The Spring Classics head to a sunnier clime this weekend for Strade Bianche with the long stretches of white gravel in Tuscany a substitute for the cobbles of Belgium.
Strade Bianche has a short history but one that's long on drama, from the gust of wind that blew riders off the road in 2022 to the muddy edition in 2018. If the sterrati stand in for pavé, the finishing climb into the Piazza del Campo in Siena is akin to the Mur de Huy.
Racing gravel on road bikes wasn't a trend when the race started in 2007 but since then, it has become all the rage thanks in part to inspiration from this Italian race.
The 2024 edition signals the organisers' intent to bring the race on par with the best of the Spring Classics - the first of five topics for discussion ahead of Strade Bianche.
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A new, longer course
Strade Bianche, the newest of the Spring Classics, was previously the shortest, too. The race has upped its ante for 2024 by exceeding 200 kilometres and adding three more gravel sectors for the men's race, relegating Dwars door Vlaanderen to the list as the shortest WorldTour one-day race.
The new circuit includes two four-star sectors in the final 20km - a repeat of the Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe gravel. The change will both make the race even more selective and increase the chances of misfortune to punctures or crashes.
Whether the added distance will make the race more exciting or not remains to be seen. The race already had plenty of drama and whittled down the contenders to only a handful with the old course. More kilometres and more steep gravel climbs may only serve to delay attacks until the final circuit and make for more intriguing tactics or heroic comebacks.
The women's race is only one kilometre longer but has an additional 9km of gravel using the same finishing circuit as the men's. As for the men, the extra trips over the Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe sectors make the race significantly more difficult and favour climbers with off-road skills even more.
Should Strade Bianche be a Monument?
Extreme distances may not be necessary to get a worthy winner and an exciting race - the women's races are great examples of how short races can be great. However, by adding 30 more kilometres, the Strade Bianche organisers appear to be trying to angle to be a sixth Monument.
The oldest Spring Classics are marathon affairs - Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Milan-San Remo are all over 250km, so 215km falls quite short in terms of length.
The race also is not as steeped in history as the Monuments, The fact that it arose out of a recreational race where people competed on vintage bicycles doesn't count.
However, Strade Bianche has star power - visually, it has the plumes of dust rising above the sweeping vistas of Tuscany. The gravel sectors are unique and cater to a different skill set than the cobbled or Ardennes Classics, and the race has inspired an entirely new discipline of racing.
Strade Bianche might be last in line for Monument status, but it's already hipper than races like Amstel Gold or the various mini-Tours of Flanders.
Will the weather be a factor?
Much like Paris-Roubaix, a wet Strade Bianche is much different than a dry Strade Bianche, and rain early in the week and clear skies on race day will pack down the gravel and make the race much faster.
A dry Strade Bianche doesn't mean riders will have it easy, however. Last year the conditions were similar and Tom Pidcock was able to use his bike handling skills to descend part of the Monte Sante Marie section and use that momentum to bridge to the race leaders and, eventually, solo to victory. Alberto Bettiol was not as fortunate and crashed on the same sector.
The last wet edition was in 2018 when a mud-covered Tiesj Benoot soloed to victory. So far, the weather isn't showing any signs of a repeat of those conditions.
Can Pogačar start the season with a bang?
Every season since his neo-pro year, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has started his season with a victory. In 2020 it was Volta a Valenciana, then the UAE Tour two years in a row, and last season the Jaén Paraiso Interior and Ruta del Sol.
This will be the first year Pogačar has ever waited so long to start racing as he targets the Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double.
"I have been patient and have planned a slower approach for this year. It will be a long season with two Grand Tours," Pogačar said in the team's announcement. "That is unknown territory for me. But I'm looking forward to something new."
The extra climbs certainly play into Pogačar's strengths but having a 215km Strade Bianche as his first race of the year takes half a star from his favourite rating.
Will the dominance of SD Worx and Visma-Lease a Bike continue?
SD Worx-Protime have been the team to beat for several years but despite being otherwise dominant, the Dutch team of stars fell short in Opening Weekend when Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) out-sprinted Lotte Kopecky to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
A tougher course will give Kopecky and defending champion Demi Vollering an edge, with their most likely challenges coming from Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek), Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM).
On the men's side, Visma-Lease a Bike have been on a roll, winning both Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. However, Wout van Aert has opted to skip Strade Bianche.
Attila Valter might be the team's best option after his fifth place last year but Sepp Kuss showed no problems with gravel in the Clásica Jaén and the extra climbs could suit him. Likewise, Jan Tratnik if he makes it onto the start list.
