CYCLING: Gran Fondo Strade Bianche (ITA) on March 03 2024 in Siena Italy
Gran Fondo Strade Bianche
Difficulty: Extreme terrain with frequent steep hills and long sustained climb ¦ MEDIO FONDO 87km ¦ GRAN FONDO 143km
Limited to: 10,000 or less Participants
GF STRADE BIANCHE RIDE INTO THE LEGEND
Europe’s most southerly northern classic: the Gran Fondo that covers the same gravel roads tackled by the great champions of world cycling returns on Sunday 3 March. The start is set from the Fortezza Medicea (Medici Fortress) and the arrival arch is located in the splendid setting of Piazza del Campo, with the possibility of choosing between the long 138.5 km route (2000 metres of elevation gain and 9 gravel sections) or the shorter 87 km route (1350 metres of elevation gain and 6 gravel sections).
Medio Fondo: Suzie Godart (LUX) ¦ 1st place Cat. 55+ ¦ 11th place overall Women
THE ROUTE
DEPARTURE FROM THE MEDICI FORTRESS
After the start in the centre of Siena, the riders face the first undulating kilometres on asphalt before
reaching the first three gravel sections (Vidritta, Bagnaia, Radi). At Radi, one can choose whether to continue on the long route or proceed on the short one.
SHORTER ROUTE
3 more gravel sections to be tackled after Radi (Prisciano, Colle Pinzuto, Le Tolfe) for a total of 22 km of
gravel roads (24.8% of the route) divided into 6 sectors.
LONGER ROUTE
The long route features a further 6 gravel sections (Piana, Serravalle, S. Martino in Grania, Monteaperti, Colle Pinzuto, Le Tolfe) for a total of 42 km of dirt roads (30.2% of the route) divided into 9 sectors.
THE ARRIVAL IN PIAZZA DEL CAMPO
The last kilometres are the same for both routes. The first part winds its way outside the town of Siena, first
downhill and then slightly uphill until 2 km from the finish line, where the Via Esterna di Fontebranda is tackled. At 900 m to go, the athletes will cross the Fontebranda Gate, where the cobbled paving begins. The gradient exceeds 10% until around 500 m from the finish line, with peaks of 16% in Via Santa Caterina. With 300 m to go, the road descends gently until the (flat) last few metres in Piazza del Campo.
