The 2015 Strade Bianche was the ninth edition of the Strade Bianche road cycling race. Held on 7 March 2015, it started in San Gimignano and ended 200 kilometres (124 miles) away in Siena. It was a 1.HC-ranked race that was part of the 2015 UCI Europe Tour.[1]
For the women’s race, see 2015 Strade Bianche Women.
Particularly known for its long sections of dirt roads, the race’s name comes from the strade bianche (English: white roads) that formed large sections of the route. The race was also hilly throughout, with the finish coming after a particularly difficult climb into Siena.
Traditionally the Strade Bianche was the first of a pair of races alongside the Roma Maxima; the latter event, however, was cancelled in 2015 due to “organisational problems”.[2]
The race was won by Zdeněk Štybar, with Greg Van Avermaet finishing second and Alejandro Valverde finishing third.
. . . 2015 Strade Bianche . . .
The Strade Bianche was part of the spring classics season, which began the week before with the Belgian races Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. Many of the same riders then travelled to Tuscany to take part in the Strade Bianche.[3]
The race was unique in the cycling season. Many of the early season races included the cobbles of Flanders and northern France; the Strade Bianche, however, included various extended sections of strade bianche, the dirt roads that gave the race its name. These were often farm tracks and included both climbs and descents, as well as various additional challenges such as uneven surfaces, steep grades, and potholes; the longest such section covered a distance of 11.5 kilometres (7.1 miles). There were ten sections of strade bianche, with the last coming 12 kilometres (7 miles) from the finish in Siena.[3][4][5] The race was often decided, however, on the final climb. This came in the final part of the race: a 1-kilometre (0.6-mile) climb into Siena, followed by a descent into the finish in the Piazza del Campo.[6]
. . . 2015 Strade Bianche . . .
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