When is the Strade Bianche? Pogacar kicks off 2026 with dust, slopes, and Siena as the grand finale

The 2026 season of Tadej Pogacar begins this Saturday in one of the most spectacular settings of modern cycling. The Strade Bianche brings together some of the biggest stars of the peloton on the dirt roads of Tuscany, with the Slovenian as a major reference in a race he has already conquered three times and in which he seeks to make history.

Strade Bianche 2026: Pogacar opens his season on the white dust of Tuscany

Although it was born in 2007, the Strade Bianche has quickly established itself as one of the most recognizable races on the WorldTour calendar. Its mix of gravel roads, explosive climbs, and a unique finish in the Piazza del Campo in Siena has made it a must-see event within the spring classics.

The men's race will cover 203 kilometers with a start and finish in Siena, while the route will include 14 sectors of sterrato totaling about 64 km of dirt roads.

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In its relatively short history, the palmarès already includes some of the great names of modern cycling. Fabian Cancellara was one of the great dominators of the first decade, while in recent years the spotlight has fallen on figures like Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock.

In Pogacar's case, the Slovenian arrives as the reigning champion and three-time winner of the event after triumphing in 2022, 2024, and 2025. If he achieves a fourth victory, he would become the cyclist with the most wins in the history of the race.

An explosive route with 14 sectors of 'sterrato'

The essence of the Strade Bianche lies in its gravel paths. The 2026 edition maintains the usual philosophy of the race with a route that combines long and technical sectors with very demanding climbs.

The first dirt sections appear early, just after the first kilometers from Siena, which usually favors the formation of an early breakaway.

The most decisive part comes in the central section of the race, where some of the longest and toughest sectors appear:

• Monte Sante Marie (11.5 km) – the most demanding sector and a traditional attack point among the favorites.
• 11.9 km and 8 km sectors in the Torrenieri area, very technical and with broken terrain.

In the final stretch, the race enters a circuit where two key climbs are faced twice:

• Colle Pinzuto, a very explosive sector that has been decisive in recent years.
• Le Tolfe, short but very tough and with uneven terrain.

After overcoming these obstacles, the iconic finish in Siena awaits. The riders face a gradual climb towards the city before entering the cobbled Via Santa Caterina, a brutal ramp that exceeds 15% gradient and leads directly to the Piazza del Campo, one of the most recognizable finishes in world cycling.

Pogacar starts as the big favorite, but at the starting line will also be Pidcock, Van Aert, Healy, Seixas...

The main focus of the race will be on Tadej Pogacar, who will compete here in his first event of the 2026 season. The world champion has shown on several occasions that this race perfectly suits his racing style, with long-range attacks and great ability to perform on the sterrato.

The Slovenian will also have a solid team around him within the UAE Team Emirates-XRG, where the young Isaac del Toro stands out, a recent winner of the UAE Tour and one of the names to watch.

Among the main rivals of the champion are several specialists in this type of terrain.

Favorites for victory:

• Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
• Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) – winner in 2023 and always competitive in Siena
• Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) – winner in 2020 and in his first race of the year showed that he is in form
• Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) – fourth in the previous edition

Podium or top-10 candidates:

• Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
• Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM), one of the great revelations of the start of the season
• Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), returning to a race where he was already a protagonist
• Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), a regular in the top-10 of the event
• Matej Mohori? (Bahrain Victorious) or Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ)

With such a selective and technical profile, the race usually breaks apart more than 50 km from the finish, so long-range attacks and movements in small groups are often decisive.

Schedule and how to watch the Strade Bianche 2026

The race will take place on Saturday, March 7.

Key data of the race:

• Neutralized start: 11:40 (Spanish time)
• Distance: 203 km
• Expected finish: between 16:00 and 16:45

Where to watch the Strade Bianche 2026

• Eurosport 2
• HBO Max, with live broadcast and on-demand option

The approximate broadcast time on TV will be at 14:20 and coverage will be until the finish (around 16:30). There will also be international coverage through platforms like Discovery+, TNT Sports, Rai, or Sporza in other countries.