Good morning, and welcome along for one of the best races of the year. It's a modern classic, with a short history but no shortage of prestige. It's a journey through the rolling hills of Tuscany and, of course, the gravel roads that give the race its name and its iconic identity. It's Strade Bianche, and it's here!
Blue skies greet the riders in Siena. The sign-on ceremony is wrapping up and we're not far away from the start.
Before we get going, now's the time to have a read of our in-depth race preview.
This is one of the most-loved races on the calendar not just because of the gravel and the spectacular images it creates, and not just because of the stunning finale up into Siena's old town, but because they all combine to make it one of the most open races of the year. Thoroughbred Classics riders compete alongside lightweight Grand Tour climbers, and the parcours - although relatively short at 184 - has a habit of making class float to the top.
On that note, my colleague Stephen Farrand has a really interesting pre-race story on the type of rider Strade Bianche is attracting, and how the nature of the race might have changed since its inception in 2007.
We're off!
We're taking you through the men's race here but we also have live coverage of the women's race, which is now into the final 50km. You can join Amy Jones for all the latest on that one.
Stephen Farrand is in Siena for Cyclingnews and he's been catching up with some of the race favourites. Here's Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar, who was seventh last year and is in strong form after winning the recent UAE Tour.
And there is Pogačar, at the start a little earlier. He said he only arrived in Italy yesterday after staying on in the UAE to enjoy the warm weather. That means no recon, but he's not worried.
In the early kilometres a breakaway has formed, and there are around seven riders in there. Names to follow shortly.
Here are the riders who have slipped up the road:
The group gets 45 seconds but we have a counter-attack. Bardiani-CSF have missed out...
If you're one of the three Italian second-division teams - who have been invited by RCS Sport - you have to have a presence in the break and it's a surprise Bardiani have allowed a seven-man move to go without them. Samuele Zoccarato has been fired up into no-man's land for them.
The weather today could play a part. It's not wet, like it was back in 2018 when a mud-caked Tiesj Benoot took the spoils, but it is chilly.
Onto the Strade Bianche!
Zoccarato has company in the form of Eolo-Kometa's Sergio García. Eolo already have a man in the break but they've cleverly marked this move from the Bardiani rider. But they're still at 45 seconds.
We are without the past two winners, with Mathieu van der Poel still coming back from a back injury and Wout van Aert redesigning his spring schedule, but 2019 winner Julian Alaphilippe is here in the world champion's jersey.
Back on the tarmac and the breakaway have now decided to wait to allow Zoccarato and Garcia to join them. So that makes a nine-man breakaway with a lead of nearly three minutes.
25km done
Heinschke punctures on the gravel and is off the back of the lead group.
As they reach the top of that gravel climb, the leaders have taken their advantage out to 5:30.
Heinschke is back in.
The first shots of the breakaway and of the gravel are in
Downhill here and the peloton have upped it, taking a minute out of the breakaway's lead.
37km ridden
Puncture for Gianni Moscon (Astana) but he's back in without any issues.
Plenty of riders in the sick bay. A stomach virus has deprived Tom Pidcock of a shot at the race that suits him so well, while Tom Dumoulin has been ruled out through COVID-19. Peter Sagan is also sick but starts. Full infirmary round-up here.
Just under 40km covered in the first hour of racing.
You love to see it
48km ridden
The peloton is still on high alert. The breakaway are still on a modest leash of 3:45.
5km to go in the women's race and we have a small group heading into Siena. Join Amy Jones for live coverage of the finale.
After the fourth sector the road flattens out but soon starts climbing on the tarmac up to Montalcino. It won't see big action but this will start to sap the legs on a day where the elevation gain will total 3000 metres.
Lotte Kopecky has won the women's race in a thrilling finale.
It's relatively calm as the riders make their way up the Montalcino climb. The nine leaders have an advantage of 3:30.
Over the top and we're now heading down the other side. The gap falls to below three minutes.
QuickStep, Movistar, and UAE are prominent at the head of the peloton.
Here we go then. Onto the fifth sector and so begins the second phase of this race. It's long, at 11.9km, and it's followed almost immediately by the 8km Pieve a Salti sector.
