Strade Bianche 2022 [FULL RACE] (ladies)

March 5, 2022

Strade Bianche Donne 2022 – Siena – Siena : 136 km

Despite being one of the youngest one-day races on the women’s racing calendar, Strade Bianche has already established itself as one of the most prestigious and hotly contested events of the entire cycling season. Falling in early-March, it also serves as the perfect precursor and warm up to a packed period of one-day racing. If a rider can score a top result here, then they’ll likely announce themselves as one of the big favourites for all three of these early season one-day races. Since the race’s first edition in 2015 it has followed the same iconic route around the rolling hills of Tuscany. This route regularly reaches over 130km in length and features no less than eight gruelling gravel sectors, many of which also contain a number of short sharp climbs that – in some places – exceed gradients of 20%. These sectors serve as ideal launchpads from which riders can make their race-winning attacks from, especially the Le Tolfe gravel sector which falls just 12km from the finish in the historic Tuscan city of Siena. The final few kilometers that lead to the finish in Siena are some of the most iconic kilometres in the sport of cycling, the last of which features the agonisingly steep and incredibly narrow climb up the Via Santa Caterina. Whoever can crest this final climb in first place stands the best chance of winning the hectic sprint to the finish line on the Piazza del Campo.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) won Strade Bianche Donne in a thrilling finale, beating Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) in the final sprint for the line.

It was an unusually large group that approached the final climb, with most of the favourites still in contention. Van Vleuten was the first to attack, 800m from the line, immediately shadowed by Kopecky, and her teammate, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio.

On the steepest section of the Via Santa Caterina climb, Moolman-Pasio’s challenge began to fade as Kopecky fought to stay on Van Vleuten’s wheel.

Side-by-side in the narrow streets of Siena, Kopecky and Van Vleuten unleashed their sprints, and Kopecky managed to just edge the Movistar rider in the last hundred metres, before collapsing with the effort as she crossed the finish line.

Moolman-Pasio completed the podium, punching the air as she finished to celebrate her teammate’s victory.

“I mean, I cannot believe this but this was actually the plan for the team,” Kopecky said in her post-race interview. “Racing like this, with SD Worx is really super nice to do because I can attack myself, I have teammates behind me who have my back and I think today was perfect. I cannot believe this.

“You’re never confident [of beating van Vleuten] – we saw that last week – but I had a good feeling today and I knew the person to follow was Annemiek and first I had to let her go a bit. I don’t know what happened in my head but I just kept going and when we turned to the right I passed her but then the other corner she passed me again and it was really just one sprint to the last corner. It is amazing to win this race.”

How it unfolded
The eighth edition of Strade Bianche Donne unfurled in the Tuscan hills surrounding Siena. Beginning and ending in the town, the peloton tackled five steep climbs and 31.4 kilometres of gravel roads, before arriving back in Siena along the Via Santa Caterina – a 16 per cent climb to the Piazza del Campo and the finish line.

Soon after the flag dropped, Rebecca Koerner (Uno-X ProCycling) was the first rider to attack, and she was later joined by Emily Newsom. (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) Together, they quickly amassed an advantage of 1:30, as the race hit the first gravel sector of the day.

On the second gravel sector, Newsom began to display her extensive gravel-racing experience, dropping her breakaway companion and, by the third sector with 94 kilometres still to race, Newsom led Koerner by 38 seconds, and the peloton by 3:00.

Meanwhile, back in the peloton, the favourites’ teams sent a rider each to control the pace until a blur of pinks and yellows and blues were all that could be seen behind the dust kicked up on the gravel roads.

They began to reduce Newsom’s lead so that on the San Martino, the longest gravel sector of the race, it fell from 2:15 to just a few metres, and she was caught as the race re-joined the tarmac roads, 55 kilometres from the finish.

A series of attacks followed in an attempt to break up the peloton, and though initially unsuccessful, the main field repeatedly fractured and reformed over the next 25km.

Briefly, a trio comprising Jeanne Korevaar (Liv Racing-Xstra), Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ) escaped but a group containing such strength was deemed too dangerous by the peloton.

