Strade
The Strade Bianche is a beautiful cycling race, with its white gravel roads cutting through the rolling Tuscan hills. After a long battle, the riders enter Piazza del Campo in Siena as true gladiators. All this makes the debate over whether is a true cycling “monument”, akin to Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders, useless. This is an epic and wonderful race.
Yet, until we have a true gravel championship with more similar races, Strade Blanche will remain an odd race out. Some professional riders will want to ride it to have the experience once. However, I suspect, more and more top racers will skip it because the risk is too great. It is dangerous especially this early in the classic season. Take for example Tiesj Benoot, who crashed with so many others today. He is hurt and will skip Tirreno Adriatic because of it. That race would have been a great lead up to the classics in Belgium, Holland and France.
I suggest two solutions. First of all, let’s move Strade Bianche to the end of season, closer to Paris Roubaix. It will allow the specialists to focus their bike handling skills on those races. A crash on the dangerous roads won’t ruin your spring season. Secondly, let’s do more of these races with true gravel bikes. This will also avoid the problem where more and more race and tour organizers are tempted to add a gravel section.