This year's Strade Bianche should be super-fast races with the Tuscan gravel dry and compact on Saturday after a recent spell of warm, early spring weather.
Some memorable editions of Strade Bianche have been held in cold, wet and wintry weather, with riders freezing at the finish and covered in mud.
Crashes are far more frequent on the gravel when it rains, while strong winds across the exposed hilltops can also cause havoc, as was the case in 2022 when Julian Alaphilippe flipped over his bike at speed after a strong gust of wind.
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The riders will enjoy near-perfect conditions on Saturday. According to detailed weather forecasts, both the men's and women's Strade Bianche races will be held under blue skies with temperatures close to 17°C in the afternoon as the riders head to the finish in Siena.
Only light winds are expected, with the breeze coming from the east, so a tail/crosswind for the decisive gravel sectors and the race north to Siena.
Most riders and teams will carry out a vital final reconnaissance ride on Thursday morning, covering at least the final 100km of the race routes and especially the key sectors of the Strade Bianche route at San Martino in Granaia (9.4km long) and Monte Santa Marie (11.5km).
Both men and women race the Colle Pinzuto-Le Tolfe circuit twice in the final 60km of the race, with the final selections expected to be made on the steep gravel climbs in each sector.
The Colle Pinzuto sector will be officially crowned as the Tadej Pogačar sector in a special ceremony on Thursday afternoon, in recognition of his three victories at Strade Bianche. Only Fabian Cancellara has received the same honour, while Vollering could win for a third time this year.
Race organiser RCS Sport has made some small changes to the race routes, but both races remain demanding and selective.
Some mid-race gravel sectors have been cut, reducing the men's race by 14km from 215 km to 201 km. The women will race over a 131 km route.
The women avoid the Monte Santa Marie sector but face 11 gravel sectors and a total of 34 km of gravel roads, down from the 50km of recent years. The total gravel kilometres for the men have been reduced from 80 km to 64 km, spread across 14 sectors.
The changes are not expected to impact the race, especially if 2025 winner Tadej Pogačar and Demi Vollering again attack early and spark a huge selection.
They are the standout favourites, with Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM), Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) their expected rivals.
Cyclingnews will have full live coverage of both races, followed by detailed race reports, news and post-race interviews, with editor-at-Large Stephen Farrand on the ground in Siena.
