The riders are only 10 kilometres in when they hit the first gravel sector. It is 2.4 kilometres long and flat. A gentle introduction – or so it seems, as sterrato sector 2 follows almost immediately after. While reaching double-digit gradients, this sector climbs relentlessly for 4.8 kilometres.
Via an undulating gravel road of 4.4 kilometres, the riders reach the longest continuous stretch of asphalt of the day. The first 10 kilometres are rolling, followed by 15 kilometres on the flat. Then, after 55 kilometres, the 9.4-kilometre San Martino in Grania sector awaits. It is not only the longest but also the toughest, as it is almost entirely uphill.
In the town of Asciano – at 338 metres, the highest point of the day – the riders leave sector 4 and descend towards a rolling section of asphalt. After 77 kilometres comes the shortest sterrato: just 600 metres, but with double-digit gradients. Via another rolling stretch of asphalt, the riders reach the 2.4-kilometre Strade di Colle Pinzuto, which opens with a 15% ramp and continues climbing all the way to the summit. The following gravel sector begins with a short descent before turning into the punchy climb towards Le Tolfe. Shortly afterwards comes the 700-metre Strade del Castagno.
After another 14 kilometres of rolling asphalt, the riders enter a descending sector of 3.3 kilometres. It leads into Vico d’Arbia, where they passed 30 kilometres earlier, and Colle Pinzuto soon reappears — the gravel sector that climbs for 2.4 kilometres. Another 5 kilometres later, it is time for the final unpaved road, Le Tolfe: 1.1 kilometres long, starting with a descent before ramping up with gradients of up to 18%.
After passing through Le Tolfe, 12 kilometres remain. Along rolling roads, the riders head towards the steep final climb into the historic centre of Siena.
Coming out of a descent, the road rises gently for 750 metres, before the climb under Siena’s city gate becomes brutally steep. After the flamme rouge, the first 500 metres climb at 12.4%, while the second half eases slightly. In the final 70 metres, the riders burst onto the Piazza del Campo.
Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX 2026 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.
Strade Bianche Donne 2026: routes, profiles, videos
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