The sun was still burning away the morning mist from the Tuscan vineyards and olive groves as the EF Education riders enjoyed an early breakfast on Thursday morning.
Strade Bianche was still 48 hours away, but the day's recon ride was a key part of the final preparation for every team and rider targeting both the men's and women's edition of Strade Bianche.
The Italian race is only 20 years old, and 2026 marks the 12th edition of the women's race, but Strade Bianche has rapidly become one of the most prestigious and important races of the season. Tadej Pogačar is making his 2026 season debut, and Demi Vollering is chasing her third victory. The importance of Strade Bianche was palpable out on the gravel roads and amongst the riders and teams.
The men's team, led by Richard Carapaz and Ben Healy, would roll out an hour later, both teams crossing paths with their rivals and fellow WorldTour teams on the gravel, on the steep Santa Caterina climb to Siena and to the finish in the Piazza del Campo. It was time to get serious and get ready to race.
The EF Education-Oatly left from the hilltop Villa Sabolini hotel and resort punctually at 9:00 a.m., knowing that sports director Carmen Small expected punctuality and presence.
"We take extra time and come early instead of just doing an hour-long ride, the day before the race. We put extra effort into Strade Bianche for sure," Small told Cyclingnews.
"Henrietta Christie has never ridden Strade, and Alexis Magner last rode a few years ago, so it's important they see the whole course. Putting it all together is important because Strade Bianche is such a unique race, it's different from any of the other races we do."
The riders saw the opening 50km of the full 131km race route by car, noting the changes to the route for 2026. We joined up with the riders at a specific point deep into the Crete Senese hills, just before the right turn into gravel sector 4 at San Martino in Granaia. From here, there are 77km left to race, but all the important gravel sectors to ride.
Every EF Education-Oatly rider wore a radio with Small asking them to give her any feedback on details and observations they saw during the ride.
"They took out a pretty important sector that was in the last edition. I'm a little bit sad about that because it makes the race a bit easier," Small told Cyclingnews.
"It will change the dynamics going into the important fourth sector; there will be a lot more riders in the pack than in the years past. It'll be a big fight for positioning."
Two team mechanics carefully checked each rider's tyre pressure before the recon began, with other stops along the recon planned for any requested pressure changes. Each rider's tyre pressure was confidential information, coming after detailed research and testing.
The riders were apparently a little under pressure in the 2025 Strade Bianche, but EF Education-Oatly have confidence in the quality of their Vittoria tubeless setup, suggesting punctures are almost impossible and that bike handling skills, not rubber, will set the performance limits of the tyres.
"We want to test the tyre pressure and make sure they're dialled in," Small said.
"The performance team does a really good job in the lab, understanding how they ride and how we should use them. Now it's about testing out on the gravel on the race route."
World champion Magdeleine Vallieres powered away in a personal test of her form, bike skills and tyres on the steep climbs and rough descents of the San Martino in Granaia sector. She seemed ready to race and proud to wear the world champion's rainbow jersey.
"The gravel feels nice today," Vallieres said.
"Strade Bianche really is a beautiful race. I think it's one of the coolest on the WorldTour circuit. It's one of my favourites. I missed it last year, so I'm happy to be back."
Strade Bianche is not for the faint-hearted
Live television coverage flattens the gradients and smooths over the Tuscan gravel, with riders making it look easy to float over the rough roads at speed.
Getting up close to the gravel is a shock: the climbs are double-digit steep, and the descents are like roller coaster drop-offs. At racing speed, it is impossible to find a perfect line and impossible to relax for a split second. A moment of distraction can be disastrous. Strade Bianche is not for the faint-hearted.
The Tuscan winter has been wet, and the gravel is compact and even smooth in places. However, there is often a layer of loose gravel of varying dimensions on top of the undersoil. Local residents’ cars and farmers' tractors have moved the loose gravel into what is the Strade Bianche racing line, creating constant changes from smooth to rough.
The rain and vehicles have also created the 'washboard' grooves on certain curves. They spark sudden vibrations and can even cause punctures. Some sectors in the shade of the cypress trees were still damp and even muddy. The mud helped dampen the dust and even allowed riders to climb out of the saddle, but the many changes in surface conditions could spark crashes on Saturday.
We saw Tom Pidcock and his Pinarello-Q36.5 teammates on the San Martino in Granaia sector, and at the top, the Tudor flew past as the EF riders stopped to greet guests of the EF Coaching trip and former pro and gravel racer turned coach and guide, Nathan Haas.
With the Renaissance church towers of Siena on the horizon like a north star, the EF Education-Oatly riders covered each gravel sector with ease and pace, the riders talking with each other about each detail.
The decisive Colle Pinzuto-Le Tolfe circuit
The Colle Pinzuto-Le Tolfe circuit begins with 50km to go in both the men's and women's races. The two climbs are covered twice before looping around Siena for the climb to the finish.
The Colle Pinzuto sector was dedicated to Tadej Pogačar on Thursday afternoon, in recognition of his three victories at Strade Bianche. It represents his success and his racing style.
The sector is 'only' 2.4km long but includes a brutally steep climb that cuts zig-zag up the side of the hill. It is here that Pogačar surged away last year.
Dozens of people were out riding the course, with many more watching from the roadside. Every inch of the Colle Pinzuto climb will be packed with screaming tifosi on Saturday afternoon. It is the sweep spot of the race, where they can see both the women's and men's races pass twice.
Over the top of the climb, we saw riders from Visma-Lease a Bike at speed, but late in the afternoon, Wout Van Aert cut a lonely figure as he rode towards Siena on his own, unsure of his form and Strade Bianche ambitions after his recent illness.
Every rider's bike was covered in dust, but everyone was happy that the weather was warm and dry. The news of the sun and 17 °C temperatures for Saturday helped to ease the pain of the gravel climbs. Racing Strade Bianche in the cold and rain must be as terrifying as a wet Paris-Roubaix, and nobody in their right mind wants that.
Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates passed the EF Education-Oatly riders during the Colle Pinzuto-Le Tolfe circuit. For an instant, the two world champions - Magdeleine Vallieres and Tadej Pogačar - were shoulder to shoulder, but there was only time for a quick hello as each focused on their recon work.
We would next see Pogačar in Piazza del Campo in Siena as he stopped to pose for a photograph with del Toro and Florian Vermeersch.
In just a few seconds, a group of school children and cycling fans saw him and surrounded him, so he quickly pedalled on to head to the team bus for a quick shower and then the milestone ceremony.
Like most teams, the EF Education-Oatly recon ride ended in Piazza del Campo in Siena.
While tourists tucked into piled-high plates of pasta and huge pizzas, the riders nibbled on energy bars and noted the descending cobbled road and the final right turn that leads into one of the most iconic squares in the world. On Saturday, the riders will take the place of the bareback horse and jockeys, who fight for victory in the Palio.
Every rider celebrates making it to the finish of Strade Bianche; it is a badge of honour on their palmares. Of course, victory is the goal, and EF Education-Oatly have world champion Vallieres, Noemi Rüegg, who was ninth in 2025 and Cédrine Kerbaol, who unfortunately crashed twice last year but still finished the race.
"Everyone is chasing victory, and every team wants a result. We're here with a good team, with high ambitions," Small makes clear.
"We need to be smart about our race tactic going into the key parts of the race and use our girls in the way we need to use them.
Small rode Strade Bianche twice during her own successful career.
"Anything can happen," she warned. "You have to have a bit of luck, but you also create your own luck in these races. Strade Bianche is pretty simple in all its brutality and beauty," Small said, summarising Strade Bianche perfectly.
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