What is this breed and why should I worry about it?
Strade Bianche is a unique race in the professional calendar that has found a place in the hearts of cycling fans despite its relatively short existence. While amateurs are often found as amateurs by their heroes, the first Italian race of the WorldTour season reverses the paradigm.
RCS Sport, the organizers of the Giro d’Italia, launched the Strade Bianche after the huge popularity of Eroica, the non-competitive amateur event that crosses Tuscany’s chalk white roads and requires riders to complete the event on retro steel bikes. in 2007 – then called Monte Paschi Eroica – when Alexandr Kolobnev won.
Swiss classic specialist Fabian Cancellara won the first of the three Strade Bianche titles he claimed – he remains the most successful rider on the white roads – the following year in 2008. Not surprisingly, the race has become a particular favorite among classic riders, especially since its move to the former part of the calendar from its original October location – except for the 2020 event, which was switched to August as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Past winners include Philippe Gilbert, Michal Kwiatkowski, Zdenek Stybar, Julian Alaphilippe, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, while Moreno Moser is still the only Italian to have won the race.
Strade Bianche earned itself WorldTour status in 2016. The eighth edition of the women’s edition takes place on the same day as the men’s race and in 2022 again serves as the curtain lifter for the Women’s WorldTour.
When is Strade Bianche?
The men’s race starts at 11.45 (10.45 GMT) Saturday 5 March 2022. The women’s race starts at 9.15 (8.15 GMT).
How far is the course of the year?
Strade Bianche is just 184 kilometers long, the women’s race is 136 km.
Which routes follow the races?
Both races start from Siena and follow a circuit route counterclockwise, heading south towards Buonconvento, where the routes diverge. When the riders reach the southernmost points of the day, they change direction and head back north towards Siena.
While the route for the women’s race looks like this, which is essentially the same as the men’s, but without the loop south of Buonconvento. . .
And what do the profiles look like?
This is the men’s race. . .
. . . and here are the women’s. . .
How much of each race is on strade bianche?
There are 11 sectors in the men’s races that cover about 63 km in total – 34.2% of the track – while the women’s have eight (31.4 km, 23.1% of course).
How long is each sector and where are they?
After departure from Siena, the riders will be treated with just under 18 km of slippery asphalt before reaching the race’s first gravel sector. . .
After a short return to the asphalt, a slightly harder stretch awaits:
Two additional sections follow at 36.9 km and 47.6 km, respectively.
And then after a 6.4 km long stretch of asphalt, there is another:
After almost 20 km of respite, it’s time for the longest piece of gravel.
ONE much a short stretch of 1 km of asphalt marks back-to-back sectors.
At this point in the race, it is generally expected that if they have not already done so, the protagonists will begin to position themselves in preparation for what follows the feeding zone of the Ponte d’Arbia at the 102.6 km mark after passing through Buonconvento for the second time.
Once sector seven is completed, there is an asphalt paved descent towards the most famous and dreaded part of the race (see video below).
Location here may be key, and while amateurs would take advantage of the slippery surface and freewheel for a few miles, the strong riders on Saturday afternoon will not do anything of the sort. Like Paris-Roubaix, attacks often follow immediately after pieces of gravel.
Here’s a closer look at most of the sector, for those who like these things:
The next 20 km can all be on asphalt, but the road waves, just as the riders’ ambitions can do when their efforts begin to take their toll. There is an additional 300 meters of gravel, although it is not an official ‘sector’.
Last 20 km of the men’s race
With almost 24 km left of the race, the selection will either be made with the main characters close to the front, or will be at the post.
Four kilometers later, the riders will be on the last gravel sector.
So what does the final of the race look like?
With 12 km left, those who still have a chance to win the Strade Bianche must remain calm. Numerous short hikes pepper the inlet back towards Siena before arriving at the old city wall.
Last 3 km of the route
As they enter the city below the Fontebranda Gate, the leading riders will hit the large paving slabs seen all over the city of Siena. Now within the city walls, riding along the narrow streets and less than a kilometer from the finish line in the famous old Piazza del Campo – where the medieval horse race Palio di Siena traditionally takes place every July and August – the road rises one last evil time.
Last turn into Piazza del Campo
About 500 meters from the line, the steepest stretch of road along Via Santa Caterina tops cruelly with 16 percent – this was where it did for Wout van Aert in 2018, when the young Belgian squeezed (see below) – before the road takes a sharp right . A left turn is followed by another right-hand one before the riders finally arrive at Piazza del Campo.
Provided they have some horsepower left, the riders, once navigating a short descent, can gallop along the line on one of the few flat stretches on the entire course, which is a paltry 30 meters long.
How can I watch this year’s race?
Those who are lucky enough to have subscriptions to Eurosport or GCN can follow everything that happens on either the television or the app. If you can not watch the race live, then you can follow the second half of both races right here. Bookmark this page and return on race day for the latest updates.
Which teams are running on Strade Bianche?
As with all WorldTour races, each of the 18 teams that make up the top class in professional men’s cycling will receive an invitation, and in the case of Strade Bianche, 17 of them will be on the starting line. In addition to WorldTeams, Pro-Continental (ProTeams) teams Alpecin-Fenix and Arkéa-Samsic also qualified for last year’s rankings, while race organizers RSC handed over wildcard seats to Bardiani-CSF-Faizane, Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli and Eolo Giocattoli. -Cometa.
What does the men’s starting list look like?
WorldTeams
Ag2r-Citroën (Female): Clément Berthet (Fra, neo-pro), Lilian Calmejane (Fra), Benoît Cosnefroy (Fra), Michael Schär (Switzerland), Greg Van Avermaet (Bel), Andrea Vendrame (Ita), Clément Venturini (Fra).
