Saturday March 7^th 2020.

The Strade Bianche, a race considered by some to be the unofficial 6^th Monument. A race with all the ingredients required to be considered a Classic in the same way that Flanders, Roubaix and Liege are considered Classics.

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If you were to list some of the component parts which make such races into a must win for the protagonists and a must see for fans what would you place on that list?

Does it have breath taking scenery? Check.

Does it have parcours which terrify the participants? Absolutely.

Does it have the same old world romance, poetry and beauty desired and to be considered part of the racing calendar like its big brother Milan - San Remo? Of course it does.

So why isn’t it then? Well simply because The Strade Bianche is a mere 13 years old! It is a race which was first contested in 2007 and is now venerated as a worthy addition to the pantheon of races which in some cases stretch back over 100 years. To watch this race is like being taken back in time. If you half close your eyes, you can almost imagine a woollen shirted hard men toiling over white gravel roads on single speed bikes with 500g tubulars wrapped around their shoulders. 

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This demonstrates the effect that a race of a certain pedigree can have on the racers and the fans. You only need to look at some of the previous winners to understand the importance and status of such a modern Classic; Cancellara, a 3 times victor, Gilbert, Stybar and Kwiatkowski. Each of these riders has been a world champion at one time or another in various cycling disciplines, and names such as Sagan, Van Avermaet and Ballan have all finished on the podium. Not a bad record for a teenager.

The race which has a woman’s edition first run in 2015 and was won by the American Megan Guarnier now has its start and its finish in the Tuscan town of Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The finishing line itself in the towns majestic Piazza del Campo, the finale being somewhat reminiscent of an old Flemish town square which helps us understand the feeling that it exudes amongst the pro peloton, as if it were a century old northern European Classic. The rain and wind can lash the region at this time of year just as readily as it could comfort us with watery Italian spring time sunshine, and has the same effect upon both road and rider as it would in any horrific edition of Paris – Roubaix.

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The roads themselves which give the race its name are part of the 184km route which winds gracefully and effortlessly over the Tuscan hills. These white gravel farm roads and lanes, rough in their construction and historic in their use, take up 63km of the circuit. A circuit which suits the “Puncheur”, the type of rider who enjoys knee crunching short steep climbs, and who tackles these climbs as a sprinter would attack the finish line on the Champs - Elysees.  

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It truly is a modern Classic. The steepness of the climbs, the unpredictable weather, the cobbled finish along with the dust the dirt and suffering are the hallmarks of this most Southerly of Northern Classics. It was once described by French rider Romain Bardet as a “Dante – esque contest” a statement as poignant as it is descriptive.  

It’s a race that should be appreciated and viewed in sepia tones if not in black and white; it evokes an emotion of days gone by. It’s as if it has always been here, an old friend that we’ve known for years.