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The white dirt roads of Tuscany are the beautiful setting for Strade Bianche, one of the most epic battles of the year. The race is responsible for the popularization of the Italian term “sterrato”, which is already used throughout the world to refer to dirt roads as a cycling surface. Due to its uniqueness, spectacularity and beauty, many claim the event as the sixth monument of the year, although we are talking about a very young race, which on this occasion only reaches the seventeenth edition in the men's category and the ninth in the women's category.

Men's race: course and favorites

The men's route consists of 184 kilometers, of which 70 are on dirt roads, divided into 11 sectors of variable lengths. The famous final climb to Via Santa Caterina (0.7 km at 14%) and the finish line in Piazza del Campo in Siena are already a classic of modern cycling, and the scene of some of the most beautiful duels in recent years.

Wout Van Aert (1200) has fallen from the race start list and will make his road debut at Tirreno-Adriatico, but Jumbo-Visma still has some of the favorites such as Tiesj Benoot (600), Jan Tratnik (400) or Attila Valter (400). Alexandr Vlasov (1200), Mathieu Van Der Poel (1000), Pello Bilbao (1000), Julian Alaphilippe (1000), Matej Mohorič (800), Thomas Pidcock (600), Alexey Lutsenko (600), Alberto Bettiol (400) or Tim Wellens (400) are other candidates for victory.

Women's race: course and favorites

The route of the women's race totals 136 kilometers, with 8 sterrato sectors totaling 31 kilometers. The final part of the route is the same as that of the men's event, with the climb up Via Santa Caterina and the finish line in Piazza del Campo.

Lotte Kopecky (1000), Annemiek Van Vleuten (1200), Elisa Longo Borghini (1200), and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (1000) are the top favorites for the women's race, but we must be careful, as there are many teams still to confirm their lineups.

Photo: Strade Bianche