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bianche, castelli, cold, mud, Photo, rain, strade, strade bianche, Team Sky, tuscany -

Photo Gallery: An Epic Edition of Strade Bianche

The white gravel roads of Tuscany and the grueling ups and downs of the route make it sapping next to the northern Classics despite its shorter distance. The one-day race is perhaps one of the most evocative races in world cycling and being relatively new to the calendar has quickly become a fans’ favorite. The 2018 edition had added drama with it. However, the course was turned into a mud bath by the rain, snow, and cold in the days up to the race. Two times winner of the race, Michal Kwiatkowski said that the race was “one of the toughest races I’ve ever done” after riding 184km of treacherous terrain with variable weather conditions throughout. And it was not to be Team Sky’s day as Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) was the first rider to enter Piazza del Campo crossing the line covered in dirt and wearing a haggard expression that epitomized why this race is so well loved. Enjoy the stunning pictures from a freezing cold and muddy Strade Bianche 2018 edition that will live long in the memory. Photos by Jered and Ashley Gruber

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Strade Bianche recon – The calm before the storm

The Strade Bianche has quickly become one of the most thrilling and prestigious one-day races in the calendar. It is one of the physically most demanding races for riders and a real test for their equipment on the way to Piazza del Campo in Siena. The white roads and Tuscan hills are not a place reserved for professionals alone. When the pro riders will already lick their wounds on Sunday, hundreds of amateurs will fight their own battle on the exact same roads as their heroes the day before. A few days ago Anja Kallenbach brought out her bike for a track recon of what cyclists will be facing this Sunday. The changeable weather was a friendly reminder that one better should be prepared for all kind of conditions and bring – just like the pros – some warmer kit and a Gabba or Perfetto to be protected from the elements. Imagery and video: AK21Photography  |  Anja Kallenbach

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cannondale-garmin, italia, italy, race, Racing, ride, riding, strade bianche, toscana, tuscany -

Postcards from Italy: Strade Bianche

Between strenght and courage, in one of the most beautiful area of the most beautiful country in the world, Strade Bianche is a joy, theater of cycling. From San Gimignano to Siena, Strade Bianche is a race that all the world would like to have, a tour in the Tuscany on dusty gravel roads, that puts under pressure mind, body and bike, because having technical problems on the machanics of the bike or to flat a tyre is extremely easy. Zdenek Stybar the winner: “until the last kilometer Valverde could attack, but in the end Van Avermaet did it. Arriving in Siena, in Il Campo square will be a memorable moment.” Greg Van Avermaet, second place: “I thought that Valverde, would be the ideal winner for the race, so I attacked him but Stybar surprised me, overtaking me and going to victory.” Alejandro Valverde, third like one year ago: “The race is very hard, and this year we had a lot of wind that complicated the things” Diego Rosa, fifth place: “I was riding for my captain Nibali and when I realized that he was not in the front I tried to save energies for the final, but I could not ...

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castelli, Cosseria, eroica, heritage, Museo della Bicicletta, tuscany, Video, vintage -

Going to Italy? Swing by the bicycle museum of Cosseria

Make sure to spend a few hours at the Museo della Bicicletta on your next trip to the North-West part of Italy. Cyclist since forever, Luciano Berruti is an unique character, a man out of time, fond of bicycles, and raced 18 editions of the world famous amateur race, Eroica di Gaiole in Chianti. The 205-kilometer cycling race winds its way through dirt and gravel roads in the hills of Tuscany. At rest stops along the course, they are fed a decidedly unathletic diet of prosciutto, salame and Chianti wine. Many ride one-speed antique bicycles, some of which are 100 years old. The retired construction worker Berruti usually ride his single-gear Peugeot bicycle from 1907. “She makes me feel young,” said the mustachioed rider in a patched-up sweater.  In 1999, Luciano opened a cycling museum in Cosseria, a village in the province of Savona, not far from Cairo Montenotte, on the north side of Apennines of Liguria.  Enjoy the video! How to get there, click here.        

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