As it happened: How Lotte Kopecky claimed the victory at Strade Bianche

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2024 Strade Bianche Women

Final preparations for the race are underway! 

It was looking like rain in the forecast for the women's race in the lead up to the race but conditions are dry in Siena this morning. 

The 2024 edition of the race has a few changes to the route with more climbs and more gravel sectors on the menu for the riders. Elisa Longo Borghini told CyclingNews that she thinks it's a good thing for her after she and her Trek teammates did a recon of the course.

“I expect a more selective race than in the past, especially if the weather is not so good,” she said. 

“The final circuit adds a significant variable to the course, especially in the finale. It will not be easy to read. For sure, it will be a super exciting race to follow and, for us in the peloton, a very unpredictable challenge to face.” 

The official start is at 9:40 CET 

Aside from Longo Borghini, who showed her impressive form at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last weekend, who are the other contenders for the win? 

There is of course the SD Worx duo of Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering who sprinted each other to the line last year, causing the team a bit of controversy. 

Elsewhere, Omloop winner Marianne Vos (Visma - Lease-a-Bike) is back on top after a tumultuous 2023 season. 

 Gravel world champion, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), will also be one to watch at this race. 

A notable absence is Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig of FDJ-SUEZ who suffered a broken sacrum after a crash at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. 

An unexpected star of last year's edition was Zlatana the horse, who escaped and ran along the race route ahead of a surprised Demi Vollering. Let's hope there are no unexpected zoological cameos this time around.  

Race time!

137 km to go

The flag has dropped and the official start has been given 

137 km to go

The first gravel sector is the one-star Vidritta which comes after just 14 km of racing.

The race is all together heading into the first gravel sector of 12.

129 km to go

The women's peloton have been racing Strade Bianche since 2015 when it was won by now-retired American, Megan Guarnier. Lizzie Deignan, who is racing today, won the 2016 edition while her now-teammate, Elisa Longo Borghini, won the following year. Anna van der Breggen, Chantal van den Broek Blaak, and Lotte Kopecky have all won the race before but it is the now-retired Annemiek van Vleuten who is the only rider to take multiple wins at Strade having won the race in both 2019 and 2020. 

Could Deignan, Longo Borghini, Vollering, or Kopecky be the next rider to take a second Strade Bianche win today?  

The peloton are now on the first gravel sector of the day, the one-star Vidritta. 

122 km to go

The peloton are all together after the first sector. They are already on to the second sector, the three-star Bagnaia. 

114 km to go

Looks like DSM and AG Insurance controlling the front with Canyon//SRAM and Fenix-Deceuninck also represented at the front of the peloton on the second sector of the day.

Some footage from the Human Powered Health team of the peloton going through the second sector. They have a strong squad at this race including Italian, Katia Ragusa as well as the American duo of Lily Williams and Ruth Edwards. 

Very little in the way of updates from the race so far but the riders will be heading towards the third sector, Radi, a 4.4km long two-star sector with some climbing. 

108 km to go

We should get live images from 12:00 CET. Here's how to watch once the race is finally live. 

After around an hour of racing at 35 km/h the peloton is still all together and heading towards the fourth sector, La Piana, which is 6.4 km long. 

100 km to go

It's SD Worx - Protime controlling the peloton at the moment with European champ Mischa Bredewold on the front. 

96 km to go

The peloton are around half way through the La Piana sector. 

90 km to go

Still all together, it's like they're waiting for the live coverage to start before kicking it off! 

80 km to go

The race is now on the longest sector, San Martino in Grania at 10 km and including a 5.5 km climb. Surely we're going to see some action here? 

75 km to go

There have been some attacks on this sector but nothing seems to be sticking just yet.

72 km to go

The European champ, Mischa Bredewold, was busy on the front of the peloton earlier but unfortunately the 23-year-old seems to have suffered a mechanical. 

Looks like Barbara Guarischi stopped to change wheels with Bredewold.

The peloton has been reduced to around 60 riders after five sectors and 77 km of racing. 

60 km to go

"Always the goal is to win" hear what Kasia Niewiadoma had to say before the start of the race. 

The attacks are flying as the live TV coverage is about to start.

