Strade Bianche 2025 preview: Route, gravel sectors, favourites

Strade Bianche 2025: The most important facts in brief

• Date: Saturday, 8 March
• DistanceMen 213 kilometres, women 136 kilometres
• Start: Siena, Target: Siena
• Premiere: Men 2007, women 2015
• UCI category: World Tour, Women's World Tour
• The best photos from Strade Bianche 2024
• Spring Classic 2025: the timetable
• To the race report of the men's race
• To the race report of the women's race

Strade Bianche 2025: The route

Strade Bianche is described by the organiser RCS, which also organises the Giro d'Italia, as "Europe's southernmost northern classic". The race is extremely popular due to its gravel sections on the "white roads" in Tuscany and has already unofficially earned the status of the sixth monument of the season for many cycling fans. In 2025, the race will once again be held before the big long-distance rides Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico on 8 March. The organisers presented the men's and women's courses on 24 January.

The women's route

At 136, the women's route is one kilometre shorter than in 2024, but there is even more gravel: 13 gravel sectors await the peloton with a total of 50.3 kilometres over the "white roads". In 2024, there were 40.4 kilometres spread over 12 sectors. The start is near the Fortezza Medicea fortress in Siena. The last obstacle before the finish is once again the Santa Caterina climb, which leads to the Piazza del Campo in Siena. A new feature is gravel sector 5 (Serravalle), which is 9.3 kilometres long and has been awarded three stars by the organisers (the more stars, the higher the level of difficulty).

In addition, sector 1 (Vidritta) was extended from 2.1 to 4.4 kilometres. The second sector, Bagnaia, was shortened by one kilometre of gravel, sector 6 (San Martino in Grania) by 100 metres and sector 10 (Strada del Castagno) by 600 metres. It is difficult to predict which of the sectors will be decisive for the outcome of the race in 2025. In 2024, Lotte Kopecky (not at the start this year) and Elisa Longo Borghini pulled away around ten kilometres before the finish after the last gravel section "Le Tolfe", before Kopecky left her companion behind in the old town of Siena and rode to victory.

The gravel sectors of the 2025 women's race

1. Vidritta - 4.4 km *
2. Bagnaia - 4.8 km ***
3. Radi - 4.4 km **
4. La Piana - 6.4 km **
5. Serravalle - 9.3 km ***
6. San Martino in Grania - 9.4 km *****
7. Monteaperti - 0.6 km **
8. Colle Pinzuto - 2.4 km ****
9. Le Tolfe - 1.1 km ****
10. Strada del Castagno - 0.7 km **
11. Montechiaro - 3.3 km **
12. Colle Pinzuto - 2.4 km ****
13. Le Tolfe - 1.1 km ****

The men's route

The men's parcours will also be slightly shorter, by two kilometres from 215 last year to 213 in 2025. At 81.7 kilometres, however, there will also be more gravel than ever before at Strade Bianche. In 2024 it was "only" 71.5 kilometres. The most important changes, just like for the women, are the new Serravalle sector (number 7) and the extended gravel section in Vidritta. The new section in Serravalle means that almost 40 kilometres of the 45 kilometres just before the halfway point of the race are over "white roads", leaving the riders hardly any breathing space. The finale remains largely unchanged. In 2024, the final kilometres were not decisive anyway. In the end, Tadej Pogačar left 81 kilometres before the finish and set off on a memorable triumphant journey.

The gravel sectors of the men's race

1. Vidritta - 4.4 km *
2. Bagnaia - 4.8 km ***
3. Radi - 4.4 km **
4. La Piana - 6.4 km **
5. Lucignano d'Asso - 11.9 km ****
6. Pieve a Salti - 8.0 km ****
7. Serravalle - 9.3 km ***
8. San Martino in Grania - 9.4 km *****
9. Monte Sante Marie - 11.5 km *****
10. Monteaperti - 0.6 km **
11. Colle Pinzuto - 2.4 km ****
12. Le Tolfe - 1.1 km ****
13. Strada del Castagno - 0.7 km **
14. Montechiaro - 3.3 km **
15. Colle Pinzuto - 2.4 km ****
16. Le Tolfe - 1.1 km ****

The favourites

Women

Although Demi Vollering (FDJ - Suez) missed out on victory in last weekend's Omloop Het Nieuwsbladbecause a breakaway group had escaped, but with third place she showed once again that she is already in very good form. She is therefore likely to be the woman to beat at Strade Bianche Donne 2025. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), who was the only rider to keep up with Vollering on the wall of Geraardsbergen last weekend, and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), winner of the UAE Tour, are likely to give her a run for her money, Tour de France Femmes winner Katarzyna Niewidoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) as well as her team-mate Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Anna van der Breggen (Team SD Worx - Protime), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Kimberley (Le Court) Pienaar (AG Insurance - Soudal Team). From a German perspective, Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) has a good chance of a top placing. The 27-year-old recently underlined her good form at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Together with Swiss rider Marlen Reusser, she is likely to form a double lead for the Spanish team.

Men

It would be disrespectful to the rest of the peloton to say that it's only about second place. But the reality is that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) will almost certainly be unstoppable. The 26-year-old is the firm favourite for Strade Bianche 2025, with the Slovenian Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), who has blossomed after switching from INEOS Grenadiers to Q36.5 and has already won the race in Tuscany once in 2023, the most likely threat. Top riders such as Toms Skujiņš and Mathias Vacek (both Lidl - Trek), Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), Pello Bilbao, Matej Mohorič (both Bahrain - Victorious), Romain Grégoire, Valentin Madouas (both Groupama - FDJ) will also be among the favourites, Ben Healy, Richard Carapaz (both EF Education - EasyPost), Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto), Roger Adrià (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) or Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team) as well as Pogačar's team-mates Isaac del Toro and Tim Wellens).

Strade Bianche 2025: TV broadcast & live stream

In Germany, the women's and men's races are televised on Eurosport 2. The transfer of the Women goes from 11:45-14:05. The Men are from 14:05-17:15 to see. In parallel, there is also a Live stream with Discovery Plus (chargeable) for both races of Strade Bianche 2025.

Strade Bianche - historical background

Strade Bianche is still a relatively young race that was first held in 2007 and was originally known as Monte Paschi Eroica. It is based on the popular sporting event L'Eroica, which was launched in 1997 to revive the nostalgic spirit of cycling. Inspired by the legendary Italian cyclists of the post-war era, such as Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, who rode steel-framed bikes over gravel roads and thrilled the tifosi with their impressive performances.

>> Strade Bianche: Classic fascinates professionals and amateur athletes alike

In 2015, a competition specifically for women was introduced, which became part of the Women's World Tour just one year later. The men's race found its place in the World Tour in 2017. Since its first edition, the race has enjoyed growing popularity among both professionals and spectators. Even before the gravel trend became really popular, the dusty gravel tracks, known as the "white roads", fascinated everyone involved.