STRADE BIANCHE'25 Preview: Can Anyone Beat Tadej Pogačar?

03/06/2025 09:00 AM

2025 Strade Bianche Race Preview: The Italian ‘Classic’ Strade Bianche, brings back memories of cycle racing from the past when the roads were rough and unsurfaced, when gravel was the norm. The race from and to Siena has over 80 kilometres of sterrati with climbs and dust before the finish in the Piazza del Campo. A modern take on a nostalgic race. We look at the route and the favourites for Saturday.Highlights from 2024 Strade BiancheThe last 10 Strade Bianche Winners:2024: Tadej Pogaar2023: Tom Pidcock2022: Tadej Pogaar2021: Mathieu van der Poel2020: Wout van Aert2019: Julian Alaphilippe2018: Tiesj Benoot2017: Michal Kwiatkowski2016: Fabian Cancellara2015: Zdenek StybarThe Story of Strade Bianche by Velon2025 Strade Bianche Parcours:The route of the 2025 Strade Bianche is a little bit harder. A new gravel section has been added to the route, so there are now sixteen strips of rough roads. The new section is 9.3 kilometres long, so now there is a now a total of 81.7 kilometres of gravel. The finish is still in SienaThe start and finish are still in Siena. The first six gravel sections are the same as last year. The first, Vidritta, comes after 14 kilometres, it is nearly four and a half kilometres long and slightly downhill. Each sector of sterrati is different, some sections are relatively short, others are kilometres long. Some almost flat, other sectors are steep and leg sapping. The appeal of Strade Bianche is that it is impossible to predict where the race will kick off. Previously...