55 km to go

Eight riders have ten seconds on the bunch 

53 km to go

There has been a crash in the peloton involving Uno-X, Team DSM, FDJ - SUEZ, Human Powered Health, and Lidl-Trek. 

Composition of the front group: 

Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Neve Bradbury (Canyon//SRAM), Amber Kraak (FDJ - SUEZ), Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek), Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx -Protime), Kim Le Court (AG Insurance - Soudal-Quick-Step), Letizia Borghesi (EF Education - Cannondale), Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health), Alena Amialusik (UAE Team ADQ), Riejanne Markus (Visma - Lease a Bike)

46.6 km to go

Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco) tries to bridge across to the group 

The break have a gap of 1'15" heading into the eighth gravel sector.

Lidl-Trek, EF - Education Cannondale, and SD Worx are controlling the peloton 

43.2 km to go

The break have entered the Le Tolfe  sector, one of the hardest in the race 

Attack from Lotte Kopecky in the peloton!

Marianne Vos, Puck Pieterse, Elisa Longo Borghini, Demi Vollering, and Kasia Niewiadoma are following 

An elite group has been drawn away from the peloton after Kopecky's attack comprising Kopecky and teammates Demi Vollering and Niamh Fisher-Black, Kristen Faulkner (EF Education - Cannondale), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance - Soudal - Quickstep), Elisa Chabbey and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), Puck Pieterse (Fenix - Deceuninck), Shirin van Anrooij and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek). 

40 km to go

The gap between the breakaway and the chasers is 43 seconds.

Riejanne Markus (Visma - Lease a Bike) has attacked the breakaway 

38 km to go

Crash for Mischa Bredewold out of the breakaway 

The breakaway has been split to pieces after that crash and the chasers are getting close! 

35.4 km to go

Riejanne Markus, Amber Kraak, and Alena Amialusik have a small gap on the rest of the breakaway who are 18 seconds ahead of the chase group.

Niamh Fisher Black (SD Worx -Protime) is working hard at the front of the chase group as they have the second group in their sights 

33.9 km to go

Amanda Spratt and Shirin van Anrooij of Lidl - Trek are refusing to work with Fisher-Black for the chase

Elisa Longo Borghini, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio and Kasia Niewiadoma are sat towards the back of the group 

Attack from Lizzie Deignan now out of the breakaway 

31 km to go

Lotte Kopecky chases Deignan down 

The group of three have a 30 second gap as the original breakaway are absorbed by the chase 

Lidl-Trek take up the case with Lizzie Deignan on the front of the group 

The gap is staying relatively stable between the break and the chasers 

26.6 km to go

The three riders at the front are working well together as the gap sits at around 25 seconds on the approach to the next gravel sector (10/12) 

Deignan is starting to eat into the gap of those at the front now as her teammate Amanda Spratt takes over the chase. The gap is now down to 13 seconds. 

23.3 km to go

Deignan comes back to the front, after being in the original break and working hard for a while now the British rider is still working to pull back the three riders at the front of the race. Their gap is now down to 11 seconds. 

To recap the trio at the front are: Alena Amialusik (UAE Team ADQ), Riejanne Markus (Visma - Lease a Bike), and Amber Kraak (FDJ - SUEZ).

The chasers are now inches away from the break!

So the chase and the break have now formed one group of around 20 riders at the front. 

Mechanical issue for Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance - Soudal- Quickstep)

20 km to go

Lidl - Trek take up the front yet again as the riders are on sector 11/12 

The climb on this Colle Pinzuto  sector is causing many of the riders to drop out of this group 

Ashleigh Moolman Pasio has re-joined the group after a bike change 

Attack from Léa Curinier of FDJ - Suez but Demi Vollering comes right over the top followed by Kasia Niewiadoma

All together after multiple attacks are neutralised 

Puck Pieterse attacks! 

17 km to go

Pieterse is immediately closed down by Vollering 

Evita Muzic now goes for FDJ - Suez 

Muzic is brougt back as Elisa Longo Borghini now attacks 

Heading towards the final, decisive gravel sector there is a select group at the front comprising Longo Borghini, Demi Vollering, and Kasia Niewiadoma

14.8 km to go

Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck) closes the gap with teammate Puck Pieterse on her wheel 

The group is back together as they head into the final sector, Le Tolfe. 

