STRADE BIANCHE: THE SHOWPIECE OF A 3-RACE WEEKEND

From iconic gravel sectors and fast coastal roads in Tuscany, Italy, to the very south-west of Spain on the border with Portugal, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto will stretch almost the full breadth of the Mediterranean this weekend.

Seven WorldTeam riders will contest Vuelta a Extremadura Femenina, starting Friday (March 6), while team Generation will line up at Trofeo Oro in Euro on Sunday (March 8). Slotting neatly between is a race that requires little introduction. With its legendary sterrato, battles through white dust, and fiery Italian passion, Strade Bianche carries immense character and prestige, even without being classified as a cycling ‘monument’.

CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto will chase glory on the white Tuscan roads with Neve Bradbury, Rosa Klöser, Nastya Kolesava, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Soraya Paladin and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig.

Relentless misfortune defined the team’s 2025 Strade Bianche outing; bike swaps, ill-timed punctures and multiple crashes in a race where sometimes the chips simply fall that way. For Kasia, a second crash ended her day, adding just a second DNF to an otherwise impressive record of nine top-10s from 11 starts, including four podiums.

Now, with another shot at Strade Bianche, unfinished business looms again. Kasia’s long-standing affinity for the race makes her ambition clear, so, what would it mean to finally win Strade Bianche?

“It would mean a lot to me! It’s been an extremely long journey following this dream, and often I say ‘once I win that race, I will almost be fully satisfied with my cycling career’.”

A wildcard teammate for Kasia in 2026 is Rosa, a standout name in the fiercely competitive gravel scene. She switches into roadie mode while aiming to use her off-road instincts across the 11 gravel sectors that total 33km. In 2025, she claimed eight gravel victories, and despite only accumulating eight road-racing days, she made each of them count. After debuting at Paris-Roubaix Femmes and playing a key team role at Tour de Suisse, she’s now thrilled to be making her Strade Bianche debut:

“It’s definitely one of those races that I think a lot of riders have on their bucket list, and for me it was, let’s say, in the top three races that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Rosa continued: “I’m really, really looking forward to it. This year, I hoped to do a bit more road racing – to add them in where possible and when the team needs me. And then, when I had a call with the sport directors, and they said that there’s an opportunity for me to race Strade… of course, I didn’t think twice. I was like ‘let’s go’.”

Rosa believes her gravel prowess offers clear advantages:

“I see that when riding with people who don’t have a gravel bike, especially when surfaces become a little more uncertain, they are quite inclined to use the brakes. For me, I think the number one thing that you learn when you do a lot of gravel riding is that it’s okay for your rear wheel to slide. I’m very used to that feeling and it doesn’t make me panic. I think this will happen a lot at Strade, and I’m ready for that. I’m also ready to put down a good amount of power at the start of the race, because although Strade is almost always won from the group of favourites, you need to be able to make it through the first half of the race in order to be in there, or for your leader to be there. To do that, I think you have to be willing and daring to be aggressive and actually ride the front quite early, rather than sitting back and trying to save too much energy. I think doing this is definitely a strength of mine.”

The 2026 Strade Bianche route is similar to 2025, but with two key adjustments. In recent years, across all of racing, the trend has been to add difficulty; in this instance, it’s been reduced. The Serravalle sector (9.3km, three-star difficulty), introduced in 2025, has been removed. Previously positioned between La Piana (6.4km) and the five-star San Martino in Grania (9.5km), its absence (along with La Piana) shifts the focus more directly to the latter which comes at the 65km mark. A few small off-road tasters still come before then, providing that in-race feel from early on.

What remains unchanged is the spiked profile; undulating constantly, with short, sharp climbs that require countless surges of power. The course is filled with race-making or breaking moments, amplified by surfaces that intensify every move, for better or for worse.

The day after Strade, two hours away on the Tuscan coast, Generation take over the Italian racing duties, opening their 2026 season at Trofeo Oro. Emily Dixon returns to their ranks after racing Setmana Ciclista Valenciana with the WorldTeam, while Jule Märkl, Joëlle Messemer, Awen Roberts, Erja Bianchi and Tsige Kahsay Kiros all make their season debuts. Erja and Tsige will also race in CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto colours for the first time.

“I’m nervous but excited – I always feel like that for the first race of the season,” says Awen. “I am really excited to go again and get stuck in. After training hard over the winter, I am hungry for the first race and looking forward to seeing what we can do. We have a strong team that works really hard, and we also have a good bond as a team, so we can take that as a strength into Trofeo Oro. Success would be if we can stay tight as a team, perform well and give 100%. For every race, we want to win and if we can give ourselves the best chance to do this, then that would be fantastic.”

The course is identical to 2025; five flat, fast circuits before two larger laps that feature a lengthy climb (4.8km at 4.7%). Last year, a trio went clear on the second ascent and fought for victory ahead of a 20-rider chase group. The climb will again be decisive, tipping the balance either towards the strongest climbers, or the resilient sprinters who are able to claw their way back.

While the double-Italian weekend unfolds, a strong squad will already be racing in Extremadura, kicking off with an 18.4km time trial. Lining up are Wilma Aintila, Zoe Bäckstedt, Chiara Consonni, Valentina Corvi, Justyna Czapla, Maria Martins and Antonia Niedermaier.

The 290km, three-day tour offers something for everyone; a race against the clock, a sprint-friendly Saturday, and a mountainous finale where climbers can fight for the general classification. Stage one could be particularly fruitful for the team; reigning U23 World TT Champion Zoe lines up in the British Elite Champion colours, while former U23 TT World Champion Antonia wears the German Elite Champion colours. German U23 Champion Justyna Czapla will add further depth, both against the clock and in Sunday’s climbs.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Stage 1 – Vuelta a Extremadura | UCI 2.1 | Fri, March 6 | 18.4km (ITT) | 280m elevation | Start 14:30 CET.

Strade Bianche | 1.WWT | Sat, March 7 | 132.8km | 2606m elevation | Start 10:15 CET – fastest finish 13:49.

Stage 2 – Vuelta a Extremadura | Stage 2 | Sat, March 7 | 133km | 1167m elevation | Start 12:30 CET – fastest finish 15:31.

Stage 3 – Vuelta a Extremadura | Stage 3 | Sun, March 8 | 139.3km | 2724m elevation | Start 10:00 CET – fastest finish 13:40.

Trofeo Oro in Euro | UCI 1.1 | Sun, March 8 | 106.1km | 827m elevation | Start 13:30 CET – fastest finish 16:00.

Live coverage will be available for both Vuelta a Extremadura and Trofeo Oro in Euro. Broadcast details are to be confirmed, but is expected via Sportpublic TV and Toscana Sprint respectively.

Strade Bianche will be live from 12:25 CET on TNT Sports, Eurosport, streaming on Max, as well as FloBikes, SBS Sport, Rai and other regional broadcasters. Updates for all races will be available on X via #VueltaExtremadura26, #TrofeoOroinEuro and #StradeBianche, and through CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto social channels.