Strade Bianche cuts course length, gravel distance
Two years after Strade Bianche organizers bumped up the race's total distance and the amount of sterrati gravel sectors, the "white roads" that give the race its name, they're reversing course – a little.
The 2026 men's edition will see a slight reduction in total distance, to 201 km from last year's 213 km, although that's still more than the original 185 km length from 2023 and prior years. It will also feature almost 18 km less in gravel sectors than last year. The chief changes: the opening gravel sector, which comes just 10 km in, is cut from 4.4 km to 2.4 km; the downhill former fourth sector (6.4 km) is chopped entirely, as is the 9.3 km sixth sector that previously preceded the uphill San Martino in Grania sector. The back half of the course is essentially unchanged, retaining crucial sectors like the 11.5 km Monte Sante Marie at roughly the midway point and the finishing circuit around Siena with Colle Pinzuto.
For the women, the race drops from 135 km to 131 km in total distance, with the same changes to the opening sector and dropping sector 4 and sector six. As with the men's race, the second half of the course remains unchanged. Strade Bianche is March 7 this year.
