Strade Bianche Women 2022

Kopecky wins Strade Bianche Women

Strade Bianche Women - How it happened

Lotte Kopecky and her SD Worx team attacked all day with her final move propelling the Belgian to victory at Strade Bianche Donne. Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) battled with Kopecky on the narrow streets of Siena, but would fade enough in the final 100 metres to finish in second place. 

Most of the favourites were part of the group that rode into Siena for the final climb. Van Vleuten was the first to attack and followed closely by the SD Worx duo of Kopecky and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio. On the steepest section of the Via Santa Caterina, Kopecky and Van Vleuten moved ahead, with Kopecky surging to the front on the 16 per cent climb to the Piazza del Campo. Moolman-Pasio would settle for third.

In the eighth edition of Strade Bianche Donne, the peloton tackled five steep climbs and 31.4 kilometres of gravel roads on the 136-kilometre race. With less than 30km to go, Chantal van den Broeck-Blaak (SD Worx), the 2021 champion, attacked and was followed by Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) and Liane Lippert (Team DSM), with other riders chasing. Among the riders to catch back on were Van Vleuten and Kopecky, as Team DSM teammates Moolman-Pasio and Demi Vollering made repeated attacks and set up the win for Kopecky.

Strade Bianche Women 2022 - News and features

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• 10 riders to watch at Strade Bianche Women 2022
• Strade Bianche Women 2022 – Preview
• 2022 Women's WorldTour: The definitive guide
• Cyclingnews announces live coverage of the women's Spring Classics
• The secrets of Strade Bianche
• How to watch Strade Bianche 2022 – live TV and streaming
• Roland Cogeas Edelweiss skips opening weekend to train for Strade Bianche
• Longo Borghini and Simmons lead Strade Bianche charge for Trek-Segafredo
• Annemiek van Vleuten: We need more riders, bigger rosters
• Infirmary report: Sick Sagan will start Tirreno-Adriatico
• Spratt makes post-surgery European racing return at Strade Bianche

Strade Bianche Women - History

Strade Bianche Women is a relatively young race, with its inaugural edition in 2015, but has gained popularity for its trek across the scenic white gravel roads of Tuscany, in its seven editions. The event has been part of the Women's WorldTour since the series' inception in 2016. 

Held annually in March, the race marked the opening round of the Women's WorldTour from 2016 to 2019, until Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race upgraded to the top-tier series in 2020 and kicked off the season in February The Australian one-day race was cancelled in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19 health restrictions, which has postponed the start of the Women's WorldTour series to March at Strade Bianche for the last two seasons.

Previous winners include Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, Annemiek van Vleuten, who won two editions of Strade Bianche, and other past winners Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx), Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini of Trek-Segafredo, and Megan Guarnier (Boels Dolmans).

Strade Bianche Women 2022 - Map

The women's 136km race has traditionally included a total of 31.4km of gravel across eight or nine sectors, before finishing on the steep ascent at the Piazza del Campo in Siena.

The route is identical to the last three editions with six steep climbs at Radi, Monteaperti, Vico d'Arbia, Colle Pinzuto Tolfe and Via Santa Caterina.

There are also eight decisive gravel sectors at Vidritta, Bagnaia, Radi, La Piana, S.Martino in Grania, Monteaperti, Colle Pinzuto, and at Le Tolfe.

As the race enters the last kilometre and approaches the centre of Siena, the riders will face a 16 per cent climb to the finish line along Via Santa Caterina, and then the run-in to the Piazza del Campo.

Strade Bianche Women 2022 - Teams

• FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
• Team Jumbo-Visma
• Human Powered Health
• Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad
• UAE Team ADQ
• Movistar Team
• Canyon-SRAM Racing
• Team DSM
• Trek - Segafredo
• Team SD Worx
• EF Education-TIBCO-SVB
• Liv Racing Xstra
• Team BikeExchange - Jayco
• Uno-X Pro Cycling Team
• Valcar - Travel & Service
• Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling
• Parkhotel Valkenburg
• Plantur-Pura
• Aromitalia - Basso Bikes - Vaiano
• Bepink
• Born To Win G20 Ambedo
• Isolmant - Premac - Vittoria
• Servetto - Makhymo - Beltrami TSA
• Team Mendelspeck
• Top Girls Fassa Bortolo