After just over 14 kilometres, the riders hit the first gravel sector. It’s 4.4 kilometres long and flat – a seemingly gentle start, but appearances can be deceiving. A brief stretch of tarmac leads straight onto sterrato 2, a relentless unpaved climb of 4.8 kilometres that kicks up into double-digit gradients..
Following a rolling 4.4-kilometre gravel sector and a relatively easy 6.4-kilometre stretch, the riders reach the only new sector of the day – a 9.3-kilometre gravel road that starts with a climb.
A barely noticeable section on tarmac precedes the longest and arguably toughest gravel stretch of the race. The San Martino in Grania sector is 9.4 kilometres long and runs almost entirely uphill. At the end of it, in Asciano, the riders reach the highest point of the day at 338 metres above sea level
The riders then descend onto a rolling section of tarmac. Around 83 kilometres in, they hit the shortest sector of the race – just 600 metres long, but rising at double-digit gradients.
A rolling stretch of tarmac follows before the 2.4-kilometre Strade di Colle Pinzuto comes into view. It opens with a savage 15% incline, then continues climbing all the way to the top. The next gravel sector begins with a descent before transitioning into the punchy climb to Le Tolfe.
A 13-kilometre sequence of rolling tarmac leads to a relatively straightforward 3.3-kilometre sterrato, which ends in Vico d’Arbia – a place the riders passed 30 kilometres earlier. So they continue on familiar roads, first to the Colle Pinzuto, the unpaved 2.4 kilometre-climb with the brutal opener, and just 5 kilometres later the final gravel road to Le Tolfe sector throws in gradients of up to 18% near the chapel at the summit.
After passing through Le Tolfe, just 12 kilometres remain. The riders battle over undulating roads before reaching the steep final climb into Siena’s historic centre.
Coming out of a descent, the road kicks up gently for 750 metres, before the climb through Siena’s city gate becomes brutally steep. The first half of the final kilometre averages 12.4%, before the final stretch flattens out slightly. In the last 70 metres, the riders enter the stunning Piazza del Campo.
Last year, Lotte Kopecky attacked after the final pass through Le Tolfe. Elisa Longo Borghini managed to follow, but the World Champion dropped her in the final kilometre to take her second eer win in Siena.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX 2025 Strade Bianche Donne.
The race is expected finish around 1:45 PM local time (CET). For more details, see the ‘scheduled times’ in the slideshow below.
Other interesting reads: results and start list 2025 Strade Bianche Donne.
Strade Bianche Donne 2025: routes, profiles, more
Click on the images to zoom
