12 amazing photos from a brutal edition of Strade Bianche

The 2018 edition of Strade Bianche will live long in the memory not only for the excitement of the racing, but also for the brutal conditions that hit the race from start to finish.

While last year's race was muddy, Saturday saw heavy rain on the day itself combine with snow in the days leading up to the race turning some of the white gravel roads into brown quagmires.

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The day might not have been enjoyable for the riders, with only 59 of the 138 starters in the women's race and 53 of the 147 starter in the men's race finishing the race in the time limit.

However the race still yielded some exciting racing, with Anna van der Breggen and Tiesj Benoot taking victory, and some even better images of the Tuscan landscape and riders suffering through the conditions with pain etched on their mud-caked faces.