Twenty years have passed since the first edition, and by now we should be used to it. And yet, every time Strade Bianche comes into view, that familiar shiver and rush of adrenaline returns, the kind that makes you think: this is it, the season is truly getting underway. Dust, gravel roads, the Tuscan countryside, Siena… it never gets old. And so, on Saturday 7 March, everything is set for the 20th edition of Strade Bianche, the 11th for the women’s race.

The layout of Europe’s southernmost Northern Classic is by now well known, and despite a few minor tweaks, the 2026 edition will once again follow the blueprint seen over the past two years. The decisive finale remains unchanged, featuring the double passage over Colle Pinzuto (2.4 km uphill with gradients peaking at 15 percent) and Le Tolfe (1.1 km with a brutal 500-metre ramp at 18 percent), before the run-in to Siena, the wall of Via Santa Caterina and the iconic finish in Piazza del Campo. The men’s race will cover a total distance of 201 km, while the women will race over 131 km.
The most attentive observers will have noticed a subtle but significant difference compared to last year. Not in the finale, which remains sacred and untouchable in its key moments, but in the opening part of the race, which features less gravel than usual.

In 2026, the men will tackle a total of 66 km of white roads, down from 82 km in 2025, spread across 14 sectors, while the women will face 34 km of gravel, compared to 50 km last year, divided into 11 sectors. The La Piana sector (6.4 km) and the Serravalle sector (9.3 km) have been removed, which were respectively the fourth and seventh gravel sectors in the men’s race and the fourth and fifth in the women’s event.

In recent years, the men’s race has almost always been decided on Monte Sante Marie, where 4.5 km climb uphill with gradients touching 18%. Despite being placed further from the finish since the introduction of the double circuit, it has remained the perfect launchpad for decisive attacks. Tadej Pogačar has turned it into his personal playground, but Tom Pidcock also has a special connection with this sector, having been the only rider able to follow the Slovenian last year and having launched his winning move there in 2023.

The slightly lighter opening phase should allow riders to reach Monte Sante Marie a bit fresher, relatively speaking, and the reduced amount of white roads should make the race marginally less selective, and therefore more open and unpredictable. What does not change, for men and women alike, is the breath-taking finale. Monteaperti, Colle Pinzuto, Le Tolfe, Strada del Castagno, Montechiaro, and then once again Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe, packed with thousands of fans, will all be there waiting. Let’s get ready for the show.