Strade Bianche 2023

Strade Bianche 2023

Tom Pidcock wins Strade Bianche 2023

Mathieu van der Poel was hotly tipped favourite for the 2023 Strade Bianche win, but it was his Cyclocross adversary Tom Pidcock who took an exceptional solo win on the white gravel roads of Tuscany.

Read our full report, results and gallery, and see how things evolved minute-by-minute check out our live report.

Strade Bianche overview

Strade Bianche is one of the younger WorldTour one-day races but as it approaches edition 17, the hilly Italian race with its signature white gravel roads through Tuscany has become a popular Classic.

The race, put on by Giro d'Italia organisers RCS Sport, has paralleled the growth of gravel racing throughout the world and since its first edition in 2007. In its previous life as L'Eroica Strade Bianche a decade earlier, amateurs recreated the heroic days of old by racing vintage bicycles over the white gravel roads around Siena.

After moving from its October date to March in 2008, Strade Bianche was added to the calendar of many of the top riders. Fabian Cancellara's victories in 2008, 2012 and 2016 are the most by a single rider.

Past winners of Strade Bianche include Philippe Gilbert, Michał Kwiatkowski, Zdeněk Štybar, Tiesj Benoot, Julian Alaphilippe, Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and, in 2022, Tadej Pogačar.

The Strade Bianche route for 2023 is unchanged from last year, remaining at 184km, departing from Siena and finishing at the top of the punishing climb to the Piazza del Campo. 63km of gravel are packed into the race across 11 sectors, with the longest measuring in at 11.9km.

Strade Bianche 2023 contenders

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar and 2020 winner Wout van Aert are both absent, but there is no shortage of star power on show in Tuscany on Saturday.

The headline act is Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who begins his road season at Strade Bianche. In 2021, Van der Poel delivered one of the most stirring moments in the history of the race when he powered clear on the Via Santa Caterina to claim an emphatic victory. After missing last year’s race through injury, he will be eager to lay down a Classics marker here.

Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) delivered a message of his own last week in winning the Faun-Ardèche Classic, and the two-time world champion will be an obvious contender in a race he won himself during his peerless 2019 Classics campaign.

Although without Van Aert, Jumbo-Visma may well prove the race’s power brokers after their dominant showing at Belgium’s Opening Weekend. Buoyed by his victory at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, Tiesj Benoot will have eyes on repeating his 2018 Strade Bianche triumph.

Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo) has made Strade Bianche the main target of his Spring, and the American has looked in fine form through the opening weeks of the campaign. He took a canny stage win and then enjoyed a final day break with Remco Evenepoel at the Vuelta a San Juan, and he arrives in Italy fresh off a solid outing at the Drôme Classic. 7th in Siena a year ago, Simmons has unfinished business after an untimely puncture forced him out of the winning move in 2021.

Tom Pidcock leads the line for a strong Ineos Grenadiers team that includes 2014 winner Michal Kwiatkowski and Magnus Sheffield. The Briton is in solid form, as evidenced by his recent victory on the Alto do Malhão and fifth place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) impressed at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne last week and could be a factor here, while Tuscan Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) will look to shine on home roads. Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert continue to defy expectations and Rui Costa is a potential dangerman here.

Tim Wellens and George Bennett feature for UAE Team Emirates, while Thibaut Pinot lines out for Groupama-FDJ in his final professional season. Another rider in his last year will also be heartily cheered along the dirt roads of Tuscany: Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) placed second at this race in 2013 and 2014, and he will look to ignite his final Classics campaign with a strong showing on Saturday.

Strade Bianche 2023 start list

How to watch Strade Bianche

Our streaming guide to the race gives you a comprehensive overview on how to watch Strade Bianche, with live coverage available wherever you are for the entire race on Saturday, March 4.