← All eventsGran Fondo Strade Bianche
~138km Tuscan gran fondo from Siena over ~9 sectors of white gravel (strade bianche), finishing in the Piazza del Campo. ~2,000m rolling — difficulty is the surface, not the climbs. Ridden the day before the pros. ~7,000 riders. Next edition ~7 Mar 2027 (approximate).
Nine sectors of white Tuscan gravel, the strade bianche, from Siena to a finish under the arch into the Piazza del Campo. This gran fondo runs the day before the pros race the same roads.
The climbing is all rolling Tuscan hills, no high mountains. The real difficulty is underfoot: loose and dusty when dry, clinging clay-like mud when wet. Two almost different events.
So it rewards handling as much as fitness. Smooth lines, the right tyres and pressure over rough ground shape your day more than a few extra watts ever will.
Is Gran Fondo Strade Bianche for you?
- Riders happy to get off the tarmac. The gravel sectors reward traction, smooth lines and calm handling far more than raw power.
- Punchy riders who can go again. The sectors stack short sharp climbs, ridden over and over, so repeatable efforts beat one big engine.
- Anyone who sweats the setup. Tyre width and pressure make or break the day here, so riders who test their kit arrive ahead.
- Riders after a bucket-list classic. Racing the pros' own Tuscan roads makes this one of the most atmospheric gran fondos anywhere.
Training plan for Gran Fondo Strade Bianche
A training plan for Gran Fondo Strade Bianche isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- Long stretches of loose, buzzing white gravel that demand constant concentration and traction.
- Repeated short sharp climbs on the sectors, ridden again and again on tiring legs.
- Four to eight hours in the saddle depending on your fitness and the conditions.
- March Tuscan weather that swings from near-freezing dust to clinging mud.
- Punch repeats: 8 to 12 times 2 to 4min at 100 to 110% FTP for the gravel climbs.
- Threshold: 3 by 12 to 15min at 95 to 100% FTP to build the sustained-sector engine.
- Gravel skills rides: 2 to 3h off-road on loose climbs and technical descents.
- A 4 to 5h simulation ride with repeated hard sectors, plus tyre and pressure testing.
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
