Five things we learned from the 2019 Strade Bianche
Five conclusions from the 2019 edition of Strade Bianche
Strade Bianche
Where: Siena, Italy
When: Saturday March 9 2019
Rank: UCI WorldTour
Distance: 184km (men), 136km (women)
Peter Sagan leads an escape in the 2015 Strada Bianche race. Image: Watson
Every cycling fan knows and loves the cobbled Classics that decorate the calendar this time of year. But as Strade Bianche – which in 2019 will take place on Saturday March 9 – demonstrates, cobblestones aren’t the only troublesome road surface that can juice up a race.
Since its inception in 2007 the Strade Bianche has become famous for its dirt roads. These unpaved sectors are characterised by uneven road surfaces and gravel, that is difficult enough to ride over to cause splits, and give the Classic a unique feel to it.
The race achieved WorldTour status in 2017 and this continues. A women’s race race introduced in 2015, and there’s a sportive the following day, which for 2018 reached 5,000 entries.
>>> Watch: The best finishes at Strade Bianche (videos)
The men’s route – which is 184km long – includes 11 gravel sectors, totalling over 60km over the course of the whole race. Most feature in the middle of the race, with sectors 5-8 lasting 11.9km, 8km, 9.5km and 11.5km respectively and all crammed in between 110km and 42km to the finish line.
It’s the last of these, in Ponta del Garbo, that’s the toughest, not just for its excessive length, but also for the fact that most of it is uphill. For Strade Bianche isn’t just a test of how well a rider can go over dirt roads – it’s also undulating throughout with plenty of steep gradients, including the uphill finish in Piazza del Campo, Siena.
As such, all sorts of different type of cyclist has a shot of winning here. On one hand Classics specialists like three-time winner Cancellara and 2015’s winner Zdenek Stybar have done well here.
The peloton in the 2015 Strada Bianche
But the hilly terrain brings also into contention climbers. The likes of of Vincenzo Nibali, for instance, can find joy in the unrelenting gradients over some of the parcours and frequently ride in hope of making a similar impact in front of the tifosi at the Strade Bianche as they might at Il Lomardia.
The traditional uphill finish in Siena favours puncheurs like Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Diego Ulissi (UAE-Abu Dhabi), meaning it really is a race for a wide variety of rider.
The women’s Strade Bianche covers 136km, with 8 sectors and 31.4km on gravel roads – comprising 23 per cent of the course. The race was bolstered to UCI Women’s WorldTour status in the competition’s first year in 2016, and this has continued each year ever since.
Women’s winners have included Anna van der Breggen (2018), Elisa Longo Borghini (2017), Lizzie Deignan (2016) and Megan Guarnier (2016). The uphill finish into Siena favours a fast finisher who can climb with the best of them.
Strade Bianche: Recent winners
2019: Julian Alaphilippe
2018: Tiesj Benoot
2017: Michal Kwiatkowski
2016: Fabian Cancellara
2015: Zdenek Stybar
2014: Michal Kwiatkowski
2013: Moreno Moser
2012: Fabian Cancellara
2011: Philippe Gilbert
2010: Maxim Iglinsky
2009: Thomas Lovkvist
2008: Fabian Cancellara
2007: Alexandr Kolobnev
Women’s Strade Bianche: recent winners
2019: Annemiek van Vleuten
2018: Anna van der Breggen
2017: Elisa Longo Borghini
2016: Elizabeth Deignan
2015: Megan Guarnier
Strada Bianche sportive
The sportive event takes place on Sunday, after the pro races.
Riders can choose between two routes – a long course of 139km, featuring 31.4km of gravel, or s shorter option at 86.6km with 21.6km of white roads.
The 2017 event attracted 3,500 riders, and over 5,000 have been tempted to ender in 2018. The long route is identical to the women’s race, with an extra 3km which incorporates the neutral zone not included in the women’s distance, though still covered by the riders.
Key info: Start list | TV Guide
Previous editions: 2019 / 2019 W | 2018 |2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
External links: Official website | Official twitter feed
-
-
Wout van Aert says he 'had no f***ing choice' but to ride solo in Strade Bianche final
Amid applause for his gravel bravery, Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) says he "had no f***ing choice" but to ride solo in the final of Strade Bianche.
