There are bucket list experiences and bucket list experiences, Strade Bianche was well and truly the latter.
To say it was challenging, is somewhere of an undersell, but satisfying? Yes, overwhelmingly so.
The day before the one that mattered
The great and unique thing about traditional European sportives is the connection to the iconic races on the European circuit. Strade is no different, the pros - both men and women - race on Saturday, bringing cycling culture, tradition and love in the region to the heart of Siena. As a community, we can watch and enjoy the greats battling it out on the Tuscan white roads and into the historic city for the finale.
With that battle fresh in your mind, you're then invited to take on some of that strife yourself. While this is certainly against human preservation, it doesn't stop thousands upon thousands of people - local and otherwise - from signing up to take on the same roads the pros have just defeated.
The races this year were something special, hopefully by now you've been well and truly spoiled, but just in case, you have been warned.
Lotte Koppecky and Elisa Longo Bolghini fought tooth and nail to gain an advantage and by the top of Santa Catarina, it was decided. The strongest, but perhaps the surprising victor in this scenario was Koppecky.
For the men's race, needless to say, Tadej Pogacar stole the show from the moment he went on the attack. I was lucky enough to be on the finishing straight as he crossed the line, with only enough visibility to capture a few snaps as swallowed up the last few metres, hands in the air.
The bike - click here to expand
Frame - 3T Exploro Racemax
Groupset - Shimano GRX/ Ultegra DI2 mix
Wheels - Roval CLX 50
Tyres - WTB Raddler 40mm
Saddle - Repete carbon
Handlebars - 3T Aeronova Carbon
Bags - Apidura/ Restrap/ Vel
Now the 'amateur' route takes in the women's professional route.138 km, covering 8 sectors of strade bianche or white roads, and 2000+ metres of elevation.
No small feat for an amateur.
Was I well prepared? No. Was I excited? Sure. Was I nervous? Definitely.
In the run-up, I had done a few training miles in the ballpark of 75% of the distance. On the turbo, on the road but nothing that included the additional gravel challenge that would ultimately lead to my struggle.
Tuscany doth deliver
On the morning of, we rolled up to the start pen at 7.30am and were met with literally the largest start pen I've personally ever been a part of. Thousands of individuals, largely Italian waiting to be let off their leashes.
And let off the leashes they were...
To say the beginning of the ride was carnage would be a gross understatement. Imagine 7000 riders, 2-3000 of those trying to squeeze past the former 2000 to get into the front selection prior to the first gravel segment at 26km...
There were crashes, plenty of close calls, even more shouting and general chaos. Chris (@chrishallrides) and I opted to stay on the right-hand side, allowing as many idiots as possible to thrash past on the left and mostly, it allowed us to keep to ourselves. It cannot be overstated how ridiculous an experience this is. After all, we are in an amateur event - albeit with timing chips and timed segments - and in and amongst 6999 other people for whom I could vouch for only about 5 (my riding buddies). It strikes me as foolhardy to take some of the risks I saw people take. We saw a crash within the first 5km, but that didn't stop people ducking, diving, swearing, shouting, squeezing and being generally irritating.
Once the selection was made, we could get to the ride itself, it was in equal parts beautiful as it was gruelling. The profile can only be described as a saw tooth, up and down almost all day with barely any respite and as a fairly unfit rider, I found it to be a real test of mental fortitude. Regularly, the climbs and gravel segments rise to 15%+ and I was often disheartened as the Wahoo tipped into the 18% and above. This highlighted my first mistake; gearing! The climbs are steep, long - in places - and relentless in their regularity, easily the worst part of the ride for me.
If the hills are the worst part, then the scenery is the best part. Wherever you look in Tuscany, you get views for days, even as the skies above threatened to unleash fury in the latter parts of the day. Rolling hills, vineyards and enviable houses as far as the eye can see are by far and away, one of the most enjoyable parts of the ride. Talking of weather, it stayed clear for most of the day, but as I crossed the flamme rouge, the heavens reminded me of their presence and threw everything they had at me. Soggy.
Miles meets the hammer
I'm happy to report that not only did I finish the ride, but I even enjoyed it in places. For me, the gravel sectors were nothing sort of exhilarating. Having opted for a gravel bike, I had the sure-footed confidence to let it rip. Carving, flowing and smiling as I floated across largely hardpacked gravel but also a maelstrom of other questionable surfaces. This was undoubtedly the best decision I made in the run-up to the race, even if it made the road segments that much more gruelling. I'd opted for 40mm WTB tyres the night before the race, having been prepared to go for a Panracer 32mm slicks and being met with dismal weather. The right choice.
Credit where credit is due. My riding buddies all finished stronger than I did, whether through better-managed efforts, more fitness, or some combination of them all. Kudos to them all. I can't help but feel a little disappointed with my own performance, I'd hoped residual fitness would see me through better than it did, but that was perhaps naive. I got my fueling right, but it seems there is no out-eating a lack of fitness. I also got my gearing completely wrong, churning up the steep climbs and leaving my back in tatters for the afternoon and days to follow. My stats are a mixed bag, but needless to say, there is some work to do before Traka in May.
I will dive back into Strade, through the lens of what I think sportives could be doing better, but we'll save that for part 2...