Strade Bianche has quickly risen from a novelty race to one of the most anticipated events on the cycling calendar. Many now call it the sport’s “sixth Monument,” a testament to its prestige and the spectacle it provides. With its winding Tuscan roads, steep punchy climbs, and long stretches of white gravel, Strade Bianche is a brutal test of bike handling, endurance, and tactical nous - or, in Pogacar’s case, sheer brute force.
A few years ago, races like these were the perfect hunting ground for us tech journalists to see teams experiment with equipment. Modified road bikes with wider tyres, gravel-specific setups, unique wheel choices - there was always something different to spot. However, over the last few years, the landscape has changed, and for a number of reasons, bikes at the classics are becoming more boring than ever - and that’s both a good and a bad thing.