The peloton has upped the tempo once more on this long sector. The gap falls below two minutes.
The wind is blowing now and it's blowing the race up!!
Crosswinds on this long sector
Huge crash!!
Wow. Riders getting blown fully off the road by this wind.
Julian Alaphilippe is down
Alaphilippe was in his teammate's wheel when a huge gust came from the right. That took his wheel out and the world champion went flying head over handlebars.
Crazy scenes here, really. Riders, even having crashed, getting blown straight into the field by the side of the gravel.
A small group avoided that crash at the front and are away, just behind the breakaway. The race has exploded after that crash, though.
Alaphilippe is back on his bike and is chasing with Mikkel Honore and Mauro Schmid.
Fuglsang is up the road with a teammate in a group of around seven. Alaphilippe is counted at 2 minutes behind that group.
Back onto the tarmac but not enough time for things to settle down. We're straight back onto the next sector of gravel in around a kilometre.
Pogacar is in the group with Fuglsang and Tim Wellens. QuickStep have two riders in there.
And now a much bigger group is getting across to that select group. That's the bunch now.
94km to go and we're heading downhill on the sixth sector. The breakaway are 40 seconds ahead of this newly reformed but reduced peloton.
Alaphilippe is still chasing at 1:40.
It's hard to see Alaphilippe getting back in. He's in a much smaller group than the bunch, and only has two teammates. There seem to be plenty of willing parties in the bunch ahead, including Trek, Lotto, and FDJ.
The replays of the mass crash are extraordinary. Alaphilippe unclips before his teammate goes down in front of him, and then goes flying when he hits the bike. When he lands, having somersaulted, he almost bounces and then pretty much flies left into the field.
It was a strong wind but they were clearly hit by massive gusts, exactly from the right, on that exposed section. Riders were crashing all over the shop.
Alaphilippe is in a group of 10 and they're picking up dropped riders but they're not getting any closer.
Tiesj Benoot (Jumbo-Visma) has abandoned after the crash. That's a huge blow for the 2018 winner and his team, who are here without 2020 champ Van Aert.
86km to go
Things calm down a little in the bunch, but still plenty of teams looking interested here, with Bahrain and Alpecin near the front at the moment.
Alaphilippe is gaining. He's now just 50 seconds in arrears.
The Alaphilippe group has swelled and they're limiting the damage here. It would still be extraordinary if Alaphilippe comes back to compete for victory here.
Victor Campenaerts and Brent Van Moer abandon for Lotto Soudal. Matej Mohoric is out for Bahrain.
And it's Bahrain who are actually taking command in the bunch with almost all their remaining riders on the front. They have Pello Bilbao and Heinrich Haussler in their ranks.
78km to go
Amid all the action, the breakaway has split. The five riders left out front are Brenner, Calmejane, Van der Hoorn, Heinschke, Zoccarato.
Alaphilippe coming back. They're through the cars and almost in.
Over 20 riders in that group now and they're going to regain contact.
75.5km to go
Valverde was in that Alaphilippe group and Movistar helped to bring it back.
Pogacar has had a stop after the regrouping but he's being brought back towards the front now.
Time for more gravel. It's sector 7 at San Martino in Grania, and it's 9.6km long and largely uphill.
71km to go
Lotto take it up as the peloton hits the gravel.
Alaphilippe right up at the front on this sector. Fair play.
Michael Matthews (BikeExchange) and Michael Gogl (Alpecin-Fenix) also abandon.
It's pretty calm on this sector. It's more of a headwind here.
Kasper Asgreen is leading the peloton on this sector.
Heinschke is dropped from the break as Zoccarato forces the issue on the sterrato. Four left standing.
The leaders find a little more ground again. 1:10 is the gap now as the gravel really starts to climb.
Movistar have taken the reins in the bunch for Valverde.
Fancy watching this? Of course you do. Here's how.
62km to go
Things absolutely exploded earlier on and it looked for a minute like it could be a day of carnage. But things have regrouped and calmed down, and we're heading for a more traditional finale, although the wind could strike again on this next sector...
We've got some photos of the crash.