Then, 29km from the finish, last year’s winner, Chantal van den Broeck-Blaak (SD Worx) attacked but she was immediately marked by Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) and Liane Lippert (Team DSM). In the chaos that followed as the peloton scrambled to chase, Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) countered with Alena Amialiusik (Canyon-SRAM).

Although their attack was short-lived, it pulled away a strong group containing many of the days’ favourites. Behind, Movistar chased hard to bring van Vleuten back into contention, and the race regrouped with 24km still to race.

Three kilometres later, Kopecky showed her strength, launched her own attack, and opened up a 20 second gap ahead of the penultimate gravel sector. On the steep chalk roads, the peloton, formed of about 15 riders, reeled her back in.

With 14.3km to go, Van den Broek-Blaak attacked once again, but as soon as the race hit the last gravel sector van Vleuten accelerated, neutralising van den Broek-Blaak’s offensive, and distancing everyone in the race except Kopecky.

For five kilometres, this pair remained out front, separated from the peloton by a small ten-second gap but they were caught seven kilometres from the finish. Repeated attacks by Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Demi Vollering from SD Worx stressed the race, but still the group remained together.

It was an unusually large group, then, that approached the final climb with most of the favourites still in contention. Van Vleuten’s attack once again dropped everyone except Kopecky, and initially Moolman Pasio. As the gradient reached its steepest point, it seemed that Van Vleuten would drop the two SD Worx riders, but, somehow, Kopecky was able to hang on for the climb.

Positioning was crucial ahead of the final drop down into Siena’s Piazza del Campo and the pair exchanged places as they fought for the front on the narrow streets. In the end, Kopecky took the lead into the crucial final right-hand bend and finished it off.