Astana Kazakhstan (Kaz): Leonardo Basso (Ita), Manuele Boaro (Ita), Michele Gazzoli (Ita, neo-pro), Miguel Ángel López (Col), Davide Martinelli (Ita), Gianni Moscon (Ita), Simone Velasco (Ita).
Bahrain Victorious (Brn): Pello Bilbao (Spa), Heinrich Haussler (Aus), Matej Mohoric (Slo), Alejandro Osorio (Col), Hermann Pernsteiner (Aut), Jan Tratnik (Slo), Edoardo Zambanini (Ita, neo-pro).
BikeExchange-Jayco (Off): Sam Bewley (NZ), Kevin Colleoni (Ita, neo-pro), Tsgabu Grmay (Eth), Alexander Konychev (Ita), Michael Matthews (Aus), Matteo Sobrero (Ita).
Bora-Hansgrohe (German): Cesare Benedetti (Ita), Patrick Gamper (Aut), Sergio Higuita (Col), Jai Hindley (Aus), Patrick Konrad (Aut), Ide Schelling (Hol), Ben Zwiehoff (Germany).
DSM (German): Nikias Arndt (German), Marco Brenner (German, neo-pro), Romain Combaud (Fra), Chris Hamilton (Aus), Leon Heinschke (German, neo-pro), Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ned).
EF Education-EasyPost (USA): Jonathan Caicedo (Ecu), Ruben Guerreiro (Por), Ben Healy (Irl, neo-pro), Tom Scully (NZ), Michael Valgren (Den), Marijn van den Berg (Ned, neo-pro).
Groupama-FDJ (From): Lewis Askey (GB, neo-pro), Antoine Duchesne (Can), Fabian Lienhard (Swiss), Tobias Ludvigsson (Sweden), Thibaut Pinot (Fra), Sébastien Reichenbach (Switzerland), Attila Valter (Hun).
Ineos Grenadiers (GB): Richard Carapaz (Ecu), Jhonatan Narváez (Col), Salvatore Puccio (Ita), Carlos Rodríguez (Spa), Ben Swift (GB), Ben Turner (GB, neo-pro).
Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Materials (Bel): Jan Bakelants (Bel), Theo Delacroix (Fra, neo-pro), Quinten Hermans (Bel), Simone Petilli (Ita), Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita), Lorenzo Rota (Ita), Taco van der Hoorn (Ned).
Israel-Premier Tech (Isr): Matthias Brändle (Aut), Alexander Cataford (Can), Simon Clarke (NZ), Jakob Fuglsang (Den), Taj Jones (Aus, neo-pro), Krists Neilands (Lat), Guy Sagiv (Isr).
Jumbo-Visma (Ned): Tiesj Benoot (Bel), Koen Bouwman (Ned), Robert Gesink (Ned), Sepp Kuss (US), Timo Roosen (Ned), Milan Vader (Ned).
Lotto-Soudal (Bel): Victor Campenaerts (Bel), Roger Kluge (Germany), Andreas Kron (Den), Harry Sweeny (Aus, neo-pro), Maxim Van Gils (Bel, neo-pro), Brent Van Moer (Bel), Tim Wellens (Bel ). ).
Movistar (Spa): Jorge Arcas (Spa), Lluís Mas (Spa), Mathias Norsgaard (Den), Nelson Oliveira (Por), Einer Rubio (Col), Gonzalo Serrano (Spa), Alejandro Valverde (Spa).
Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl (Bel): Julian Alaphilippe (Fra), Kasper Asgreen (Den), Dries Devenyns (Bel), Mikkel Frolich Honore (Den), Mauro Schmid (Swi, neo-pro), Pieter Serry (Bel), Louis Vervaeke (Bel).
Trek-Segafredo (USA): Gianluca Brambilla (Ita), Dario Cataldo (Ita), Alexander Kamp (Den), Quinn Simmons (US), Toms Skujins (Lat), Edward Theuns (Bel), Antonio Tiberi (Ita).
UAE Team Emirates (UAE): Mikkel Bjerg (Den), Alessandro Covi (Ita), Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor), Tadej Pogacar (Slo), Maximiliano Richeze (Arg), Marc Soler (Spa), Diego Ulissi (Ita).
ProTeams
Alpecin-Fenix (Bel): Floris De Tier (Bel), Michael Gogl (Aut), Xandro Meurisse (Bel), Stefano Oldani (Ita), Robert Stannard (Aus), Scott Thwaites (GB), Gianni Vermeersch (Bel).
Arkéa-Samsic (Fra): Warren Barguil (Fra), Anthony Delaplace (Fra), Miguel Eduardo Flórez (Col), Élie Gesbert (Fra), Romain Hardy (Fra), Alan Riou (Fra), Clément Russo (Fra).
Bardiani-CSF-Faizane (Ita): Johnatan Cañaveral (Col), Filippo Fiorelli (Ita), Davide Gabburo (Ita), Alex Tolio (Ita), Giovanni Visconti (Ita), Filippo Zana (Ita), Samuele Zoccarato (Ita).
Drone Hopper-Androni Toys (Ita): Juan Diego Alba (Col), Mattia Bais (Ita), Gabriele Benedetti (Ita), Umberto Marengo (Ita), Simone Ravanelli (Ita), Jhonatan Restrepo (Col), Edoardo Zardini (Ita).
Eolo-Comet (Ita): Vincenzo Albanese (Ita), Simone Bevilacqua (Ita), Marton Dina (Hun), Erik Fetter (Hun), Sergio García (Spa), Samuele Rivi (Ita), Diego Pablo Sevilla (Spa).