Strade Bianche Donne

This race has become a proving ground for the generation's best all-rounders. Elisa Longo Borghini won the first edition, and the winner list since has included Annemiek van Vleuten, Anna van der Breggen, Lotte Kopecky, and Demi Vollering. The gravel sectors are short but frequent enough to reward bike handling and positioning under pressure, and the finale into Siena's square is steep enough that a small gap becomes decisive. It sits early in the spring calendar, often catching riders between winter form and April sharpness, which makes it less predictable than races held later in the season.

The women's race covers roughly 130 kilometers through the Crete Senesi, weaving across gravel roads that reward bike handling as much as power. Decisive action typically starts in the second half, where gravel sectors and short climbs fracture the group without offering a single clean selection point. Surviving the attrition and staying near the front through each sector transition is critical, because gaps open in the dust and are hard to close. The finale compresses everything: a descent into Siena, then the steep ramp into the Piazza del Campo, where even a few seconds can hold off a chasing group. Conditions matter enormously. Dry dust turns the gravel into a visibility battle; rain transforms the white roads into something resembling cyclocross. Either way, the winner tends to combine technical confidence with tactical patience rather than relying on raw climbing power alone.