PREVIEW | Strade Bianche Donne 2025 - Vollering, Pieterse and Longo Borghini the main favourites... But a dozen other top riders can also win!
Cycling
On the 8th of March the women's peloton will take on one of the toughest and most exciting classics in pro cycling. Strade Bianche Donne is always a race that crowns some of the very best and this year should be no exception. We preview the race ahead.
13 gravel sectors in what is one of the most exciting races of the year. Without a doubt there will be a lot of spectacle amongst the climbers and classics specialists who have a route full of opportunities to make the difference.
Over 50 kilometers of gravel roads in a total of 135 kilometers, with the first half of the race having the longest sectors, and the second half the hardest and steepest. The riders will have to tackle a two-lap circuit with the brutal Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe before heading into Siena where the traditional finale at the Piazza del Campo will decide the race after the climb of the Via Santa Caterina.
Siena - Siena, 135 kilometers
This might be one of the very best ever startlists in the history of the sport. We lack the great Lotte Kopecky, but the truth is we have two dozen world-class riders who can each thrive in a race that is often chaotic. Luck, positioning and tactics mean a lot, specially when there is so much gravel early on. I rate Vollering, Pieterse and Longo Borghini slightly above the rest, and we may see the same two that attacked Omloop Het Nieuwsblad try to make the difference here on the climbs.
Prediction Strade Bianche Donne 2025:
*** Demi Vollering, Puck Pieterse, Elisa Longo Borghini
** Liane Lippert, Blanka Kata Vas, Silvia Persico
* Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Cédrine Kerbaol, Evita Muzic, Juliette Labous, Christina Schweiberger, Riejanne Markus, Mavi García, Lorena Wiebes, Anna van der Breggen, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Fem van Empel,
** Liane Lippert, Blanka Kata Vas, Silvia Persico
* Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, Cédrine Kerbaol, Evita Muzic, Juliette Labous, Christina Schweiberger, Riejanne Markus, Mavi García, Lorena Wiebes, Anna van der Breggen, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Fem van Empel,
Pick: Puck Pieterse
How: It will come down to Via Santa Caterina and who has the most legs there.
Original: Rúben Silva
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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santiagobenites07-11-2026 - Seriously why do they keep doing stupid things like this. Its one thing to relegate when the placings are minor, when the action is blatant. But when it is ambiguous, why dont they at least take advice from some higher up to avoid embarrassing themselves. This is similar to the Halland goal when his teammate was clearly offside and interfered in play and VAR gave them the goal. if you dont have evidence you cannot convict. Even for doping they have these rulesabstractengineer07-11-2026
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