Strade Bianche

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Strade Bianche
File:Cycling current event.svg 2026 Strade Bianche
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Race details
DateEarly March
RegionTuscany, Italy
NicknameTemplate:Pluralize from textEurope's southernmost northern classic[1]
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionUCI World Tour
TypeSingle-day
OrganiserRCS Sport
Race directorMauro Vegni
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History
First editionScript error: No such module "Date time".
Editions20 (as of 2026)
First winnerTemplate:Flagathlete
Most winsTemplate:Flagathlete (4 wins)
Most recentTemplate:Flagathlete

The Strade Bianche (Script error: No such module "IPA".; Script error: No such module "Language with name/for".) is a road bicycle race in Tuscany, Central Italy, starting and finishing in Siena. First held in 2007, it is raced annually on the first or second Saturday of March. The name stems from the historic white gravel roads in the Crete Senesi, which are a defining feature of the race. Around one-third of the total race distance is raced on dirt roads, covering between around 60 km (37 mi) and 80 km (50 mi) of strade bianche, spread over multiple sectors.[2]

Despite its short history, the Strade Bianche has quickly gained prestige, and renewed interest in road racing on gravel and dirt roads as a specific skill and discipline.[3] The event is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest level of professional road races.[4][5] It is organized by RCS Sport – La Gazzetta dello Sport, and is held the weekend before Tirreno–Adriatico as an early spring precursor to the cobbled classics in April. A three-time winner over the pavé of Paris–Roubaix and the cobbled hills of the Tour of Flanders, Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara rejected comparisons between the races, believing the "white roads" of the Strade "deserved appreciation in their own right".[6][7] Thibaut Pinot described it as "the sixth Monument" of Classic road cycling because of its unique parcours, difficulty and prestige.[7] Tadej Pogačar has won the most editions of the race, winning four times in 2022 and 2024–2026.

Since 2015, there has been a women's race, the Strade Bianche Donne, part of the UCI Women's World Tour. It is held on the same day as the men's race, on the same roads but at a shorter distance. Both events start and finish in Siena.[8]

History

Monte Paschi Eroica

L'Eroica Strade Bianche ("Heroic race of the white roads") was created in 1997 as a granfondo (recreational bike race) for vintage bikes only, on the white gravel roads around Siena,[9] an event that is still held on the day after the professional race.[10] The concept was to recreate cycling's so-called "heroic era" from the first half of the 20th century, when most bike races were ridden on dirt or unpaved roads.[11]

Eroica 2008 Finish
Fabian Cancellara won the 2008 Monte Paschi Eroica in a two-man sprint with Alessandro Ballan in Siena.

In 2007, a professional race was spun off the event, inaugurally called Monte Paschi Eroica, won by Russian Alexandr Kolobnev. The race was held on 9 October; it started in Gaiole in Chianti and finished in Siena. Organizer RCS asked local cycling icons Fiorenzo Magni and Paolo Bettini to promote the maiden event.[12] Monte dei Paschi, the world's oldest still-existing bank with its headquarters in Siena, served as the race's title sponsor for the first four years.

In 2008 it moved to early March on the calendar, closer to the heart of the spring classics season.[13] Swiss Fabian Cancellara won the second edition. In 2009, organizers changed the name of the race to Strade Bianche – Eroica Toscana and in 2010 to Strade Bianche. The race was also lengthened 9 km (5.6 mi) and one more gravel sector was added, taking the total unsealed sections to Template:Cvt.[14]

Strade Bianche

In 2014, the start of the race moved to the hilly town of San Gimignano.[15] In 2015, its name officially changed to Strade Bianche – Eroica Pro after the creation of a women's version, and UCI upgraded the event to a 1.HC race of the UCI Europe Tour, the highest rating for a non-World Tour single-day cycling event. Since 2016, Siena has hosted both the start and finish of the Strade Bianche.[10] Due to the nature of the race and its place on the calendar, the field is usually made up of riders taking part in Tirreno–Adriatico and Milan–San Remo.

File:Strade Bianche 2014 (13504915215).jpg
The peloton during the 2014 event, won by Michał Kwiatkowski.

