Can you believe it's already time for the 2022 edition of Strade Bianche? This fan favorite, the "gravel classic" is a road race that challenges riders with 60+ kilometers of dirt roads over the whole of the 184km route. With most of the dirt and gravel packed into the second half of the race, it's action packed and spectator friendly.
Physical ability, as well as bike handling are challenged on loose dirt, bumps, and steep uphill and downhill sectors. As with Paris-Roubaix, each "sector" will be important in the outcome.
Strade Bianche 2022 Live stream
For readers in the USA, the 2022 Strade Bianche can be found on the GCN+ subscription package:
History
In English, Strade Bianche means "white roads", named for the dirt and gravel course. Although this race is only a little more than a decade old, it has already created some very memorable moments like Mathieu van der Poel's devastating winning attack on the final climb last year.
When is the 2022 edition?
Strade Bianche is Saturday, March 5, 2022.
Strade Bianche 2022 favorites - Men
Eyes will be on Wout van Aert for sure. He skipped the 2022 cyclocross World Championship in Fayetteville to focus on preparation for the upcoming Spring Classics. Will that decision pay off? It looks promising so far, as he won the 2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with power no one else could match.
WVA has a history at Strada Bianche - winning in 2020, redeemed after a memorable 2018 edition in which he cramped and fell over on the final climb.
Also look for previous winners Julian Alaphilippe and Tiesj Benoot. Other riders to watch include Quinn Simmons, and the ageless Alejandro Valverde.
Mathieu van der Poel, last year's winner, is out; still nursing and recovering from a back injury.
Strade Bianche 2022 favorites - Women
Watch out for the newly-crowned cyclocross World Champion Marianne Vos, runner up Lucinda Brand, and 2x prior winner Annemiek van Vleuten.
One previous winner who won't figure is Anna van der Breggen (retired), who is now a cycling sports director.