CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto have announced their team for Strade Bianche this weekend. This is one of the races on the calendar where the team have performed exceptionally well year after year. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney’s long-running affinity with the race inspires the team each year to be ready for the white Tuscan roads. Her well-documented relationship with the event has seen her finish in the top 10 nine times in ten starts, including four podium finishes. This week Kasia said:
“I remember coming to Tuscany, to Siena, for the first time in 2014. At that time, I did L’Eroica with Rabobank, my first introduction to Strade’s roads and the whole area. We had so much fun – it was extremely difficult but beautiful, and we just enjoyed the whole day. That was also the day when they announced that they were organising Strade Bianche for women, and I remember sitting at the announcement when they were showing the course. I just instantly fell in love because I love the steep gravel roads, the beauty, and how the race will always be hard – whether you win it or not, there’s always a massive sense of satisfaction that comes at the end. I think those memories from when I was super young and dreaming of winning the race have somehow stuck with me for all these years. Motivation is always there because anytime I lose, I want it even more for some reason.”
The team for the race is strong and will include Antonia Niedermaier, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka, Soraya Paladin, and Alice Towers in the line up.
Adding to the excitement, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig is a seasoned contender in her own right, boasting a record of seven top-10 finishes in seven appearances, including a podium in 2023. After three weeks of training following her season debut at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, Cecilie is eager for one of her favourite races. With this strong two pronged line up the team can do well and Cecilie is ready: “Valencia was a great experience! I felt good out there and it was fantastic to get that first race of the season under my belt, especially with a new team. The vibe was great, and the energy from the girls made it even better. Missing out on Strade last year was tough, so I’m beyond excited to be racing it again this time around. We have such a strong lineup and I can’t wait for us to put our mark on the race. I’m really looking forward to it!”
This will be Kasia’s 11th start at Strade Bianche, and she shares her thoughts on this year’s course changes:
“I got to Siena on Sunday and rode the first part of the race, doing about 90km for recon, including the new gravel section. There’s very little recovery between the new sector and the next, so this change will definitely impact the race. Everyone will want to stay in the front and of course that’s impossible – there’s going to be be a huge washing machine effect, and you’ll definitely need a bit of luck not to puncture or crash. Some gravel sections also look quite loose and ‘weirdly’ fresh. I think that the race will be harder, but the extra gravel section will somehow make it easier before the following 9km gravel section which is normally the opening of the race. Because we won’t enter it from a big road anymore, but instead from small gravel roads, I do believe that it’s better for us as a team.”
What does’t change is the incredible finish in Siena. The punishing roads eventually lead to the iconic final kilometre up the mercilessly steep Santa Caterina climb, before the race crowns its champion in Siena’s Piazza del Campo. With such a parcours, victory can only go to one of the very best.
