Healy looking for result with conservative approach for EF in Strade Bianche, with Carapaz also in support

That starts with Healy. The Irishman opened his season this year, just as he did in 2025, in the Ardèche weekend, but he did not get beyond 20th place there. That does not necessarily mean very much. When Healy finished fourth in Strade Bianche last year, he had also failed to make a real impression in those French hilly races beforehand, managing only 30th at best.

So the powerful Irishman must still be taken seriously. Healy himself is realistic about how the race is likely to unfold. Speaking on EF’s official website, he said: “You’ve got to try and follow Tadej when he goes on Santa Maria, and from there, just hold on.” The 2025 Tour de France stage winner knows that Strade Bianche has become a race of survival in recent years.

Normally, Healy is a rider who likes to race aggressively, but on Saturday he may have to suppress that instinct for a while. “You have to race quite conservatively and save enough to hit them in the finale,” he said. “It is such a battle of attrition.” Even so, his love for the race remains obvious. “It’s definitely an iconic race now, isn’t it? … It has got to be one of my favorite races of the year.”

Alongside Healy, EF has another serious card to play. Carapaz, who finished third overall in last year’s Giro d’Italia, is also eager to show himself on the Tuscan gravel roads. The Ecuadorian has never finished higher than 30th in the Italian one-day race, but that has not reduced his enthusiasm. “In past times, I haven’t had good fortune here, but whenever I come here, I do it with all the excitement of the moment,” he said.

While Carapaz has never managed a notable Strade Bianche result, he did shine on the gravel stage of the Giro last year. Still, he believes that is a very different scenario. “At the Giro, the Strade stage was an important one for the race leaders and people arrived tired,” he explained. “When it’s just people who come just to do Strade Bianche, the level rises much more.” Whether Carapaz can match that level on Saturday remains to be seen.

Carapaz also arrives in Siena after a difficult personal period. In January, he lost his mother, which delayed the start of his season. “It has been a difficult time for me personally, but I try to make the most of my life and I hope each day is a learning experience,” he said. “I am in good shape and want to enjoy this year.”

Even so, Carapaz was quick to place Healy at the front of the team’s ambitions. “Ben is in really good form and he has done well in this race in previous years. I will try to contribute as much as I can and if I get a chance, I will try to make it my own,” said the 2019 Giro d’Italia winner. EF Education-EasyPost will also line up with Mikkel Honoré, Vincenzo Albanese, Lukas Nerurkar, James Shaw and Michael Valgren, who finished eighth in Strade Bianche last year.