Results :
1 Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx 3:59:14
2 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women
3 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) SD Worx 0:00:10
4 Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:00:19
5 Cecilie Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:24
6 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:00:28
7 Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women 0:00:29
8 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women
9 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo Women 0:00:34
10 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
11 Grace Brown (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:39
12 Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx 0:00:50
13 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM Women 0:01:37
14 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM Women 0:01:39
15 Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Plantur-Pura 0:01:53
16 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) SD Worx 0:02:07
17 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women 0:03:24
18 Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco Women 0:03:28
19 Soraya Paladin (Ita) Canyon-Sram Racing
20 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing Xstra
21 Coryn Rivera (USA) Jumbo-Visma Women 0:03:31
22 Alena Amialiusik (Blr) Canyon-Sram Racing
23 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:03:33
24 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) SD Worx 0:03:37
25 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo Women
26 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM Women
27 Erica Magnaldi (Ita) UAE Team ADQ 0:03:46
28 Marta Bastianelli (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
29 Mavi Garcia (Spa) UAE Team ADQ 0:03:48
30 Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women 0:03:55
31 Magdeleine Vallieres Mill (Can) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB 0:04:16
32 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) UAE Team ADQ
33 Lily Williams (USA) Human Powered Health Women 0:04:33
34 Marta Lach (Pol) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team 0:04:38
35 Vittoria Guazzini (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:04:44
36 Arianna Fidanza (Ita) BikeExchange-Jayco Women 0:06:21
37 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
38 Silvia Zanardi (Ita) BePink
39 Paula Patiño Bedoya (Col) Movistar Team Women
40 Georgia Williams (NZl) BikeExchange-Jayco Women 0:06:27
41 Abi Smith (GBr) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB 0:06:31
42 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing Xstra
43 Tamara Dronova (Rus) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad
44 Quinty Schoens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:06:34
45 Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo Women
46 Nina Buijsman (Ned) Human Powered Health Women 0:06:40
47 Valerie Demey (Bel) Liv Racing Xstra
48 Marie Le Net (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
49 Anna Shackley (GBr) SD Worx 0:06:43
50 Léa Curinier (Fra) Team DSM Women 0:06:54
51 Alicia Gonzalez Blanco (Spa) Movistar Team Women 0:07:05
52 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:08:43
53 Marta Jaskulska (Pol) Liv Racing Xstra 0:08:46
54 Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB 0:08:58
55 Sanne Cant (Bel) Plantur-Pura 0:09:54
56 Olivia Baril (Can) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:10:04
57 Greta Marturano (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo 0:10:29
58 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:11:19
59 Anastasia Carbonari (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:12:41
60 Camilla Alessio (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
61 Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women 0:12:57
62 Leah Kirchmann (Can) Team DSM Women
63 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Canyon-Sram Racing 0:12:58
64 Michaela Drummond (NZl) BePink
65 Julie Van De Velde (Bel) Plantur-Pura
66 Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
67 Nadia Quagliotto (Ita) BePink
68 Linda Riedmann (Ger) Jumbo-Visma Women
69 Matilde Vitillo (Ita) BePink 0:13:02
70 Ronja Eibl (Ger) Plantur-Pura
71 Katia Ragusa (Ita) Liv Racing Xstra
72 Laura Süßemilch (Ger) Plantur-Pura
73 Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Human Powered Health Women 0:13:10
74 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Women 0:13:14
75 Demi De Jong (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:13:18
76 Victorie Guilman (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
77 Francesca Balducci (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
78 Lauretta Hanson (Aus) Trek-Segafredo Women
79 Amanda Spratt (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco Women 0:13:21
80 Sara Poidevin (Can) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB
81 Hanna Nilsson (Swe) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
82 Gaia Realini (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
83 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Uno-X Pro Cycling Women 0:13:31
84 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:14:09
85 Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Movistar Team Women
DNF Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Francesca Baroni (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Inga Cesuliene (Ltu) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Milena Del Sarto (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Gemma Sernissi (Ita) Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
DNF Prisca Savi (Ita) BePink
DNF Jade Teolis (Fra) BePink
DNF Sara Casasola (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
DNF Anna Chili (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
DNF Tatiana Chili (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
DNF Sofia Clerici (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
DNF Giulia Luciani (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
DNF Giorgia Simoni (Ita) Born to Win G20 Ambedo
DNF Laura Asencio (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
DNF Lara Vieceli (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team
DNF Emily Newsom (USA) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB
DNF Omer Shapira (Isr) EF Education-TIBCO-SVB
DNF Kaia Schmid (USA) Human Powered Health Women
DNF Ainara Albert Bosch (Spa) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
DNF Alice Capasso (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
DNF Alice Gasparini (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
DNF Asia Zontone (Ita) Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
DNF Ayesha McGowan (USA) Liv Racing Xstra
DNF Sara Martin Martin (Spa) Movistar Team Women
DNF Rosalie van der Wolf (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
DNF Justine Ghekiere (Bel) Plantur-Pura
DNF Olga Zabelinskaya (Uzb) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad
DNF Léa Stern (Swi) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad
DNF Gulnaz Khatuntseva (Rus) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad
DNF Hannah Buch (Ger) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad
DNF Aline Seitz (Swi) Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad
DNF Maryna Ivaniuk (Ukr) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
DNF Anna Potokina (Rus) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
DNF Sofia Barbieri (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
DNF Silvia Bortolotti (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
DNF Viktoriia Melnychuk (Ukr) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
DNF Chia Pedrelli (Ita) Servetto-Makhymo-Beltrami TSA
DNF Jessica Allen (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco Women
DNF Urska Zigart (Slo) BikeExchange-Jayco Women
DNF Franziska Koch (Ger) Team DSM Women
DNF Debora Silvestri (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Alessia Vigilia (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Alice Palazzi (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Cristina Tonetti (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Giorgia Vettorello (Ita) Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
DNF Tayler Wiles (USA) Trek-Segafredo Women
DNF Linda Zanetti (Swi) UAE Team ADQ
DNF Rebecca Koerner (Den) Uno-X Pro Cycling Women
DNF Hannah Ludwig (Ger) Uno-X Pro Cycling Women
DNF Wilma Olausson (Swe) Uno-X Pro Cycling Women
DNF Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Women
DNF Elena Pirrone (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
DNS Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service