It’s always hard to imagine that what is likely to be the most spectacular looking race of the season comes so early on. Strade Bianche has everything a Classic needs: often difficult weather conditions; stunning scenery; a stunning finish location; and that cachet that is indefinable … but magical.
It also marks the start of the Women’s World Tour for 2018, but it is the glory of the win rather than the classification leader’s jersey which the riders want, even if their team directors might have their eyes on a bigger picture.
The Route
Siena is the start and finish town. There will be eight sections of the white roads, totalling 31.6 kilometers and they truly could be white this year. Northern Italy is dusted with snow as a blast of weather from Siberia sweeps across Europe. Sectors 1 and 2 are new for 2018, the first largely downhill, but the second includes a 10% climb.
Sector 3 (Radi, 4.4kms), Sector 4 (La Piana at 5.5kms) and the ferocious Sector 5 (San Martino in Grania at 9.5kms) follow the old route. The course doesn’t really feature any massive climbs, but it’s the technical and attritional nature of the course that makes it such a terrific race. Constantly undulating, the route is almost cruciform, rolling counter-clockwise and south to Buonconvento before grinding its way back to Siena and the iconic finishing climb into the Piazzo del Campo. It matches much of the men’s course, but skips the southernmost loop from Buonconvento south to Montalcino
Sector 6 is short, but nastily steep and rejoins normal roads at Vico d’Arbia.
Sectors 7 and 8 look the most difficult. Sector 7 comes with just over 20 kilometres to race – it’s 2.4km long but includes a steep climb which rears up to 15%. The final Sector 8 with 12 kilometres to go is only 1.1km reaches gradients of 18% during the climb.
The remaining tarmac stretch to the line includes steep climbs of around 16% and nasty descents before the final haul into the Piazza del Campo.
The Contenders
Given that almost a quarter of the race will be on the white gravel it will be a strong rider with a potent team that comes out on top. Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini won brilliantly last year and looks to be hitting similar early season form. She had two reasonable showings in Belgium on opening weekend.
Likely to challenge strongly are the Canyon-SRAM squad, with Kasia Niewiadoma and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot looking strong from last week’s Setmana Ciclista Valenciana.
Cervelo-Bigla will line up with Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, while Boels-Dolmans, as usual, will bring a talent-stacked team featuring world champion Chantal Blaak, Anna van der Breggen and 2016 winner Megan Guarnier, but not Lizzie Deignan (winner of the inaugural women’s race in 2015).
Cylance with Rosella Ratto, Georgia Bronzini and Sheyla Gutierrez will want to be a factor, as will Waowdeals, through the likes of Riejanne Markus. Lucinda Brand for Sunweb and Shara Gillow for FDJ were in the mix to the final meters in 2017 and both will fancy another crack at the win.
After the surprise win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for Christina Siggaard, confidence will be high for Virtu Cycling, so maybe climbing specialist Katherine Aalerud could be the outsider’s pick? Ale Cipollini’s Janneke Ensing, winner of Le Samyn des Dames, is also due to line up. Michelson-Scott bring Gracie Elvin, Amanda Spratt and Georgia Williams among others.