It’s the holes you don’t see on television. The gravel sectors of Strade Bianche add an element of chaos, sure, and are picturesque in the Tuscan hills, but without seeing the sterrati close up, it’s hard to imagine what it must be like to race it.
The eponymous white roads are pockmarked with potholes that would make a British council wince, and are hard to avoid at my lowly speed, let alone the pace of the peloton, packed out across the road, with little room to manoeuvre. These are potholes that risk throwing you out of rhythm, out of line, and into someone else or off the road at worst.
News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport in The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
I’ve ridden the bergs and cobbles of the Tour of Flanders, and experienced the pavé of Paris-Roubaix up close, but it wasn’t until I actually experienced the gravel of Strade Bianche this afternoon that I realised how brutal a race it is.
Not that I ever assumed it was easy. With its climbing and kilometres of gravel, and list of winners, from Tadej Pogačar to Lotte Kopecky, this is a race only winnable for the best of the best. However, riding the sterrati proved to me that it is hard, something I was able to do thanks to Bianchi launching its new Infinito.
First there’s the run-into the sectors, the corners the most important bit, as in the cobbled Classics, and the race to be in the front. Then the juddering begins, and the grind to put down power – compared to tarmac, everything becomes harder. The bone-rattling isn’t constant like on the cobbles, but there are bigger holes, holes that you could lose a wheel in, plus relentless climbing. I think it would take me about two metres of a sector in the race for me to crack, if I pretend I’d make it there at all.
The beauty of Tuscany is there for all to see on television, with its hillside towns and Renaissance palazzos and churches, but for the riders, all there is to concentrate on is staying upright, following the wheels, and making the right decision at the right point. This is something that separates those that win from those that miss out.
If you’ve ever wondered why riders look so shattered, almost crushed, at the end of Strade Bianche, then come and try out the gravel sectors yourself. Enjoy the beauty, and taste a bit of the suffering that comes from cycling around this part of the world. I’m just glad it was sunny today, and should be sunny tomorrow for the race.
This is one of the best things about cycling, of course, that outside of race day, one can experience the same roads the professionals race on. It also illuminates how otherworldly the riders are; it’s like being able to serve at Centre Court or bowl at Lords, both activities that would show me up as a very ordinary athlete. Cycling can be exactly the same, but just for a second, you can pretend that you are WorldTour-level, with the wind in your hair, and the idea that you are going fast.
Needless to say my canter on Strade Bianche’s sterrati has made me even more excited for Saturday’s races, and has convinced me – if I needed it – that the people who compete in them are superhuman. I just hope they avoid the potholes.
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