Although a young event, the race gained the status of an "instant classic", garnering much media attention and soon becoming a desirable entry in classics riders' palmares.[3] Among the winners of the first ten editions feature Fabian Cancellara, Philippe Gilbert, and Michał Kwiatkowski on a very international roll of honour. Moreno Moser became the first Italian winner of the Strade Bianche in the 2013 race. Classics specialist Cancellara won the tenth edition in 2016, becoming the first three-time winner of the race and earning a gravel sector named after him.[6]

World Tour race

In 2017, the Strade Bianche was included in the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest level of professional races.[4][5] Michał Kwiatkowski claimed his second victory, becoming the second rider with more than one win.[16]

The 2018 event was raced in abysmal weather.[17] Low temperatures and heavy rainfall had made the gravel roads exceptionally muddy and decimated the peloton in the early stages of the race. Belgian Tiesj Benoot claimed his first professional victory, after he bridged a gap to the race leaders and left them behind on the penultimate gravel sector of Colle Pinzuto.[18] Only 53 of 147 participants finished the race; 20 riders arrived outside of the time limit.[19] Second-place finisher Romain Bardet called the event a "Dante-esque contest".[20]

The 2020 event was postponed to August 1 from its usual March schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21][22]

By the mid 2020s, media and riders discussed the possibility of the race being elevated to a "cycling monument" in future,[23][24][25] with Cycling News stating in 2025 that "there is no longer any debate that Strade Bianche is cycling's sixth Monument".[26]

Tadej Pogačar took his first win at Strade Bianche in 2022. Tom Pidcock prevailed in 2023 before Pogačar claimed a second win in 2024. In 2025, the pair found themselves at the front of the race when reigning World Champion Pogačar misjudged a corner and crashed. Pidcock slowed to wait for Pogačar, who would later ride away to a solo victory, becoming the second rider after Fabian Cancellara to win the race three times.[27][28] In 2026, the race celebrated its 20th edition. The route was shortened slightly with a reduction in the distance of gravel roads.[29] The race was won by Pogačar for a record fourth time.[30]

Route

File:PiazzadelCampoSiena.jpg
The Piazza del Campo in Siena hosts the finish of the Strade Bianche.

Course

The race starts and finishes in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Siena.[10] The route is around 180–200 km (110–120 mi) in length over hilly terrain crossing the Crete Senesi in the central Tuscan province of Siena. The route is characterized by the presence of white gravel roads; unpaved country lanes winding through the hills and vineyards of the Chianti region. There are sectors of gravel in varying lengths and difficulty, with the 2025 edition of the race featuring 81.7 kilometres (50.8 mi) of dirt roads.[31][2] Additional gravel sectors have been added to the route over time, rising from 52 km (32 mi) of gravel in 2016 to over 80 km (50 mi) of gravel in 2025.[31] The finish is on Siena's Piazza del Campo, after a steep and narrow climb on the roughly-paved Via Santa Caterina leading into the center of the medieval city.[32][33]

Gravel roads

The white gravel roads, characteristic of the Tuscan countryside, provide the unique character of the race. They are usually country lanes and farm tracks, called strade bianche or sterrati in Italian, twisting through the hills and vineyards of the Chianti region.[34] The longest and most arduous sectors are the ones in Lucignano d'Asso (Template:Cvt) and Asciano (Template:Cvt).[35] Some of the dirt roads are flat; other sections include steep climbs and winding descents, testing riders' climbing abilities and bike handling skills. Positioning and route knowledge often prove vital. Additional gravel sectors have been added to the route over time, rising from 52 km (32 mi) of gravel in 2016 to 81.7 km (50.8 mi) of gravel in 2025.[31]

File:L'Eroica (cicloturismo).jpg
One of the strade bianche in the Crete Senesi, south of Siena, pictured during the "Eroica" granfondo in 2008

Race organizers were inspired by the two most famous northern classics, uniting the peculiarities of the Tour of Flanders with its bergs (short stretches of steep hills), and Paris–Roubaix with its gruelling cobblestone sections.[36] It has been called Italy's answer to Flanders' famous one-day races, as reflected by the promotional slogan of the 2015 edition: La Classica del Nord più a sud d'Europa (Europe's most southern Northern Classic).[36]

Angelo Zomegnan, RCS events director, explained before the first edition in 2007: "Cycling needed something new and the riders need a motivation [...] This race is unique and special."[37] Likewise, Italian sprinter Daniele Bennati was equally enthusiastic about the race, stating: "It was a sensation of turning back in time. I did not think paths like these, where you only see a tractor every now and then, still existed [...] It will be an important race that could become an important classic. I can already imagine the atmosphere of the arrival in the Piazza del Palio."[37]

