Strade Bianche is the sort of sporting event for which the result is so very close to being unimportant, compared, that is, to the anticipation and appreciation of the landscape, the terrain, the atmosphere, and the sheer magnitude of fans pouring onto the roadside to watch the planet's best cyclists fly past – and enjoy all the above.
Combined into a double feature, the unofficial sixth Monument was a tale of two halves. First, there was the elite women's race that was memorable both for the right and wrong reasons as a group of top favourites was led off course, leaving a strong group to battle unencumbered all the way to the line. The end result did a great deal to mend the mayhem of 35 km earlier, although the organisers will have had some hot tempers directed at them for the race-defining mistake.
Elise Chabbey's eventual win for FDJ United-Suez was one of the ages, one for the good guys and gals – if you'll forgive a worn-out cliché – as she beat a group from which any victor would have been celebrated; to borrow from Abby Mickey's analysis: "It was a win, win, win, win, win, win, win, win situation."
Abby Mickey
Even, perhaps especially, after the blockbuster that was the women's race, expectations for its sequel were lowered long before it had begun. Tadej Pogačar was back on the start line for the first time in 2026, surrounded by a stellar team that included young Mexican phenom Isaac Del Toro who would have been an undisputed leader had he raced for any other team. There was a glimmer of hope in the form of Paul Seixas, whose hype train is gathering speed at an alarming rate, but despite his very best efforts, even the Next French Hope couldn't keep Pogačar from soaring clear with almost 80 km left of the race.
The contest for second was hard-fought, if a little "sombre" according to 2025 runner-up Tom Pidcock, and the battle between Seixas and Del Toro was a gift, but Pogačar's coronation was naturally the focus of the finale. It was greatness in motion; but, thank goodness for Paul Seixas.
Kit Nicholson
Regardless of the result, Strade Bianche is arguably the single most beautiful day on the racing calendar. There are stages of Grand Tours that include stunning mountain vistas, or Spring Classics with iconic cobbled sectors or coastal climbs, but every metre of the Italian one-day race is as picturesque as the next, which makes it a photographer's dream.
Here is a bumper crop of stunning photos from Kristof Ramon, Ashley & Jered Gruber, and Cor Vos to last us until next year.
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