Strade Bianche

The Strade Bianche (pronounced [ˈstraːde ˈbjaŋke]; Italian for 'White Roads') is a road bicycle race in Tuscany, Central Italy, starting and finishing in Siena. First held in 2007, it is raced annually on the first or second Saturday of March. The name stems from the historic white gravel roads in the Crete Senesi, which are a defining feature of the race. Around one-third of the total race distance is raced on dirt roads, covering between around 60 km (37 mi) and 80 km (50 mi) of strade bianche, spread over multiple sectors.

Despite its short history, the Strade Bianche has quickly gained prestige, and renewed interest in road racing on gravel and dirt roads as a specific skill and discipline. The event is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's highest level of professional road races. It is organized by RCS Sport – La Gazzetta dello Sport, and is held the weekend before Tirreno–Adriatico as an early spring precursor to the cobbled classics in April. A three-time winner over the pavé of Paris–Roubaix and the cobbled hills of the Tour of Flanders, Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara rejected comparisons between the races, believing the "white roads" of the Strade "deserved appreciation in their own right". Thibaut Pinot described it as "the sixth Monument" of Classic road cycling because of its unique parcours, difficulty and prestige. Fabian Cancellara and Tadej Pogačar have both won the race three times.

Since 2015, there has been a women's race, the Strade Bianche Donne, part of the UCI Women's World Tour. It is held on the same day as the men's race, on the same roads but at a shorter distance. Both events start and finish in Siena.