Strade Bianche

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, an event that is still held on the day after the professional race. 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. 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. 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. 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 and one more gravel sector was added, taking the total unsealed sections to . Strade Bianche In 2014, the start of the race moved to the hilly town of San Gimignano. 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. Michał Kwiatkowski claimed his second victory, becoming the second rider with more than one win. The 2018 event was raced in abysmal weather. 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. Only 53 of 147 participants finished the race; 20 riders arrived outside of the time limit. Second-place finisher Romain Bardet called the event a "Dante-esque contest". The 2020 event was postponed to August 1 from its usual March schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By the mid 2020s, media and riders discussed the possibility of the race being elevated to a "cycling monument" in future, with Cycling News stating in 2025 that "there is no longer any debate that Strade Bianche is cycling's sixth Monument". 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. In 2026, the race celebrated its 20th edition. The route was shortened slightly with a reduction in the distance of gravel roads. The race was won by Pogačar for a record fourth time. ==Route==

in Siena hosts the finish of the Strade Bianche. Course The race starts and finishes in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Siena. 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. The longest and most arduous sectors are the ones in Lucignano d'Asso () and Asciano (). 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 of gravel in 2016 to of gravel in 2025. 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''). 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." in central Tuscany. Gravel sectors are in green. ==Winners==

(pictured at the 2022 edition) has won the race four times Multiple winners Wins per country ==Trivia==

• Riders who take three Strade Bianche titles have a sector of gravel road named after them. Fabian Cancellara was the first rider to have a sector named in his honour: an sector in Monte Sante Marie following three wins in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Tadej Pogačar was the second rider to have a sector named in their honour: a sector in Colle Pinzuto following three wins in 2022, 2024 and 2025. • 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==

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 , containing of gravel roads spread over eight sectors. American Megan Guarnier won the inaugural event in 2015, with Dutch riders Annemiek van Vleuten, and Demi Vollering, and Belgian rider Lotte Kopecky having won two editions of the race. ==References==