Bike Transumanza Fest

A cycling festival in the heart of the Tavoliere

The Bike Transumanza Fest is a day dedicated to amateur cycling and outdoor sports culture, held in Orta Nova, a town in the Province of Foggia, nestled in the Tavoliere delle Puglie on the right bank of the Carapelle river. The event, promoted by the sports association ASD Pantani CRS, was created to highlight the bicycle as a tool for well-being, social interaction, and territorial discovery, in a setting — the great Apulian Tavoliere — where cultivated fields, vineyards, and olive groves provide the perfect backdrop for cycle tourism.

Following the path of the Tour Bike della Transumanza

The festival draws inspiration from the Tour Bike della Transumanza, a well-established event now in its twenty-third year, which gathers enthusiasts, athletes, and cycle tourists every year along a route rich in meaning. It is precisely from Orta Nova that this long mountain bike journey towards Villavallelonga, in the Abruzzo Marsica region, begins: a route of hundreds of kilometers that largely retraces what remains of the Regio Tratturo Lucera-Castel di Sangro and the Celano-Foggia trail, the ancient "grassy highways" along which shepherds moved their flocks between the Tavoliere and the mountains of Abruzzo.

Transhumance, a shared root

Transhumance — the seasonal movement of flocks from the Apulian plains to mountain pastures and back — is one of the oldest and most defining practices of this land, now recognized as cultural heritage. Cycling along these trails means rediscovering this history at a slow pace, combining athletic effort with the memory of the places. The Bike Transumanza Fest brings this spirit into Orta Nova, transforming the city into a place of gathering, celebration, and departure.

Sport, participation, and territory

The day is designed as a community moment: alongside the purely sporting aspects, there is room for promotional initiatives and activities dedicated to cycling culture and healthy lifestyles, with particular attention to accessible sport, participation, and inclusion. The event is part of the path promoting Puglia as the European Region of Sport 2026 and is a candidate for the patronage of the Puglia Region.

• Amateur cycling and cycle tourism along the ancient trails
• Valorization of the transhumance tradition
• Promotion of Orta Nova and the Tavoliere delle Puglie
• Sports culture activities open to the public

An event that speaks to those who love cycling but also to those who want to rediscover, pedal by pedal, the rural and authentic soul of the Foggia area.