The official presentation of the Strade Bianche Women Elite Crédit Agricole 2025 route took place on January 24th in the Sala delle Lupe inside the Palazzo Pubblico located in Piazza del Campo in Siena.
After being the stage for the duel between Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Longo Borghini, which was a teaser of what fans then witnessed a few months later at the Giro d’Italia Women, the 2025 edition of Europe’s most southern northern classic will be once again one of the most prestigious events of the early season. The renewed route retains the charm of a race that shows the world the breathtaking scenery of the Crete Senesi.
The gravel sections increase to 13 in the women’s race route, with 50.3 km out of 136 km. The finale remains unchanged, with the steep Santa Caterina climb leading to the iconic entrance into Piazza del Campo, where the new champion of one of the most coveted races on the calendar will be crowned.
RINASCENTE FIRENZE
Thanks to the partnership with Rinascente Florence, from February 24th to March 10th, the charm of the Strade Bianche Grand Weekend will arrive in the heart of the Tuscan capital. The Rinascente storefronts will be dedicated to celebrating one of the most exclusive events on the global cycling calendar.
Paolo Bellino, Managing Director and General Manager of RCS Sports & Events said, “The Strade Bianche weekend is one of the most anticipated globally, both for the two races on Saturday and the Gran Fondo on Sunday. During this weekend, Siena becomes the capital of cycling, and its beauty, broadcast worldwide, acquires incomparable media value. The figures prove it, with a steady rise in television audiences, reaching a total of 25 million viewers for both races, as well as in the Digital universe. Strade Bianche and Strade Bianche Women Elite are treasures of national and global cycling, on a par with the great Monument Classics. Two thrilling and highly coveted challenges, thanks to stunning landscapes and exceptional routes—the same routes that will be taken the following day by countless enthusiasts from around the world. A great opportunity that Siena has seized and will renew once again for 2025”.
Mauro Vegni, Cycling Area Director at RCS Sport added, “Strade Bianche and Strade Bianche Women Elite have reached such a level of prestige that they attract the biggest names, as demonstrated in 2024 by Tadej Pogacar’s and Lotte Kopecky’s wins. By scoring another victory, both would reach three wins and earn the right to have a sector named after them, as it happened in the past with Fabian Cancellara. For this edition, we’ve redesigned the course once again, adding a further gravel sector to both races, making them even more challenging. For the first time, the gravel distances will exceed 50 km and 80 km for the women’s and for the men’s event, respectively—an important test for such a high-level race, which has become one of the main goals of every champion’s season”.
STRADE BIANCHE WOMEN ELITE CRÉDIT AGRICOLE, THE ROUTE
The course is twisty and undulating, with no extended climbs but with quite a few punchy bits, especially on the unpaved sections. There are more than 50km of gravel roads across thirteen sectors (all shared with the Men’s course).
The race starts near the Stadium/Fortezza Medicea in Siena. The first undulating kilometres on tarmac lead to the 4.4 km-long gravel sector 1, which is perfectly straight and slightly downhill.
Sector 2 (4.8 km) is just a few kilometres away; this will be the first tricky bit of the race, with a short descent followed by a long climb featuring sections over 10%. Upon reaching Radi, the route takes in the third gravel sector (4.4 km), shortly followed by sector 4 – named “La Piana” – which leads to Ponte d’Arbia, where, after a few hundred metres on the “Cassia,” riders will tackle the new Serravalle sector (9.3 km). This sector ends just before the start of the next one, San Martino in Grania (9.5 km), set amidst the Crete Senesi. It’s a long sector marked by a sequence of gentle undulations in its first part, and ending with a twisting climb that leads back to paved road. The sixth dirt road sector, Monteaperti, is only 800m in length, but it greets the riders with double-digit gradients.
Final kilometres
The final kilometres are the same as the men’s course: these demanding final kilometres approach the city of Siena along wide and straight roads, connected by sweeping curves, initially downhill, and further on slightly uphill. With 2 km to go to the finish, the route takes the Via Esterna di Fontebranda; here the gradient touches 9%. The stone pavement begins 900m before the finish line, just past the Fontebranda Gate. The gradient is over 10% until 500m from the finish, reaching its steepest gradient of 16% along Via Santa Caterina. A sharp right-hand turn leads to Via delle Terme, and then to Via Banchi di Sotto. Starting 300m to the finish onwards, the road is a slight, continuous ascent. With 150m to go, a right turn leads into Via Rinaldini. The route enters the Piazza del Campo just 70m from the finish line. The final 30m descend at a gradient of 7% to the finish line, which is on level road.
