A hilly Italian one-day race that rewards tactical sharpness and climbing punch, often decided in the final circuits around Cittiglio.
Trofeo Alfredo Binda is a women's WorldTour one-day race held each March in the Varese province of northern Italy. First run in 1974, it takes its name from the two-time world champion and five-time Giro d'Italia winner who was born in the region.
Also known as: Trofeo Binda
Named for Alfredo Binda, the Italian champion who dominated the Giro d'Italia in the late 1920s and won two rainbow jerseys on the road.
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This is the first major climbing test of the European spring, run over rolling terrain north of Milan where the foothills of the Alps meet the lakes. The race rewards riders who can handle repeated short climbs, positioning battles on narrow roads, and the kind of tactical patience that turns into explosive acceleration. It often produces a select group by the final laps, and the winner usually emerges from a late attack or a reduced sprint.
The course centers on multiple laps of a circuit around Cittiglio and Orino, each featuring the Orino climb and other short, sharp rises that accumulate fatigue without offering a single decisive selection point. The race typically starts with a longer opening loop before settling into the finishing circuits, where positioning becomes critical and teams with multiple cards can control or fracture the race. The climbs are rarely steep enough to drop pure sprinters early, but the cumulative elevation and pace usually thin the group by the final lap. Wins come from late attacks on the last ascent of Orino, from small group sprints, or occasionally from a solo move that holds through the final kilometers into Cittiglio.
Multiple laps of a hilly 15 km finishing circuit around Cittiglio, with two climbs per lap that accumulate fatigue and progressively thin the field.
The Casale (1 km at 8%) and Orino (2.6 km at 4.9%) climbs reward acceleration and positioning rather than sustained climbing, suiting puncheurs and classics riders.
Held in mid-March, the race arrives when European spring form is still sharpening, producing unpredictable results.
Most recent winner: Elisa Balsamo
The first edition of what would become the oldest surviving women's one-day classic on the WorldTour calendar.
Marianne Vos won her fourth Trofeo Binda, matching Maria Canins's all-time record and cementing her status across eras.
An unprecedented run: Longo Borghini (2021), Balsamo (2022, 2024, 2025), and Van Anrooij (2023) all rode for the same team.
Four wins (1984, 1985, 1990, 1992). A pioneer of Italian women's cycling and co-record holder.
Four wins (2009, 2010, 2012, 2019). Co-record holder. Her 2019 victory came seven years after her previous win, showing remarkable longevity.
Three wins (2022, 2024, 2025). If she wins again, she would surpass the all-time record.
Back-to-back wins (2015, 2016) as reigning world champion, the first non-Italian or Dutch repeat winner.
2.6 km at 4.9% average. The crest of the final ascent comes roughly 7 km from the finish, the key launchpad for race-winning attacks.
1 km at 8% average. A punchy ramp on each circuit lap that tests positioning and legs.
The race starts in Luino on the eastern shore and rides along the lake before heading inland toward the finishing circuits.
The birthplace of Alfredo Binda, for whom the race is named. The five-time Giro d'Italia winner was born here in 1902.