-
Julian Alaphilippe on Strade Bianche win: 'I was lucky and I played smart with my rivals'
Julian Alaphilippe played with his rivals and rode to Strade Bianche victory on Saturday (March 9).
-
Julian Alaphilippe takes victory in fast and dusty Strade Bianche 2019
Julian Alaphilippe proved his class as he took victory in the 2019 Strade Bianche, his first time in the race.
-
Van Vleuten wins Strade Bianche Women with solo attack
After breaking her knee at last year’s World Championships, Annemiek van Vleuten won Saturday’s Strade Bianche women’s race.
-
Strade Bianche 2019 start list, including Geraint Thomas and Vincenzo Nibali
Full list of riders racing the 2018 Strade Bianche on the white roads of Tuscany on Saturday March 3
-
Five things to look out for at the 2019 Strade Bianche
Increasingly referred to as cycling’s ‘sixth Monument’, with each passing year Strade Bianche grows in terms of reputation and prestige.
-
Fabian Cancellara: 'Don't compare Strade Bianche with Paris-Roubaix'
Classics legend Fabian Cancellara says Strade Bianche cannot be compared to the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix.
-
Sun expected to shine on Strade Bianche 2019 after brutal weather last year
The sun should shine on Strade Bianche's Tuscan roads after heavy rain and snow made last year a mud-fest for everyone, including winner Tiesj Benoot (Lotto-Soudal).
-
Five hours, 363 watts: Wout van Aert's Strava ride reveals his massive effort at Strade Bianche
Wout van Aert took third place in Strade Bianche in brutal conditions, with the world cyclocross champion's Strava showing just how tough the race was.
-
Watch: 'My brakes don't work, I'm wrecked' - amazing video gives behind-the-scenes look at brutal Strade Bianche
Only two Katusha-Alpecin riders may have finished Strade Bianche, but the team wins the prize for best video from a brutal edition of the Italian race.
-
Should Strade Bianche be cycling’s sixth Monument?
It may lack history, but the Italian one-day race is serving up some of the most spectacular racing all season
-
12 amazing photos from a brutal edition of Strade Bianche
The 2018 Strade Bianche will be remembered for the brutal conditions, conditions which were not enjoyable for the riders but did yield some amazing photos.
-
Five talking points from Strade Bianche 2018
It was a memorable and brutal edition of the Italian Classic Strade Bianche
-
Watch: Wout van Aert puts cross skills to good use on Strade Bianche final climb
The Belgian cyclocross star struggled up the final climb in Siena after a storming performance in Strade Bianche 2018
-
'It's pure cycling': Romain Bardet and Wout van Aert flourish on Strade Bianche debuts
The debutants finished second and third respectively in an attacking display at Strade Bianche 2018
-
Watch: Highlights of a brutal edition of Strade Bianche
Highlights from the men's and women's Strade Bianche 2018 races
-
'I bet it looked crazy on TV': Tiesj Benoot reflects on gruelling victory at Strade Bianche
The Belgian fought through the rain and mud to beat a stacked field to victory at the 2018 Strade Bianche in Tuscany
-
Tiesj Benoot puts in super show of strength to win 2018 Strade Bianche
The young Belgian bridged between groups on the road before attacking on the final climb to take his first WorldTour win
-
Anna van der Breggen solos to Strade Bianche 2018 victory
Dutchwoman kicks off the Women's WorldTour with first victory of the season
-
Michal Kwiatkowski: 'No special equipment is needed to win Strade Bianche'
Defending Strade Bianche champion Michal Kwiatkowski dispels the notion that you need to adapt your bike to tackle the mud and gravel roads of the Tuscan race on Saturday
-
There's less than 24 hours until Strade Bianche, and some of the roads are still covered in ice and snow
-
Pneumonia stops Gianluca Brambilla from riding in Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico
Italian Gianluca Brambilla forced to sit out Strade Bianche as he suffers from a respiratory infection
-
Watch: Wiggle High5 riders warm up for Strade Bianche by pushing their stranded team car up an icy hill
Wiggle High5 riders didn't enjoy the best recon of Strade Bianche, forced to ditch the bikes and then having to push a stranded team car up an icy hill.
-
Six things to look out for at Strade Bianche
The peloton heads to Strade Bianche on Saturday, with Michal Kwiatkowski and Elisa Longo Borghini looking to defend their titles on Tuscany's gravel roads.
