Strade Bianche 2026 | Pogačar, Van Aert, Arensman, Del Toro, Seixas and so many more…

Anyone who scans the Strade Bianche palmarès sees nothing but top-class names: from Fabian Cancellara to Julian Alaphilippe, Mathieu van der Poel to Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock to Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian has won three of the last four editions, helped in no small part by a tougher course that has encouraged long-range attacks.

That is also why Van der Poel has stayed away for a while: the race has become so demanding that it is increasingly difficult for the more traditional ‘Classics types’ to leave their mark. Wout van Aert is going against that trend by returning to Siena after two years away, ready to take on the modern-day Strade challenge once again.

2025 Tadej Pogacar
2024 Tadej Pogacar
2023 Tom Pidcock
2022 Tadej Pogacar
2021 Mathieu van der Poel
2020 Wout van Aert
2019 Julian Alaphilippe
2018 Tiesj Benoot
2017 Michal Kwiatkowski
2016 Fabian Cancellara

After a wave of criticism, the organisers have decided to tweak the route, especially in the middle phase. The goal: make the race slightly less punishing without touching the iconic finale too much.

Two gravel sectors — six kilometres and eight kilometres — have been removed. That means 64 kilometres of gravel in total, compared to more than 80 kilometres last year.

The Monte Sante Marie sector still starts a long way from the finish. On that stretch of more than 11 kilometres, the race has repeatedly exploded in recent years — often thanks to Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates’ aggressive approach.

The finale remains largely unchanged. Once again, riders will face Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe twice in the closing loop. Colle Pinzuto (ramps up to 15%) and Le Tolfe (up to 18%) are brutally hard in this final 30-kilometre circuit.

After the second time over Le Tolfe — where Van der Poel launched his devastating move on the way to victory in 2021 — the race heads toward Siena for the traditional finishing touch: the steep climb to Piazza del Campo.

Weather
It has been pleasant across Europe in recent weeks, and that looks set to continue in Italy. So expect a dusty Strade Bianche, with very little rain forecast. On Saturday, temperatures are expected to be around 17°C, with no major winds predicted.

Times
Start: 11:45 AM
Finish: around 4:30 PM

Who can stop Tadej Pogačar? That is the big question ahead of Strade Bianche. The Slovenian star opens his season in Tuscany and, in recent years, has left no doubt about who is the best on this course.

It may even be that Pogačar’s biggest rival(s) come from within his own team. Even after the unfortunate withdrawal of Tim Wellens (broken collarbone), UAE Team Emirates-XRG still has two outstanding talents in Isaac del Toro and Jan Christen, both set to make their Strade Bianche debuts. And then there is gravel world champion Florian Vermeersch, who has not even been mentioned yet.

Strade Bianche will also host the first showdown between Pogačar and the next big thing Paul Seixas of Decathlon CMA CGM. The Frenchman has already impressed in Algarve and the Ardèche, where he reportedly posted the same times as Pogačar on last year’s decisive European Championship climb. Saturday brings a new test for Seixas, who also has Paul Lapeira as a dangerous outsider on his side.

Say ‘gravel’, and you quickly arrive at the artistry of Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling). The Brit won Strade Bianche in 2023 and finished second behind Pogačar last year — at a respectable distance, but still clearly best of the rest. This season, he will again fight for a podium place in the race that seems to suit him perfectly.

Seixas was not the only rider to impress in France last weekend: Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) did so as well. The punchy Frenchman won the Faun Drôme Classic on Sunday by holding off Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), and that performance puts him firmly on the Strade Bianche shortlist too.

Jorgenson himself also belongs in that conversation, even though he will be making his Strade debut. At Visma | Lease a Bike, attention will naturally centre on Wout van Aert, returning to the race after two years away. The Belgian gained confidence during the Strade stage of the Giro d’Italia 2025, which helps him view his chances positively for this demanding Italian one-day race.

Last year, Ben Healy finished fourth for EF Education-EasyPost, though he did not look at his very best in France last week. His team can also lean on the experience of Richard Carapaz. Over at Bahrain Victorious, Pello Bilbao (fifth last year) lines up alongside former gravel world champion Matej Mohorič.

INEOS Grenadiers will start with Thymen Arensman, who will be eager for a strong performance after showing his ability on the sterrati in that Giro stage. Axel Laurance and Egan Bernal — third in the year Van der Poel won — are also listed for the British squad.

Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) is another rider who often looks at home on this terrain, as does Gianni Vermeersch for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The German team also brings mountain biker Adrien Boichis, who could surprise, and top climber Giulio Pellizzari.

And there’s more: Lennert Van Eetvelt, MTB world champion Alan Hatherly, Roger Adrià (10th last year), in-form Filippo Zana, former winner Julian Alaphilippe, Tobias Halland Johannessen, and Victor Lafay, as Unibet Tietema Rockets make their Strade Bianche debut.

Top favorite: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Outsiders: Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM), Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ)
Long shots: Jan Christen (UAE Emirates-XRG), Matteo Jorgenson, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Tobias Halland Johannesen (Uno-X), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Guilio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Ben Healy and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)

Just like previous editions, the organisers have scheduled the women’s race before the men’s event. That means coverage of the men’s race begins after the women finish, at around 14:15 CET, with the men already roughly 2.5 hours into the race.