The Strade Bianche Donne sets off from the Medici Fortress of Siena. The women get a first taste of what lies ahead after 17.6 kilometres. The first gravel sector is 2.1 kilometres long and perfectly straight.
The day’s first climb coincides with sector 2. This one is 5.8 kilometres in length and also features the first double digit ramps of the day. Two sectors with no significant gradients run to Buonconvento, where the riders reach 13 kilometres on smooth and flat asphalt.
Sterrato 5 appears halfway through Strade Bianche Donne. At 9.5 kilometres, this is the longest gravel path of the race. Continuous up and downs in the first part make way for a twisting climb before meeting the tarmac again.
Following 34 kilometres on paved roads a short but brutal gravel sector of 800 metres serves the riders a new round of double digit gradients. Almost immediately the penultimate gravel road appears. Sector 7 is 2.4 kilometres and climbs up the Strade di Colle Pinzuto with gradients up to 15%. The hardest ramps appear early on, although the dust sector continues to climb gradually until the end.
At a little over 1 kilometre, the last gravel sector opens with a demanding descent to continue onto a very punchy climb with a steepest stretch at 18%. When reaching the tarmac again in the village of Le Tolfe there are 12 kilometres left to race.
Twisting and undulating roads run to a descent with 5 kilometres out. The route joins Via Esterna di Fontebranda and shortly the gradient touches 9%.
The riders pass beneath the Fontebranda Gate with only 900 metres to go. The road continues on paving slabs and the gradient exceeds 10%. A 16% ramp inside the last 500 metres, then a sharp right hand turn with 300 metres to go before the climb flattens out. In the last 70 metres the route enters the Piazza del Campo and the final 30 metres are downhill.
Kasia Niewiadoma will be eager to win. The Polish rider finished on the podium in the last four editions, but never took home the Strade Bianche Donne crown. The route is a carbon copy of the last two editions, which were won by Anna van der Breggen (2018) and Annemiek van Vleuten (2019).
Another interesting read: results Strade Bianche Donne 2020.
Strade Bianche 2020 for women: route, profiles, more
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