File:Strade bianche hommes 2018.png
Starting and finishing in Siena, the race runs entirely in the province of Siena in central Tuscany. Gravel sectors are in green.
Sectors of Script error: No such module "Lang". in the 2019 event
No. Name Distance from Length
(km) 		Category
Start
(km) 		Finish
(km)
1 Vidritta 17.6 160.3 2.1 *
2 Bagnaia 25 153.2 4.7 ****
3 Radi 36.9 142.7 4.4 **
4 La piana 47.6 130.9 5.5 *
5 Lucignano d'Asso 75.8 96.3 11.9 ***
6 Pieve a Salti 88.7 87.3 8.0 ****
7 San Martino in Grania 111.3 63.2 9.5 ***
8 Monte Sante Marie
(Settore Cancellara) 		130 42.5 11.5 *****
9 Monteaperti 160 23.6 0.8 *
10 Colle Pinzuto 164.6 17 2.4 ****
11 Le Tolfe 171 11.9 1.1 ***

Winners

File:Strade Bianche-37 (51964652729) (cropped).jpg
Tadej Pogačar (pictured at the 2022 edition) has won the race four times
Year Country Rider Team
2007 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Team CSC
2008 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Team CSC
2009 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Team Columbia–High Road
2010 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data AST
2011 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Omega Pharma–Lotto
2012 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". RadioShack–Nissan
2013 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Cannondale
2014 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Omega Pharma–Quick-Step
2015 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data EQS
2016 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data TFR
2017 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data SKY
2018 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data LTS
2019 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data QST
2020 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data TJV
2021 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data AFC
2022 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data UAD men
2023 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data IGD
2024 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data UAD men
2025 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data UAD men
2026 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Sort". Template:Cycling data UAD men

Multiple winners

Wins Rider Editions
4 Template:Flagathlete 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026
3 Template:Flagathlete 2008, 2012, 2016
2 Template:Flagathlete 2014, 2017

Wins per country

Wins Country
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Trivia

  • Riders who take three Strade Bianche titles have a sector of gravel road named after them.[38] Fabian Cancellara was the first rider to have a sector named in his honour: an 11.5 km (7.1 mi) sector in Monte Sante Marie following three wins in 2008, 2012 and 2016.[39] Tadej Pogačar was the second rider to have a sector named in their honour: a 2.4 km (1.5 mi) sector in Colle Pinzuto following three wins in 2022, 2024 and 2025.[40]
  • The youngest winner was Moreno Moser in 2013 (22 years and 70 days).
  • The oldest winner was Fabian Cancellara in 2016 (34 years and 353 days).
  • Three riders – Alessandro Ballan, Peter Sagan and Greg Van Avermaet – finished second on two occasions. None of them have ever won the race.

Strade Bianche Donne

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A women's race, the Strade Bianche Donne, was inaugurated in 2015. Part of the UCI Women's World Tour, it is held on the same day as the men's race, on the same roads but at a shorter distance. The women's race is run over around Template:Cvt, containing Template:Cvt of gravel roads spread over eight sectors.[8][41] American Megan Guarnier won the inaugural event in 2015,[42] with Dutch riders Annemiek van Vleuten, and Demi Vollering, and Belgian rider Lotte Kopecky having won two editions of the race.[43][44][45]

References

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  6. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wynn, Nigel. "Fabian Cancellara wins Strade Bianche for a third time". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
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  9. ^ 2nd Edition Monte Paschi Eroica at the Daily Peloton - Pro Cycling News Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
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  13. ^ Second Edition of Monte Paschi Eroica - Eroica's status grows with new springtime date Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
  14. ^ 3rd Montepaschi Strade Bianche - Eroica Toscana - 1.1 Retrieved on 2010-03-07.
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  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kwiatkowski gives Sky Strade Bianche tonic". Agence France-Presse. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via VeloNews.
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  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."12th Strade Bianche (1.UWT)". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kezzouf, Youmni. "Romain Bardet s'amuse et impressionne sur les "Strade Bianche" italiens". Le Monde (in français). Retrieved 12 March 2019.
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  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cossins, Peter (2018-03-05). "Should Strade Bianche be cycling's sixth Monument?". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
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