13.6 km to go

Amanda Spratt of Lidl-Trek comes back to the front of the group once again

Elise Chabbey takes up the front coming into Le Tolfe 

They're onto the super steep part of this sector now and Kasia Niewiadoma launches with Demi Vollering on her wheel followed by Kopecky 

Over the top of the climb a group of five have gone clear including Vollering and Kopecky of SD Worx, Longo Borghini and Van Anrooij of Lidl - Trek, and Niewiadoma 

11.2 km to go

We are on to the run in towards the Santa Caterina climb now 

Demi Vollering tries to attack but is shut down by Niewiadoma

Kopecky goes now and gets a small gap but she has Elisa Longo Borghini in hot pursuit 

Longo Borghini bridges up to Kopecky down and the pair have a small gap over Niewiadoma and Vollering behind.

It's Longo Borghini and Kopecky at the front now with Niewiadoma and Vollering behind. Niewiadoma won't get any help from Vollering here.

7.9 km to go

Longo Borghini and Kopecky have a 15 second gap ahead of the chasing pair 

7 km to go

Interestingly, Vollering is helping Niewiadoma with the chase as Shirin van Anrooij re-joins them

Kristen Faulkner also makes contact with the chasers 

Kristen Faulkner has attacked the chasers but Demi Vollering is glued to her wheel 

5.6 km to go

Kopecky and Longo Borghini are continuing to work well together at the front. Their gap is now 18 seconds - will they go to the finish together or will the chasers catch them by the final climb?

With around 2km to go until the bottom of the Santa Caterina climb, Longo Borghini and Kopecky have a 21 second lead ahead of Vollering, Faulkner, Van Anrooij and Niewiadoma 

3.4 km to go

The front two are so close to the final climb now, it's looking like this race is between Elisa Longo Borghini and Lotte Kopecky! 

2 km to go

The leading pair go under the flamme rouge with the bottom of Via Santa Caterina in front of them

Kopecky and Longo Borghini have gone under the archway that leads in to the final climb. Longo Borghini is on the front and Kopecky is refusing to come to the front 

Longo Borghini is holding the right hand side of the road as they approach the steepest part of the climb 

Kopecky attacks! Longo Borghini cannot follow 

Kopecky has left Longo Borghini behind and has powered away on her way to winning a second Strade Bianche 

World champion Lotte Kopecky wins the 10th edition of Strade Bianche!

Elisa Longo Borghini takes second place and Demi Vollering third 

Top-10 

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx - ProTime)

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl - Trek)

Demi Vollering (SD Worx - ProTime)

Kasia Nieiwadoma (Canyon//SRAM)

Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl - Trek)

Kristen Faulkner (EF Education - Cannondale) 

Riejanne Markus (Visma - Lease a Bike)

Elise Chabbey (Canyon//SRAM)

Marianne Vos (Visma - Lease a Bike) 

Évita Muzic (FDJ - SUEZ)

Lotte Kopecky: 

"Compared to last week, today we were a bit more in control. Having Elena Cecchini pulling us out of the wind and leading us into the good sectors and then Mischa Bredewold in the break. And then Niamh doing a great job in the dinal an then Demi and me were there on Le Tolfe and we did really good."

Why did she attack when she did? "It was just how I felt. You can go early ut I waited a little but longer. I think it as a good moment."

Is she more confident in her climbing now? "I'm more confident but I didn't have my best day today. I really suffered the whole day but I didn't get any worse. The whole day I felt really tired but it didn't get any worse during the race. I've had this before but I tried not to panic  and. just trust that the legs will be there.

"It's amazing in this jersey  andalso two weeks ago I signed for 4 years with SD Worx - ProTime and I really want to show that the confidence in the team and give the conficence back."

Read our full race report here.

No horse this year, just a phone camera stealing the show 

Another thrilling edition of Strade Bianche. Kopecky joins Annemiek van Vleuten in having won multiple editions of the race and SD Worx take their third Strade Bianche in a row. Will their winning streak continue into the Ronde van Drenthe next weekend? Join us then to find out! 

Thanks for joining us today!