The route for the 2026 Strade Bianche Women has been revealed, with two fewer gravel sectors than last year, but still with a brutally challenging route on offer over some of Tuscany's idyllic white roads.
The 6.4km La Piana and 9.3km Serravalle sectors have been removed for the March 7 race, just as they have been for the men's race, meaning for a larger section of road between the first three sectors and the remaining eight in the latter half of the course.
Siena's iconic Piazza del Campo finish line remains, with the final loop and double lap up the Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe sectors still providing the approach into the steep city-centre Via Santa Caterina climb.
S. Martino in Grania remains the only five-star sector on the 131-kilometre women's route, with the Monte Sante Marie still not featuring, with Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe being the next hardest as both are four-star sectors.
(Image credit: RCS Sport)
Demi Vollering (FDJ-United Suez) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) have traded victory at the past four editions of Strade Bianche, but the former will enter as defending champion after her solo win ahead of the latter's teammate, Anna van der Breggen.
Van der Breggen will return to Tuscany in 2026 and look to repeat her victory from the 2018 edition, but both of the Dutch stars and the Belgian will have the added threat of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) taking the start.
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Ferrand-Prévot finished third in last year's race, but this was only her third appearance after returning to road racing and joining Visma-Lease a Bike. With the confidence gained by winning both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France Femmes, expect the multi-discipline expert to excel on the gravel roads.
James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.
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