling story has tourism development at its core. The Divide’s creators saw a need to reawaken villages and towns in the center of Sicily that were disappearing because of declining, aging populations and a lack of jobs and industry. They also understood that overtourism in a few places on the island will both reduce Sicily’s tourism quality in the long term and further cripple the island’s interior, by overtaxing already sparse resources. With one action, they reinvigorated under-appreciated destinations and redirected visitors to learn about Sicily’s ancient traditions.

The Divide’s concept is as simple as it is important. You ride from Sicily’s west coast to its east coast with easy-to-understand directions and participating accommodations are found at the end of every stage. The developers have done the work to reduce the logistical anxiety freeing up the cyclists to simply enjoy the ride. At each layover, there is great food and even better hospitality. This is Sicily after all. Nearly every local you’ll meet along the way will extol the virtues of their delicacies and share their expertise about the island and its traditions.

On top of all that, the cycling is fantastic and often challenging. Multiple times per day you’ll have to have a conversation with yourself to make it up that next climb. You’ll also have to keep your head as you descend from perched villages. The reward is a version of Sicily that few have experienced.

Which is the best season to ride the Divide?

As is the case with many European destinations, cycling in the middle of summer (when many people are on vacation) is not your best option. That is even more relevant on Sicily, where July and August temperatures regularly linger above 30°C (86°F). This period, from late June to late August, is also the high season for tourism bringing with it more traffic and cars being piloted by inexperienced island-going drivers. And, as any traveler knows, you’ll have more fun at restaurants and accommodations when the staff isn’t buried with the surge of visitors.

The shoulder months of May to June and September to October are better options. I rode in mid-April, when the average temperatures were a perfect 15–20°C (59–68°F). We were often the only cyclists at our nightly accommodations, making it easy to book places to sleep.

How will I navigate, where will I stay, and what will I eat?

One of the Sicily Divide’s most valuable aspects is that it unburdens cyclists from time-consuming logistics. For riding directions along the route itself, the self-guided Sicily Divide’s downloadable GPX tracks are free and available on the trail’s website. 

Information about accommodations is similarly easy. The website lists a slew of locally run B&Bs and bike hotels in each of the stage-ending destinations. Not only will you be able to book your stays long before arriving in Sicily, but you’ll have a connection to a local in each town or village for inside knowledge about sights, places to eat, cafes and bike shops, which, though not in every village, are becoming more common.

Before you begin the ride, pick up a Divider’s Pass to collect stamps as you stop in at businesses – hotels, restaurants, cafes and experiences – that cooperate with the route. The passport of sorts allows you to connect with places that support this sustainable tourism concept. It will also provide a lifelong keepsake. 

What type of bike should I ride?

The terrain for the Sicily Divide is mixed and when cycling an assortment of riding surfaces, it is best to choose a gravel bike. Gravel bikes are hybrid bicycles that combine a road bike’s geometry (making it easier and more comfortable to ride on stretches of asphalt) with a mountain bike’s rugged ability to tackle off-road sections. Most gravel bikes have 38–45mm tires (similar to a mountain bike) and are outfitted to accept an assortment of bike bag combinations for your gear.

What should I pack?

Whether you’re a bike-touring regular or a relative newcomer, packing bike bags for a multiday trip is a challenge. You’ll need to factor in sunny days when all you’ll need is a jersey, cycling shorts and sunscreen. You’ll also need to be prepared for inclement weather and the potential for post-ride chilly nights in the perched villages and towns where you’ll end each stage.

Everyone has their own system, which changes slightly from trip to trip and over the course of a lifetime of rides as you become more efficient. You’ll learn that you don’t need half of the items you were certain were necessary before the trip. After years of experimentation, I still come away from every multiday journey realizing I had one too many of something: jerseys, post-ride T-shirts, socks or jackets. 

I typically ride with a configuration of bike bags that include a handlebar pack, a frame pack, fork bags (like mini panniers), and a seat pack, which extends behind your saddle and is lashed to the seat tube. In them, I stuff some variation of the following checklist:

Riding necessities

• A helmet 

• Cycling shoes

• Two cycling jerseys

• Two pairs of cycling shorts

• Three pairs of socks

• A windbreaker

• Rain pants

• A raincoat 

Post-ride essentials

• A jacket

• A shirt

• A pair of underwear 

• Light pants/skirt 

• A bathing suit 

• Flip-flops 

Non-clothing must-haves

• Tire-changing tools 

• Your wallet, passport, etc

• A phone or other device for following the route’s GPX tracks

• A portable battery to recharge your device

• Sunglasses 

• Sun lotion 

• Toiletries 

Do I need a guide?

The Sicily Divide is a self-guided tour. All the information you’ll need for navigation and places to stay are at your disposal, free of charge. If additional help is needed beyond the route’s GPX tracks and accommodations, the Sicily Divide crew is available to answer questions. 

Should I rent or bring my own bike?

My rule of thumb about renting bikes: I rent a bike for anything less than two weeks and bring my own for anything over three weeks. This equation is adjustable based on the quality of local rental bikes. For the Sicily Divide (unless you are someone who only rides your own rig) renting from the Sicily Divide operators at its HQ in Palermo is the way to go. It has a fleet of excellent and well-maintained gravel bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes and e-bikes.

What's the best way to get to Sicily?

Travel to Sicily is easier than one might think. If you are coming specifically for the Sicily Divide, my advice is to aim for Palermo to get your bike and gear sorted before heading to Trapani to begin the ride. There are regular direct flights to the Sicilian capital from all over Europe. You can also take the ferry to Sicily from several spots in Italy. And you can even take the train, which is transported by ferry to the island once it reaches the Strait of Messina, from cities such as Genoa, Milan, Bologna, Naples and Rome. 

Alex Crevar, a writer and cycle route developer, is a regular contributor to several international publications. His stories focus on the intersection of culture, adventure, and community-based, human-powered travel.