Strade Bianche 2022: Favourites

The winners of the last two editions, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, are absent. VdP is recovering from a back injury, while Van Aert focuses on winning the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Dirt roads and relentless climbs are emblematic of the Strade Bianche. The race is gaining prestige every year and it’s an important aim for a variety of riders from a broad church. Michal Kwiatkowski is the only active rider who won the Strade Bianche twice – in 2014 en 2017. The Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert triumphs were preceded by Julian Alaphilippe (2019) and Tiesj Benoot (2018), while Zdenek Stybar (2015) and Philippe Gilbert (2011) were also successful on the Piazza del Campo in a more distant past.

While the Strade Bianche is famous for its gravel pitches, the finale in Siena is an attraction in its own right. The steep climb on paving slabs peaks out at 16%. On this section, Mathieu van der Poel left his fellow attackers Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal behind in last year’s edition.

Favourites 2022 Strade Bianche
*** Julian Alaphilippe, Tadej Pogacar
** Pello Bilbao, Jakob Fuglsang, Tim Wellens, Tiesj Benoot
* Gianni Moscon, Matej Mohoric, Richard Carapaz, Quinn Simmons