Mike O'Connor
World champion Tadej Pogačar delivered another standout ride on the gravel roads of Tuscany to win the 2026 edition of Strade Bianche, and his third in a row, attacking from distance before riding solo into Siena to open his season in style.
In the women’s race, Elise Chabbey claimed the biggest victory of her career, timing her final move perfectly in the streets of Siena to round out a frenzied weekend of riding in Italy.
Pogačar, the Slovenian star from UAE Team Emirates – XRG made his decisive move with 78 kilometres remaining on the brutal Monte Sante Marie sector, quickly dropping his rivals and committing to a long solo effort across the race’s famous sterrato roads.
The race had already been ridden at a fast tempo. An early breakaway featuring Jack Haig, Patrick Konrad and Tibor Del Grosso never built much of an advantage as UAE Team Emirates – XRG kept the race under control from the peloton.
Haig went on to finish as the best placed Australian rider on the day, coming home in 53rd.
Things began to split apart on the Monte Sante Marie gravel sector, where UAE riders gradually increased the pressure. Florian Vermeersch and Jan Christen helped lift the pace and thin the group before Pogacar launched his attack.
Only a few riders were able to respond. Nineteen-year-old French rising star Paul Seixas briefly bridged across on the steep gravel slopes, but the effort proved too much as Pogacar accelerated again and quickly rode clear.
Behind him, the fight for the remaining podium places played out between a small chasing group, with Seixas and Pogacar’s teammate Isaac del Toro among the strongest riders in pursuit.
Out front, Pogacar settled into a steady rhythm across the white roads of Tuscany and gradually extended his lead, sealing another impressive victory in one of cycling’s most distinctive races.
In the women’s race, Elise Chabbey (FDJ–SUEZ) claimed the biggest victory of her career at the 2026 Strade Bianche Women, timing her final move perfectly in the streets of Siena.
The Swiss rider crested the Via Santa Caterina wall in fourth but slipped past Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto), and teammate Franziska Koch in the last 300 metres to take the win.
The race was fast from the start, with early crashes and tense riding keeping breakaways in check. Action intensified on the San Martino in Grania sector, cutting the lead group to 24 riders.
Chabbey showed her strength on Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe, surviving mechanical setbacks and wrong turns that cost rivals including Demi Vollering and Lotte Kopecky.
In the final kilometres, eight riders battled on the Via Santa Caterina wall. A thrilling shoulder-to-shoulder battle unfolded, leaving Longo Borghini, Koch, Niewiadoma and Chabbey still together at the front.
From there it became a matter of timing and race craft, with Chabbey diving up the inside to pass them all and claim the greatest victory of her career. Niewiadoma finished second for the fourth time, with Koch taking third.
