STRADE BIANCHE EXPERIENCE
Tuscany. The name alone gets the heart racing as one thinks about those famed rolling hills framed with cypress trees, medieval villages, and the undulating, serpentine roads that form the backbone of the region. If you’re hungry, your taste buds start salivating just thinking about the frothy cappuccinos, homemade pastas, fresh breads, hearty Tuscan soups, hand-tossed pizzas, and the refreshing gelato. If you’re into art and architecture, then this is a living museum, home to the Renaissance and some of the greatest artists in history such as da Vinci and Michelangelo. All together, it is one of the world’s greatest and most beautiful destinations as well as being a paradise for cyclists.
In March of 2025, we hosted a small group for Tuscany’s springtime Classic - the Strade Bianche! Raced on a combination of paved roads and white gravel roads, or “strade bianche,” that wind around the rolling Tuscan countryside near Siena, the race has reached iconic status in just fourteen years. For the duration of the trip, our guests were based at the Certosa di Maggiano, a former convent dating back to the 13th Century that is now a four-star Relais and Chateaux jewel, a property that has been on our “wish list” for over twenty years. It was everything we had imagined and more. The tour’s climatic weekend featured witnessing both the women’s and men’s pro races on Saturday before testing our legs during the Strade Bianche Gran Fondo on Sunday. In the end, we all finished but it was definitely one of the hardest courses we had ever ridden but it also provided the most stunning and beautiful finish line in all of cycling inside Siena’s famed Piazza del Campo! Rolling into there after having emptied the tank was, and forever will be, one of the most amazing moments we’ve ever experienced on a bike. Here are some photos from that memorable week that tell the story…
strade bianche pro races
In Italy, the men’s and women’s pro races take place on Saturday followed by the amateur event taking place on Sunday. We watched the race start in Siena and were on hand for the exciting finish in the Piazza del Campo. It is, without question, one of the most beautiful finishing venues in all of cycling and sport!
gran fondo strade bianche
We didn’t have much of an opportunity to stop and take photos during the gran fondo but here are a few that give you an idea of the natural beauty of this legendary event.
