The first Women’s World Tour-race is upon us. This week, WaowDeals Pro Cycling travels to Italy for the Strade Bianche. DS Jeroen Blijlevens counts for the gravel sectors and the hills in Tuscany on the same riders who left a good impression on Sunday in the Omloop van het Hageland.

“We came out of the opening weekend of the Belgian cycling season with quite some confidence which the riders will take with them to Italy. Hopefully, we get to extend or even strengthen this good feeling”, says Jeroen Blijlevens in the run-up to the 130 kilometre-long classic.

Surviving
The race is on the women’s programme for the 4th time. The start is in Siena after which a quarter of the course will cover the famous gravel sectors. The final is identical to the men’s which means that the female riders will also finish after a short, steep climb to the Piazza del Campo in Siena.

“The final climb is simply very tough. The real climbers will come forward there. But this doesn’t mean that the Strade Bianche is a race for pure climbers. It is one of the few races where not only the ‘Wallon classic riders’, but also the ‘Flemish riders’ make a chance. With a bit of luck, the race will already explode in the middle part and we will manage to survive.”

Weather forecast
The weather will also play a role as the forecast anticipates rain and a temperature of 8°. Jeroen Blijlevens: “If the wind comes into play, the temperature may feel even colder than last weekend in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Omloop van het Hageland.”