"On the Piazza del Campo, it feels like being a gladiator in an arena," says Fabian Cancellara. The Swiss rider said years ago that the young race in Tuscany has everything a cycling classic should have. Cancellara should know, as he has won Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix during his career. These races have been among the most prestigious one-day races in road cycling for more than a century. What sets Strade Bianche apart from these races? The age: the 16th edition of the race will take place on 5 March 2022 - it's practically a teenager compared to the great elders of cycling events. In addition, the distance of 184 kilometres is significantly shorter than other spring classics, which all measure around 250 kilometres or more.
Dust and gravel deliver epic images
The images of the professional cyclists rolling into the Piazza del Campo in Siena's historic city centre, their faces covered in dirt, and the images of the plumes of dust as they made their way through the Tuscan hills quickly gave Strade Bianche a special image. Ultimately, race organiser RCS anticipated the gravel racing trend with its creation. Strade Bianche literally means "white roads" - the term is used in Italy for non-asphalted gravel roads, on which many road races were held until the middle of the last century.
A total of 63 kilometres on gravel
The eleven gravel sections totalling 63 kilometres in length usually ensure an early selection of the best. Most of the gravel sections are significantly longer than the cobbled sections of Paris-Roubaix - and also steep. Only small groups usually reach the city limits in Siena, where recent winners such as Julian Alaphilippe or Mathieu van der Poel catapulted themselves towards solo victory with explosive attacks in the up to 16 per cent steep cobbled lane called Via Santa Catarina. The race starts at 11:40 am at the Medici fortress in Siena, with a sharp start after 3.3 kilometres. The finish is in the beautiful Piazza del Campo, the historic centre of Siena.
Strade Bianche 2022: Who are the top favourites?
As the biggest rivals Wout Van Aert from Belgium and Mathieu van der Poel from the Netherlands are not expected to start, world champion Julian Alaphilippe from France has a good chance of a second victory after 2019. World number one Tadej Pogacar from Slovenia is also likely to enjoy the many climbs, while cyclo-cross world champion Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) will be particularly fond of the unpaved surface. A total of 22 teams with seven riders each will be at the start, including the German team Bora-Hansgrohe.
The women's race
The Italian organiser RCS is the only one of its major races to offer a race for the world's best women at Strade Bianche - for the eighth time in 2022. The race distance measures 136 kilometres and leads over eight gravel sections with a total length of almost 30 kilometres. As for the men, the race starts at 9.10 am at the historic Medici Fortress and finishes in Piazza del Campo. The top favourite in the women's race is Annemiek van Vleuten. The 39-year-old Dutchwoman is the only one to have won the race twice. Following the retirement of Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen and the pregnancy break of Roubaix winner Lizzie Deignan, last year's winner Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, her compatriots Demi Vollering and Marianne Vos as well as the Italian Elisa Longo Borghini are all in with a chance. A total of 25 teams of six riders will be at the start.
Info on the Strade Bianche 2022
Date: Saturday, 5 March 2022
Location: Siena (Italy)
Edition: 16th men / 8th women
First race: 2007 (men) / 2015 (women)
Record winner: Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland), 3 victories; Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands), 2 victories
German winners: none
Result 2021:
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix), 4:40:29 hours
2. Julian Alaphilippe (France/Deceuninck-Quick Step), +0:05 minutes
3. Egan Bernal (Colombia/Ineos Grenadiers), +0:20
4th Wout Van Aert (Belgium/Jumbo-Visma), +0:51
5. Thomas Pidcock (Great Britain/Ineos Grenadiers), +0:54
...
40th Emanuel Buchmann (Germany/Bora-Hansgrohe), +6:51
Distance: 184 kilometres (men), 136 kilometres (women)
Key points: Each of the eleven gravel passages offers opportunities for defects, crashes and attacks; last climb in Via Santa Caterina (16 per cent) in Siena
TV broadcast:
Women: 12:30-13:30, Eurosport 1
Men: 13:30-16:45, Eurosport 1 (additional, paid offers via Eurosportplayer and GCN+)
Website: www.strade-bianche.it
Everyman race of the Strade Bianche
Every cyclist's CV includes participation in the Granfondo Strade Bianche. The amateur race takes place the day after the professional race, on 6 March 2022, over a shortened version of the professional race - but it is always tough enough. After all, the gravel sections are steep both uphill and downhill - and a challenge with narrow tyres. There are two route lengths to choose from. Info: https://gfstradebianche.it
Andreas Kublik
Editor
